442
Trump’s advisers warned him not to congratulate Putin on the rigged election-the challengers that really poised a challenge weren’t allow to run. They warned him in his PDB in caps. So of course Trump did just that. There were, however, a few things that he didn’t do as well: he didn’t mention election interference and he didn’t mention Russia’s brazen poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England, this month.
On the other hand he sounded very excited to be meeting Putin again soon.
“President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating “DO NOT CONGRATULATE,” according to officials familiar with the call.”
“Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow.”
“The president’s conversation with Putin, which Trump described as a “very good call,” prompted fresh criticism of his muted tone toward one of the United States’ biggest geopolitical rivals amid the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian officials.”
“Although the Trump administration has taken a tougher stance toward Russia recently — including new sanctions last week on some entities for election meddling and cyberattacks — the president has declined to forcefully join London in denouncing Moscow for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England, this month. They remain critically ill.”
FN: A widely used talking point of Trump and his co-conspirators is that ‘he’s been tough on Putin, tougher than Obama’ but this is misleading for a few reasons.
For one thing by definition US policy has gotten tougher on Russia post it’s interference on Trump’s behalf into the 2016 election. It was Obama not Trump who began to make it tougher on December 26, 2016-of course it emerged that #TeamTreasonTrump was already working on undermining this toughest stance on the very day-Michael Flynn’s conversations with Kisylak.
It had seemed that we might see the transcript of this call at one point but for whatever reason Judge Emmet Sullivan backed off demanding its release.
Congress also voted by a veto proof majority to impose further sanctions on Russia. Far from being tough Trump’s Administration slow walked imposing sanctions as long as possible.
To the extent that any actions by the Trump Administration-rather than the Administration-somewhat reluctantly-executing tougher Russia policy imposed by Congress-it’s come from others not from Trump.
Trump’s DHS thought the only way it could impose tougher election security was to hide it from Trump
End of FN.
The White House press office declined to comment on the briefing materials given to Trump. Two people familiar with the notecards acknowledged that they included instructions not to congratulate Putin. But a senior White House official emphasized that national security adviser H.R. McMaster did not mention the issue during a telephone briefing with the president, who was in the White House residence ahead of and during his conversation with Putin.
“It was not clear whether Trump read the notes, administration officials said. Trump, who initiated the call, opened it with the congratulations for Putin, one person familiar with the conversation said.”
I find it hard to believe it would have made a difference.
Of course, the Trump WH initially failed to make the call public-the Russian media reported it. And the fact that someone leaked about the warning in the PDB not to congratulate Putin has got them spooked.
“One of the most startling leaks — and stunning revelations — of this whole administration has left President Trump and his senior staff furious and rattled. The Washington Post reports in its lead story: “Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers [yesterday] when he congratulated … Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating ‘DO NOT CONGRATULATE.'”
Why it matters: The speed and sensitivity of the leak prompted immediate finger-pointing within the administration, as aides reeled from a leak that could only have come from a small group of people, each of whom is trusted with sensitive national secrets.
This excitement over meeting Putin recalls his visit to Moscow in late 2013-he was so excited at the prospect of meeting Putin and so disappointed when Vlad didn’t show.
We’ll never allow anyone to have anything close to what we have. Trump sounds like a defiant heroine in a romance novel-Julliete?-rather than our alleged Commander in Chief.
Throughout his illegitimate first 2 and a half years he’s certainly not let anything or anyone come between him and Vlad. From the Mueller Report we know that soon after midnight on the morning after his ‘win’, Putin’s close associate Kirill Dmitriev sent an email to an unidentified person declaring Putin has won.
Then on the day after Trump’s illegitimate ‘win’ Putin was the first world leader to congratulate him in what Herr Trump called a beautiful telegram
Then on November 14 they had their first post election phone call-Putin couldn’t wait to start reaping the benefit of his investment.
Who can forget Trump’s #TreasonSummit in Helsinki in July 2018?
After Bill Barr’s fake exoneration letter Trump celebrated his fake exoneration by announcing-yup, another meeting with Putin.
Certainly Trump hasn’t let anything come between him and Putin-certainly not the national interests of America.