Trump says he had 'absolute right' to share info with Russia President Trump pushed back on an explosive story in the Washington Post that he shared classified information with members of the Russian government during a meeting last week, arguing on Twitter that he had an "absolute right" and engaged in the discussion for "humanitarian reasons." Trump did not characterize the information as classified, but rather "facts pertaining to terrorism and airline safety." The White House called the Washington Post story "false." "As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism," Trump wrote in a two-part tweet. According to The Washington Post, the nature of the information was related to an Islamic State terrorist threat and gathered by a United States intelligence partner. The report notes that Trump disclosed the information to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak last Wednesday, despite Russia not being a member of the intelligence-sharing arrangement from which the information originated. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-absolute-share-info-russia/story?id=47427490 Sent from my BLU LIFE ONE X using Tapatalk
They say it was Israel. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/...rump-classified-intelligence-russia.html?_r=0 Can you imagine the conversation going on right now between Kushner and Netanyahu?
If he told the Russians about a terrorist plan to down one or more airliners I have no problem with that at all. The world needs more of that kind of information sharing and that's true whether it was embargoed by the acquiring party or not. People die when airliners get taken out of the sky and none of us know who would have been on that flight, assuming this is the case.
Unfortunately, that is a benefit of the doubt he has not allowed himself. Every time something happens that he is responsible for, there is an excuse ("it was locker room talk") or a justification ("I fired Comey because he was a showboat") that everyone and their mother's know he is saying just to make it look less bad. Even if that was the truth, at this point it would be impossible to believe him because it is exactly what he would say as a lie to cover himself.
IN OTHER WORDS, HE'S TOO DUMB TO FUCK UP. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/white-house-staff.html "In private, three administration officials conceded that they could not publicly articulate their most compelling — and honest — defense of the president: that Mr. Trump, a hasty and indifferent reader of printed briefing materials, simply did not possess the interest or knowledge of the granular details of intelligence gathering to leak specific sources and methods of intelligence gathering that would do harm to United States allies." Ron
No, it means he's hasty and indifferent. Dumb would be interpreting hasty and indifferent to equal dumb.
Trump certainly doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt but that doesn't absolve all the hysterics who don't even know whether what he told the Ruskies warrants their childish whining.
Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation WASHINGTON — President Trump asked the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, in an Oval Office meeting in February, according to a memo that Mr. Comey wrote shortly after the meeting. “I hope you can let this go,” the president told Mr. Comey, according to the memo. The existence of Mr. Trump’s request is the clearest evidence that the president has tried to directly influence the Justice Department and F.B.I. investigation into links between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia. Mr. Comey wrote the memo detailing his conversation with the president immediately after the meeting, which took place the day after Mr. Flynn resigned, according to two people who read the memo. The memo was part of a paper trail Mr. Comey created documenting what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence an ongoing investigation. An F.B.I. agent’s contemporaneous notes are widely held up in court as credible evidence of conversations. Mr. Comey shared the existence of the memo with senior F.B.I. officials and close associates. The New York Times has not viewed a copy of the memo, which is unclassified, but one of Mr. Comey’s associates read parts of the memo to a Times reporter. “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey, according to the memo. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.” Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey that Mr. Flynn had done nothing wrong, according to the memo. Mr. Comey did not say anything to Mr. Trump about curtailing the investigation, only replying: “I agree he is a good guy.” In a statement, the White House denied the version of events in the memo. “While the president has repeatedly expressed his view that General Flynn is a decent man who served and protected our country, the president has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn,” the statement said. “The president has the utmost respect for our law enforcement agencies, and all investigations. This is not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the president and Mr. Comey.” https://a.msn.com/r/2/BBBdmgu?m=en-us
Seems to me he is partially (mostly?) responsible for the hysterics. When you paint a big red bulls eye on yourself don't be surprised when there are shots fired.
There is a difference between being critical and being hysterical. Trump is a disaster but he's a disaster we've earned and deserved with our self inflicted hatred for one another. How can hypocrites criticize him for being hateful and bigoted when that's what we are as a whole.
Except he didn't annoint himself president, the people elected him president and thus the president can only be a reflection of us. We have to be better if we want to elect a better President. And as long as we continue to spew hateful and hate filled rhetoric at one another, and act like emotional hysterics, that is the type of President we will get.
Excellent post JB. So true. Most people don't realize this yet but this hatred will gradually eat away from USA's power.