同情特朗普
- 主题发起人 ccc
- 开始时间
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- 2003-04-13
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WASHINGTON — White House officials once debated a scorched-earth strategy of publicly criticizing and undercutting Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russian efforts to disrupt last year’s election. Now, President Trump’s lawyers are pursuing a different course: cooperating with the special counsel in the hope that Mr. Mueller will declare in the coming months that Mr. Trump is not a target of the Russia inquiry.
Mr. Trump has long sought such a public declaration. He fired his F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, in May after Mr. Comey refused to say openly that Mr. Trump was not under investigation.
The president’s legal team is working swiftly to respond to requests from Mr. Mueller for emails, documents and memos, and will make White House officials available for interviews. Once Mr. Mueller has combed through the evidence, Mr. Trump’s lawyers plan to ask him to affirm that Mr. Trump is not under investigation, either for colluding with Russian operatives or for trying to obstruct justice.
More than a half dozen White House officials, witnesses and outside lawyers connected to the Russia inquiry have described the approach, which is as much a public relations strategy as a legal one. The president’s legal team aims to argue that the White House has nothing to hide, hoping to shift the burden to Mr. Mueller to move quickly to wrap up an investigation that has consumed the Trump administration’s first year.
“The White House believes the special counsel shares its interest in concluding this matter with all deliberate speed for the benefit of the country,” said Ty Cobb, the White House lawyer handling the response to Mr. Mueller’s investigation. He said the administration was cooperating “with hope of bringing the matter to a prompt and decisive end.”
Any public declaration by Mr. Mueller about the president’s innocence would also be a clear sign that the special counsel’s investigation has not broadened significantly beyond last year’s presidential campaign to include a close scrutiny of any of Mr. Trump’s past business dealings with Russians.
Whether the strategy will work is another matter. The plan rests on the premise that Mr. Trump has done nothing wrong — something the president has repeatedly told his lawyers and said publicly — and some lawyers connected to the investigation say that Mr. Cobb has been too willing to take the president at his word. If the White House moves too hastily, they argue, materials could end up in Mr. Mueller’s hands that might damage the president and other administration officials.
Donald F. McGahn II, the White House counsel, previously expressed fears that the document production could set a bad precedent for future administrations. Mr. Cobb has told aides that the White House should move deliberately and carefully, but not drag its feet.
Others doubt that Mr. Mueller will publicly clear Mr. Trump anytime soon, even if the documents and interviews do not show that he committed a crime. Mr. Mueller is building cases against two of Mr. Trump’s former advisers, Paul J. Manafort and Michael T. Flynn. Should either man cooperate with investigators, it might change Mr. Mueller’s view of how Mr. Trump fits into the Russia investigation.
Nevertheless, the president’s advisers have concluded that this strategy represents their best chance to lift the cloud hanging over the administration.
“Good for them if they can pull it off,” said Barbara Van Gelder, a prominent Washington white-collar lawyer who served in the Justice Department with Mr. Mueller. She said he was highly unlikely to give the White House any assurances as long as the investigations into Mr. Manafort and Mr. Flynn were open.
“Mueller’s not going to make a statement,” she said, “because he’s not going to want to claw it back.”
Mr. Comey had similar concerns. While F.B.I. agents investigated whether Mr. Trump’s associates had any connection to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, Mr. Comey privately told Mr. Trump and members of Congress that the president was not personally under investigation. At least twice, however, he refused requests by Mr. Trump to say so publicly. Mr. Comey later told Congress that he did not want to make a public declaration that he might have to amend after further investigation.
Ty Cobb, the White House lawyer handling the response to Mr. Mueller’s investigation, said the administration was cooperating and hoping to bring the matter to a swift end. Credit Jerry Cleveland/The Denver Post, via Associated Press
One administration official said it was not yet clear how the White House would make its request for Mr. Mueller to publicly exonerate Mr. Trump, and there have been delays in getting documents to the special counsel. The internal White House review of the documents is not yet complete, and Mr. Mueller does not plan to interview many key White House officials until his team has reviewed all the documents he requested.
Mr. Cobb and several White House lawyers have spent weeks reviewing documents related to numerous subjects, including Mr. Trump’s firing of Mr. Comey, and his role in July in drafting a misleading statement to The New York Times about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer in June 2016.
Mr. Mueller’s prosecutors have indicated that they plan to ask detailed questions about that statement, written aboard Air Force One, which withheld the purpose of the June 2016 meeting: to get damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of the Russian government’s efforts to help Mr. Trump.
Some of Mr. Trump’s associates remain suspicious of the special counsel and his team of aggressive prosecutors.
“While it would be good to clear the air on this entire issue so that the president can focus on governing, it presupposes that Mueller is an honest broker, and that he would not take nothing and make it into something, which would be my concern,” said Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime informal adviser.
Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax Media and a friend of Mr. Trump’s, said the White House should challenge Mr. Mueller if he investigates anything beyond whether Mr. Trump or his associates colluded with the Russian campaign to disrupt the election.
But White House officials say they do not want a repeat of some of the tactics used in the 1990s, when President Bill Clinton battled an independent counsel in court and in the media as the investigation dragged on for years. Since Mr. Cobb joined the White House, Mr. Trump’s team has significantly muted its criticism of Mr. Mueller.
One sign of the White House’s willingness to cooperate is that officials are strongly considering letting Mr. McGahn speak to investigators about his private conversations with Mr. Trump, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Many presidents insist that conversations with their White House counsel be kept secret under the principle of executive privilege, but Mr. McGahn is seen by some as a witness who could be helpful to Mr. Trump.
Mr. McGahn was involved in the discussions about firing Mr. Comey, and officials believe he would say that Mr. Trump was warned that firing Mr. Comey would only prolong the Russia investigation. Lawyers believe that would help make the case that Mr. Trump was not trying to obstruct justice when he fired the F.B.I. director.
Even as the White House pushes for a swift resolution of Mr. Mueller’s inquiry, administration officials are bracing for fallout from the investigations into Mr. Manafort and Mr. Flynn. Prosecutors have signaled that they intend to indict Mr. Manafort, the former chairman of the Trump campaign, who is under scrutiny for tax and foreign lobbying matters.
But lawyers in the case say they see no evidence yet that Mr. Manafort will face charges of conspiring with Russia to disrupt the election.
The White House also hopes for a favorable report from the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has been investigating Russian election interference and several related matters. The committee’s leaders said this week that they planned to release a public report about their findings.
That report could be finished before Mr. Mueller’s investigation. Although committee leaders said they would leave any criminal matters to the Justice Department, a determination by the committee that none of Mr. Trump’s associates assisted the Russian campaign would be a boon for the White House even if Mr. Mueller refuses to publicly clear Mr. Trump.
“They want them to write a report saying ‘no collusion,’” said Ms. Van Gelder, the defense lawyer. “And then they can let Mueller twist in the wind.”
Corker hit back at President Donald Trump on Sunday, tweeting that it was a "shame the White House has become an adult day care center."
Trump attacks retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker in Sunday morning tweetstorm
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-bob-corker-tweets-twitter-reelection-2017-10
Trump attacks retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker in Sunday morning tweetstorm
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-bob-corker-tweets-twitter-reelection-2017-10
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- 2003-04-13
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我看不懂他这是怎么了。
Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump and outgoing Sen. Bob Corker launched into a Twitter spat Sunday morning in a major public falling out, making the Tennessean the latest senior Republican lawmaker to openly criticize Trump over his statements online and off.
Trump tweeted Sunday morning in a series of posts attacking Corker that he denied the senator's request for an endorsement -- a claim denied by Corker's chief of staff, Todd Womack, later in the day.
"The president called Senator Corker on Monday afternoon and asked him to reconsider his decision not to seek reelection and reaffirmed that he would have endorsed him, as he has said many times," Womack said in a statement.
Trump told Corker he was going to endorse him the day the Tennessee Republican announced his intention to retire, two sources familiar with the discussions said.
Trump's slams on Corker come days after the senator made public comments criticizing him. The senator responded to Trump's tweets with an insult later in the morning, calling the White House "an adult day care center" in a Twitter post.
The flare-up between the two leaders highlights the long-simmering differences between GOP leaders and the President, who has not shied away from attacking the leadership over their inability to move health care legislation. It also comes as Trump prepares to press Congress to advance his proposed tax overhaul and tensions reportedly grow between Trump and members of his own Cabinet -- especially Secretary of State Rex Tillerson -- on issues such as the way to handle North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Corker's vote will be critical on tax reform, and he remains an influential voice on Trump's foreign policy challenges, including over how to handle the Iran nuclear deal.
It's not the first time Trump and the White House have privately sent one signal to Corker while publicly saying something else. Following Corker's pointed attack on Trump for his handling of the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August, Vice President Mike Pence quietly sought to repair ties with Corker after the President attacked the Tennessee Republican on Twitter, sources said.
"Senator Bob Corker 'begged' me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said 'NO' and he dropped out (said he could not win without..." Trump wrote in a series of three consecutive tweets. "..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said "NO THANKS." He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!"
"...Hence, I would fully expect Corker to be a negative voice and stand in the way of our great agenda. Didn't have the guts to run!" Trump added.
The President continued to slam Corker in a tweet in the late afternoon.
"Bob Corker gave us the Iran Deal, & that's about it. We need HealthCare, we need Tax Cuts/Reform, we need people that can get the job done!" he wrote.
Corker responded on Twitter after Trump's initial tweets: "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning."
Corker, the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, announced late last month he would not seek another term in the Senate and has made some critical comments about Trump's demeanor and temperament.
Former US attorney Preet Bharara, now a senior legal analyst at CNN, retweeted Corker's response, remarking, "An adult day care center whose chief resident can't count to 51."
Bharara was fired by Trump a few months into his presidency.
Corker said in August that Trump had not yet demonstrated "the stability nor some of the competence" he needed to be successful.
He said Wednesday that Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly "help separate our country from chaos."
Corker also said Tillerson has not received the support he needs from Trump.
"I mean, look, I see what's happening here," Corker said. "I deal with people throughout the administration and (Tillerson), from my perspective, is in an incredibly frustrating place, where, as I watch, OK, and I can watch very closely on many occasions, I mean you know, he ends up being not being supported in the way I would hope a secretary of state would be supported, that's just from my vantage point."
Tillerson, who has reportedly been displeased with Trump and his own role in the administration, made a public statement last week reaffirming his support for the President after news reports spoke of acrimony between the two men -- principally, that Tillerson had questioned Trump's intelligence, calling him a "moron," in front of other top officials.
Tillerson's statement of support for Trump prompted the President to say his secretary of state had refuted the story about the insult. Trump later told reporters inside a Las Vegas hospital, where he was visiting the victims of last Sunday's mass shooting, that he has "total confidence" in Tillerson and said reports that the secretary of state called him a moron were "fake news" and "totally made up."
CNN's Elise Labott and Ryan Nobles contributed to this story.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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- 2003-04-13
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老人就如同小孩子。
(CNN) Donald Trump has a grandiose view of himself and his centrality to, well, everything.
He is the first mover. He comes up with things. Like the idea of putting the words "fake" and "news" together.
"The media is really, the word, one of the greatest of all terms I've come up with, is 'fake,'" Trump told Mike Huckabee in an interview for the two-time Republican presidential candidate's new show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. "I guess other people have used it perhaps over the years but I've never noticed it. And it's a shame. And they really hurt the country. Because they take away the spirit of the country."
This is not satire. Even though it does sound exactly like Dr. Evil's memory of his father in "Austin Powers": "He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark."
It's not entirely clear from the quote above whether Trump is claiming that he invented the word "fake" or just that he was the first person to use the phrase "fake news."
Either way, he's wrong.
The word "fake" originates in the early 19th century. "'Fake,' in the sense of something being bogus or counterfeit, apparently began life a little over 200 years ago among the 'flash' language used by criminals in 18th- and 19th-century England," according to this totally-fascinating Mental Floss piece in March 2017.
Trump is on slightly stronger footing if he is claiming that he popularized the term "fake news." But he isn't really saying that. He's saying he came up with it. Which he didn't.
"Fake news appears to have begun seeing general use at the end of the 19th century," according to Merriam Webster -- citing several references to "fake news" in newspapers in 1890 and 1891.
But Trump may well be responsible for dictionary.com's decision to add the term "fake news" this fall. The definition? "False news stories, often of a sensational nature, created to be widely shared online for the purpose of generating ad revenue via web traffic or discrediting a public figure, political movement, company, etc."
That definition does not really cover the way Trump uses the phrase. Trump calls things "fake news" not because they are, in fact, fake, but rather because he doesn't agree with them or they paint him in a bad light.
That is something very different from what we now know Russia did in the 2016 election when the foreign agents purposely created totally made-up "news" stories to drive voters away from Hillary Clinton and toward Trump.
Does Trump know the difference? Probably. Does he care? Almost certainly not.
Either way, Trump didn't create the phrase "fake news." Which makes his boast to Huckabee fake news.
(CNN) Donald Trump has a grandiose view of himself and his centrality to, well, everything.
He is the first mover. He comes up with things. Like the idea of putting the words "fake" and "news" together.
"The media is really, the word, one of the greatest of all terms I've come up with, is 'fake,'" Trump told Mike Huckabee in an interview for the two-time Republican presidential candidate's new show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. "I guess other people have used it perhaps over the years but I've never noticed it. And it's a shame. And they really hurt the country. Because they take away the spirit of the country."
This is not satire. Even though it does sound exactly like Dr. Evil's memory of his father in "Austin Powers": "He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark."
It's not entirely clear from the quote above whether Trump is claiming that he invented the word "fake" or just that he was the first person to use the phrase "fake news."
Either way, he's wrong.
The word "fake" originates in the early 19th century. "'Fake,' in the sense of something being bogus or counterfeit, apparently began life a little over 200 years ago among the 'flash' language used by criminals in 18th- and 19th-century England," according to this totally-fascinating Mental Floss piece in March 2017.
Trump is on slightly stronger footing if he is claiming that he popularized the term "fake news." But he isn't really saying that. He's saying he came up with it. Which he didn't.
"Fake news appears to have begun seeing general use at the end of the 19th century," according to Merriam Webster -- citing several references to "fake news" in newspapers in 1890 and 1891.
But Trump may well be responsible for dictionary.com's decision to add the term "fake news" this fall. The definition? "False news stories, often of a sensational nature, created to be widely shared online for the purpose of generating ad revenue via web traffic or discrediting a public figure, political movement, company, etc."
That definition does not really cover the way Trump uses the phrase. Trump calls things "fake news" not because they are, in fact, fake, but rather because he doesn't agree with them or they paint him in a bad light.
That is something very different from what we now know Russia did in the 2016 election when the foreign agents purposely created totally made-up "news" stories to drive voters away from Hillary Clinton and toward Trump.
Does Trump know the difference? Probably. Does he care? Almost certainly not.
Either way, Trump didn't create the phrase "fake news." Which makes his boast to Huckabee fake news.
- 注册
- 2003-04-13
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- 238,878
- 荣誉分数
- 37,355
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- 1,393
