7/20/18: F.B.I. Director Christopher Wray has already undercut Trump at the Aspen Security Forum (see: 7/18/18). Now Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats takes a shot.
Coats is laughing at Trump.
At this point, four days after Trump sat down privately to chat with his pal Vladimir, the White House still hasn’t briefed top administration officials or military leaders on any agreements the two men might have made. Mr. Coats is answering questions from Andrea Mitchell, a reporter for MSNBC, in front of a large audience, when news breaks. Press Secretary Pinocchio announces, via Twitter, that Putin will be invited to the White House this fall. Coats’s reaction is telling, and we learn later that White House aides feel Coats is laughing at Trump.
That’s because he is – and like Wray, on Wednesday – almost daring the president to fire him.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary James Mattis makes it clear in a statement what our country’s biggest problem is in Europe.
It isn’t NATO.
Russia should suffer
consequences for its aggressive,
destabilizing behavior and its illegal occupation of Ukraine. The
fundamental question we must ask ourselves is do we wish to strengthen our
partners in key regions or leave them with no other option than to turn to
Russia, thereby undermining a once in a generation opportunity to more
closely align nations with the U.S. vision [emphasis added] for global
security and stability.
No one knows yet what Putin and Trump talked about during their private meeting in Helsinki. We do know this. They both agree the free press is a giant pain in the ass for dictators.
BLOGGER’S NOTE: In January 2019 we learn that our president has been confiscating translator’s notes from his meetings with Putin. Other top administration officials still don’t know what has been said.
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WE LEARN IN PASSING that Mueller has issued a subpoena for Kristin Davis, 41, formerly known as the “Manhattan Madam.” Ms. Davis operated a high-priced prostitution ring and ran an abortive campaign for governor of New York in 2010. Since then she has worked for Roger Stone.
That is, not counting the twenty-four months she spent behind bars, starting in 2013, for illegally peddling prescription pills.
These are the kinds of people who orbit the Trump sun.
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