'Stars are aligning' for Putin before Trump summit — indictments notwithstanding
'I'm sure Putin is thrilled,' expert says after Justice Department indicts 12 Russians for election hacking
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John Mann
The video Putin has of Trump must be really damaging.
Floyd Robertson
@John Mann
He probably even has his tax returns.
He probably even has his tax returns.
Fred Ashlton
@Floyd Robertson
He certainly has the emails from Hillary's server
He certainly has the emails from Hillary's server
Mike Martin
@Fred Ashlton
He also has the emails from Trump and Trump's gang, as well as emails from the RNC servers. Plus a lot of Trump financial info that is confined to Russian banks. I suspect Trump is less concerned about the pp tape than about what an examination of his dealings with Russian "financiers" would reveal.
He also has the emails from Trump and Trump's gang, as well as emails from the RNC servers. Plus a lot of Trump financial info that is confined to Russian banks. I suspect Trump is less concerned about the pp tape than about what an examination of his dealings with Russian "financiers" would reveal.
Jim Gammon
@Fred Ashlton
Everyone has the emails from Hillary's server.
Everyone has the emails from Hillary's server.
David R. Amos
@John Mann Dream on
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
@Jim Gammon "Everyone has the emails from Hillary's server"
Therein lies the rub for the mindless Yankee Justice Dept.
Therein lies the rub for the mindless Yankee Justice Dept.
Eli Sunday
Mueller sure is catching a lot of witches on this little hunt.
Dave Baston
@Eli Sunday
He hasn't produced a single confirmed case of Russian anything.
He hasn't produced a single confirmed case of Russian anything.
Dennis St.Amand
@Eli Sunday yup, so-called witch hunt has now racked up well over a hundred criminal charges so far.
Jim Gammon
@Dennis St.Amand
Why hasn't General Flynn been sentenced yet then?
Why hasn't General Flynn been sentenced yet then?
Paul Bigras
@Eli Sunday
26 of then are from Russia. Manafort is being kept in solitary confinement for not registering as a foreign agent and paying his taxes in 2005. Hes in solitary confinement for tax evasion.
General Mike Flynn apparently lied to the FBI but Comey said that he didn`t. Mike is waiting to be sentenced but its being held up.
At the end of the day both Manafort and Flynn will walk and will be pardoned by Trump. No offence buit maybe you should bone up on this matter.
26 of then are from Russia. Manafort is being kept in solitary confinement for not registering as a foreign agent and paying his taxes in 2005. Hes in solitary confinement for tax evasion.
General Mike Flynn apparently lied to the FBI but Comey said that he didn`t. Mike is waiting to be sentenced but its being held up.
At the end of the day both Manafort and Flynn will walk and will be pardoned by Trump. No offence buit maybe you should bone up on this matter.
Paul Bigras
@Jim Gammon
The new judge in the case did not like the way Muellers team ran rough shod over Flynn and is going over the case. Muellers team bankrupted Flynn and he only cut a deal because then were going to go after his son.
The new judge in the case did not like the way Muellers team ran rough shod over Flynn and is going over the case. Muellers team bankrupted Flynn and he only cut a deal because then were going to go after his son.
Richard Nichols
@Jim Gammon
He has been spewing what he has so there is no sentence. Where have you been?
He has been spewing what he has so there is no sentence. Where have you been?
Richard Nichols
@Paul Bigras
trump appointed judge, Paul?
trump appointed judge, Paul?
mia stalling
@Jim Gammon
he is cooperating with the prosecution ( telling all he knows) to lighten his sentence.
he is cooperating with the prosecution ( telling all he knows) to lighten his sentence.
Scotty Davidson
@Eli Sunday I am still
waiting for him to find the WMD's he kept talking about in the lead up
to the Iraq war. Funny the new hero's of the "left".
David Scott
@Scotty Davidson
We do like honesty how about you on the right not so much?
We do like honesty how about you on the right not so much?
Kevin Delaney
@Eli Sunday
Team Trump & their Putin Team St Petersburg allies posting on this article are not happy with that.
Team Trump & their Putin Team St Petersburg allies posting on this article are not happy with that.
John Dirlik
@Eli Sunday
True. But just as deserving of scrutiny is the influence of another country, vividly demonstrated every election by the surreal spectacle of candidates jostling to prove who is more loyal to it.
True. But just as deserving of scrutiny is the influence of another country, vividly demonstrated every election by the surreal spectacle of candidates jostling to prove who is more loyal to it.
Kevin Delaney
@John Dirlik
The spectacle televised from Washington late last week was televised insanity. How the US Republican Party can take such profound action against their nation is beyond belief.
The spectacle televised from Washington late last week was televised insanity. How the US Republican Party can take such profound action against their nation is beyond belief.
Scotty Davidson
@David Scott Wow so I was opposed to the Iraq war and that makes me a right winger...what?
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
@Scotty Davidson Methinks the
left wingnuts are awfully confused as they try to create spin that
makes sense out of the Circus N'esy Pas?
David R. Amos
@Eli Sunday Methinks anyone can name 12 Russians It does not follow that they are witches N'esy Pas?
Richard Baumann
Trump is in his glory. His
face and, more importantly, his name are plastered on the front page of
every major newspaper in the world. He's promoting his brand and really
doesn't care what impact that has on the US or any other country.
@Richard Baumann
If it's any consolation, at least his golf course in Scotland is going under, his clothes manufactured in China line is going under, and Ivanka has been pulled from the Bay.
If it's any consolation, at least his golf course in Scotland is going under, his clothes manufactured in China line is going under, and Ivanka has been pulled from the Bay.
David R. Amos
@Richard Baumann "Trump is in his glory."
YUP The BS form all sides of this circus is entertaining if nothing else and I agree the incredibly narcissistic Mr Trump really doesn't care about the US or any other country or anyone or anything for that matter. The fact that he is so popular astounds me but I enjoy watching the corporate media squirm at all the Circuses he causes on a daily basis. They seem to forget they created the monster they call The Donald.
YUP The BS form all sides of this circus is entertaining if nothing else and I agree the incredibly narcissistic Mr Trump really doesn't care about the US or any other country or anyone or anything for that matter. The fact that he is so popular astounds me but I enjoy watching the corporate media squirm at all the Circuses he causes on a daily basis. They seem to forget they created the monster they call The Donald.
Joe Attard
Trump expects his performance review with his boss to go well.
@Joe Attard
Yep; time for The Puppet's periodic check in with The Puppet Master just to make sure that everything is still 'on track'.
Yep; time for The Puppet's periodic check in with The Puppet Master just to make sure that everything is still 'on track'.
David R. Amos
@Jim Palmer Methinks all the right wingnuts are be blocked tonight N'esy Pas?
Don Luft
Why shouldn't he say Putin
will be the easiest of all. Putin is about the only world leader not in
Trump's cross hairs. Trump is running the Oval Office as if Putin
himself had picked the American president. Actually, he probably did.
Fred Ashlton
@Don Luft
and she lost
and she lost
David R. Amos
@Fred Ashlton YUP
Joe Green
Trump needs to report to his boss, and get new marching orders, having done great damage to NATO.
Putin's next step is to get Trump to withdraw all troops from Europe and South Korea and Japan.
Its the prelude to a Russian invasion. Not unlike Crimea, but with fewer troops.
Putin's next step is to get Trump to withdraw all troops from Europe and South Korea and Japan.
Its the prelude to a Russian invasion. Not unlike Crimea, but with fewer troops.
Gord McPherson
@Dave Baston
Russia most certainly did send troops in to the Crimea Peninsula.
On February 27, 2014, those troops took, by force, the Supreme Council of Crimea.
This was followed by the installation of a puppet government and the holding of a "referendum"; a fixed referendum.
The puppet government declared independence, which was nearly instantly turned into nothing like independence as Russia incorporated Crimea into the Russian Federation two days later.
Crimea was both invaded and annexed.
Russia most certainly did send troops in to the Crimea Peninsula.
On February 27, 2014, those troops took, by force, the Supreme Council of Crimea.
This was followed by the installation of a puppet government and the holding of a "referendum"; a fixed referendum.
The puppet government declared independence, which was nearly instantly turned into nothing like independence as Russia incorporated Crimea into the Russian Federation two days later.
Crimea was both invaded and annexed.
Dave Baston
@Gord McPherson
There was no installation of a puppet or any other government in Crimea ahead of its 2014 referendum. There was only a single person replaced in Crimea's government, and that was the puppet of Kiev that was forcefully placed there to report to Kiev on any attempts by Crimea's government to organize a referendum.
Kiev's puppet was replaced according the Crimea's laws, with a vote being taken by Crimea's government, with that vote receiving unanimous approval from Crimea's government.
Subsequently, Crimea's government organized the referendum that they and the Crimean people were calling for, and had been calling for going back decades. It took constant forceful effort and manipulation by the Ukrainian government to keep Crimea in Ukraine all that time - and forcefully installing a non-elected puppet on Crimea's Supreme Council was one of the measure Kiev had taken.
No honest person can claim that Crimea was invaded or annexed. Both claims are ridiculous and deceitful.
There was no installation of a puppet or any other government in Crimea ahead of its 2014 referendum. There was only a single person replaced in Crimea's government, and that was the puppet of Kiev that was forcefully placed there to report to Kiev on any attempts by Crimea's government to organize a referendum.
Kiev's puppet was replaced according the Crimea's laws, with a vote being taken by Crimea's government, with that vote receiving unanimous approval from Crimea's government.
Subsequently, Crimea's government organized the referendum that they and the Crimean people were calling for, and had been calling for going back decades. It took constant forceful effort and manipulation by the Ukrainian government to keep Crimea in Ukraine all that time - and forcefully installing a non-elected puppet on Crimea's Supreme Council was one of the measure Kiev had taken.
No honest person can claim that Crimea was invaded or annexed. Both claims are ridiculous and deceitful.
John Dunn
@Dave Baston Is that Bastonski?
Keith Burton
@Dave Baston
Reminds me of the CBC reporter, during Russian take over of Crimea, saying there are numerous Russian Navy ships in the Black Sea. Surprise, surprise someone should have told the reporter they have been there for a long time.
Reminds me of the CBC reporter, during Russian take over of Crimea, saying there are numerous Russian Navy ships in the Black Sea. Surprise, surprise someone should have told the reporter they have been there for a long time.
Dave Baston
@Keith Burton
Yup. Russia's large navy base, with many large Russian military ships docked at, was in Crimea the entire time that Crimea was a part of Ukraine.
Yup. Russia's large navy base, with many large Russian military ships docked at, was in Crimea the entire time that Crimea was a part of Ukraine.
Dave Baston
@Joe Green
Huh? What invasion was there of Crimea? Russia didn't send any troops
into Crimea and didn't have to because Russia was already there. Russia
has always had their Black Sea naval base on the Crimean peninsula -
including while Crimea was a part of Ukraine. Russia was allowed up to
25,000 troops on the Crimean peninsula. Also, former Ukraine's last-acting head-of-state officially requested Russia to enter militarily into Ukraine to stop the coup. Russia didn't do this. However, even if Russia had entered militarily into Ukraine and gone all the way to Kiev and thrown out the coup government that was not constitutionally sanctioned, it would not have been an invasion.
Russia hasn't invaded any country while Putin as been its president. Meanwhile, the USA has invaded Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and fostered coups in many more.
Dave Baston
@Joe Green
Also, from the article: "He appeared reluctant last month to rule out recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea, responding to a question about whether Russia would drop its longstanding opposition to the annexation by saying: "We're going to have to see.""
It looks like "Russia" is written there the second time when it's supposed to read "United States".
Also, there has been no annexation of Crimea, and the international community no longer holds that view. The assertion that Crimea was annexed by Russia was US / NATO / Ukraine propaganda, and was revealed to be false over time. Now, most of the international community does not regard Crimea as occupied by Russia, as demonstrated by the December 2017 UNGC vote on the matter, where 102 out of 172 UN member states refused to support a resolution calling Crimea an occupied territory.
An annexation is the forceful taking of one territory by another. An accession is the mutually agreed-to combining of one territory with another. Crimea acceded to Russia, and was not annexed. And as all Western polls of the region since have shown, Crimeans are overjoyed with their reunification with Russia.
Also, from the article: "He appeared reluctant last month to rule out recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea, responding to a question about whether Russia would drop its longstanding opposition to the annexation by saying: "We're going to have to see.""
It looks like "Russia" is written there the second time when it's supposed to read "United States".
Also, there has been no annexation of Crimea, and the international community no longer holds that view. The assertion that Crimea was annexed by Russia was US / NATO / Ukraine propaganda, and was revealed to be false over time. Now, most of the international community does not regard Crimea as occupied by Russia, as demonstrated by the December 2017 UNGC vote on the matter, where 102 out of 172 UN member states refused to support a resolution calling Crimea an occupied territory.
An annexation is the forceful taking of one territory by another. An accession is the mutually agreed-to combining of one territory with another. Crimea acceded to Russia, and was not annexed. And as all Western polls of the region since have shown, Crimeans are overjoyed with their reunification with Russia.
David R. Amos
@Dave Baston I concur
Floyd Robertson
The fact that Trump isn't
even taking the indictments seriously shows what an absolutely terrible
POTUS he is. If he were a Democrat POTUS and behaved this way he would
be impeached already.
Gary Norton
@Floyd Robertson Since it all
took place before he became POTUS and he has mentioned some of the
question need to be answered by the people in charge what would you
suggest he do
Floyd Robertson
@Gary Norton
Cancel the meeting with Putin.
Cancel the meeting with Putin.
Gary Norton
@Floyd Robertson Why? Maybe a
discussion can shed some light. It can't do any damage. You can not
change history, only the future.
Dave Baston
@Floyd Robertson
I think Trump's not taking them seriously (if that's the case) would rather be because there is no cause to take them seriously at this moment. Mueller previous made 13 indictments against Russians, and then panicked when those Russians appeared in US court to defend themselves. Mueller then asked the judge for permission to withhold his evidence, and to delay the trial, and then he excused himself from the case.
So, why would these new indictments (made against Russian officials who conveniently wouldn't go to the US anyway) merit being taken more seriously? By all appearances, they're show charges for a kangaroo court.
I think Trump's not taking them seriously (if that's the case) would rather be because there is no cause to take them seriously at this moment. Mueller previous made 13 indictments against Russians, and then panicked when those Russians appeared in US court to defend themselves. Mueller then asked the judge for permission to withhold his evidence, and to delay the trial, and then he excused himself from the case.
So, why would these new indictments (made against Russian officials who conveniently wouldn't go to the US anyway) merit being taken more seriously? By all appearances, they're show charges for a kangaroo court.
mike potter
@Gary Norton It can't do any damage.
That sems to be tRump's M.O. i.e. do as much damage as possible.
That sems to be tRump's M.O. i.e. do as much damage as possible.
Floyd Robertson
@Dave Baston
It's not just Mueller ---it's the entire US intelligence community. Only someone who is morally bankrupt and/or in Putin's back pocket would not take these charges seriously.
It's not just Mueller ---it's the entire US intelligence community. Only someone who is morally bankrupt and/or in Putin's back pocket would not take these charges seriously.
David R. Amos
@Floyd Robertson Heres a tip
about your hero Mueller and US Special Counsels etc. Google following
find the pdf file called Cross Border and go through pages 1 to 5 then
you may wish to keep reading
david amos cross border check the evidence
https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER
david amos cross border check the evidence
https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER
mo bennett
so, donnie, can ya tell the audience how happy the residents of Aberdeenshire were to see ya!
David R. Amos
@mo bennett YO Mo doya think anyone would even notice if you landed in Aberdeenshire? Methinks not N'esy Pas?
Jim S Powers
almost all leaders or bosses have a briefing of the facts before a big meeting
I feel Trump just phones FOX gets their view and facts and heads to the meeting
I feel Trump just phones FOX gets their view and facts and heads to the meeting
Igor Nordham
@Alfred Morris "Try usinging facts instead of feelings."
Actually the comment is fact based. Trump has gone off on an unhinged Twitter tirade based on a dubious Fox story.
Actually the comment is fact based. Trump has gone off on an unhinged Twitter tirade based on a dubious Fox story.
David R. Amos
@Jim S Powers "I feel Trump just phones FOX gets their view and facts and heads to the meeting"
Methinks all the folks at CNN et al agree with you N'esy Pas?
Methinks all the folks at CNN et al agree with you N'esy Pas?
Jim S Powers
bet he won't show up late like he has for other world leaders.
Brent Grywinski
@Jim S Powers
You don't show up for a meeting with the boss late.
You don't show up for a meeting with the boss late.
David R. Amos
@Brent Grywinski I always did because I was the boss.
'Stars are aligning' for Putin before Trump summit — indictments notwithstanding
'I'm sure Putin is thrilled,' expert says after Justice Department indicts 12 Russians for election hacking
With only three days to go before the U.S.-Russia presidential summit, the stunning indictments Friday of 12 Russian intelligence officers — charged with interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election — could easily have been enough to make the U.S. cancel it.
In any past U.S. presidency, that might have been the case. Not so for Trump, say Eurasia scholars and former diplomats familiar with Russian propaganda efforts.
The Kremlin, rushing out a statement Friday, slammed the announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice as an attempt to "spoil" the atmosphere ahead of President Donald Trump's face-to-face with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
It needn't have worried.
Following chaotic stops in Brussels and the U.K., where Trump's criticisms of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and British Prime Minister Theresa May seemed to weaken a historic alliance, experts say the chief beneficiary of the turmoil is Putin.
"I'm sure Putin is thrilled. And [the indictments] won't make a difference," said Alexandra Vacroux, director of Harvard University's Davis Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies.
Instead, Trump, who was briefed by his Justice Department about the indictments, will press ahead with Monday's meeting with Putin in Helsinki.
Once in Finland, he will have the opportunity to confront Putin on Russia's annexation of Crimea; to debate sanctions relief for Russia; to broker a New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) treaty expiring in 2021 between the nations to commit to mutual nuclear arms reduction; and to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to NATO.
On Saturday, Trump tweeted that the indictments "had nothing to do with the Trump administration."
These Russian individuals did their work during the Obama years. Why didn’t Obama do something about it? Because he thought Crooked Hillary Clinton would win, that’s why. Had nothing to do with the Trump Administration, but Fake News doesn’t want to report the truth, as usual!
Friday's announcement revealed the indictments of a dozen Russians with the GRU military intelligence unit in special counsel Robert Mueller's probe. It alleged the Russians hacked into the Democratic National Committee to undermine the election, and compromised the voting data of 500,000 Americans.
"For Putin, this is like the stars are aligning," given how the last week has unfolded for Trump in Europe, said Brett Bruen, who led an inter-agency task force in the Obama administration to combat Russian propaganda.
He points to Trump's thrashing of what he called "delinquent" NATO members and demands for the alliance to increase defence spending, lest the U.S. begin to roll back on its commitments.
"That diluted the standing of the most important strategic alliance for security in the world."
And when the president left the NATO meetings in Brussels for the U.K., only to criticize British Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of Brexit, Bruen said, "he diminished the stature of America's most important strategic ally in the world."
"If I was trying to write a script for how Putin could set up the summit with Trump for maximum impact on Russia's strategic objectives, I don't think I could have done a better job than what Trump has accomplished."
Legitimizing it would raise alarms in Baltic states like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, about possible Russian incursions.
I'm not sure what it gets the U.S., apart from extreme anxiety about what happens in that room.- Alexandra Vacroux , Harvard UniversityBruen is skeptical Trump will be able to achieve much, beyond hyping that the summit materialized and that Putin gave him a symbolic gesture of goodwill. But merely bringing up the topic of Russian election meddling sounds like a "weak way of checking a box without applying pressure," he said.
"My fear is this is really our last opportunity, before we head into the congressional elections, to get Putin and his propagandists out of our electoral process. I have little confidence the president is going to grow a backbone overnight on this."
If last month's Singapore summit between Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was any indicator, he added, there's reason to worry.
While the Trump-Kim summit was billed by the administration as a possible advancement toward denuclearization, satellite images suggest Pyongyang is continuing to develop a nuclear research site and missile facility.
"It does look like this meeting has the potential to get Putin quite a lot," Vacroux said. "I'm not sure what it gets the U.S., apart from extreme anxiety about what happens in that room."
As far as Russian election tampering goes, she says the U.S. is missing a concrete geopolitical "grand strategy" to halt Russia's interference in future U.S. elections, beyond "patching holes in cybersecurity."
Unless the president delivers "a serious message with serious consequences," Bruen said, he can expect the Russians to continue developing ways to undermine U.S. elections.
While Friday's indictment didn't allege any co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, "timing seems like a notable fact," observed Harry Sandick, a former federal prosecutor with the Southern District of New York, which his presently handling the case.
"The defendants made an after-hours attempt to hack into [Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton's] emails, for the first time, on July 27, 2016," he noted. "That's the same date in which Trump said, 'Russia, if you're listening I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.'"
Alleged Russian cyberattacks against the DNC notwithstanding, Trump already signalled how much he wants this meeting with Putin. Despite Russia's standing as an adversary, he has arguably treated the Russian strongman more amicably than he has actual European allies in recent days.
Ahead of his flight to what turned out to be a tense NATO summit and a fraught visit to the U.K., Trump made a prediction to reporters about the sensitive meetings ahead.
"Frankly," he said, "Putin may be the easiest of them all."
About the Author
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-putin-finland-meeting-cbs-1.4747642
'I
think we go into that meeting not looking for so much,' U.S. President
Donald Trump, left, Trump told reporters last week, when asked about his
talks in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, on
Monday. (Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty Images)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-may-eu-uk-visit-1.4747629
U.S.
President Donald Trump holds a joint news conference with Britain's
Prime Minister Theresa May at Chequers, near Aylesbury, Britain, last
Friday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
In the midst of a messy political crisis at home over Britain's impending exit from the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May revealed Sunday that Donald Trump gave her this piece of advice: Sue the EU, don't negotiate.
A bemused May turned him down. But the exchange was the latest example of the awkward dance between the U.S. and Britain, with the two leaders attempting to put on a public show of friendliness, despite clear strains over trade, the EU and their approaches to diplomacy.
Trump told reporters on Friday that he had given May advice about how to deal with the EU that she found too "brutal." Asked in a BBC interview Sunday what that was, May responded with an amused expression: "He told me I should sue the EU. Not go into negotiation, sue them."
With a laugh, she added: "Actually, no. We're going into negotiations with them."
U.S.
President Donald Trump heaped praise this week on Boris Johnson, left,
who quit U.K. PM Theresa May's cabinet to protest her handling of
Brexit. (Matt Dunham/Associated Press)
In
the past few days, Trump's first official visit to Britain has veered
wildly off course with a series of humiliating remarks he has made about
May's leadership — especially her handling of the tense Brexit
negotiations.
In an explosive interview with The Sun newspaper published Thursday, just as May was hosting Trump at a lavish black-tie dinner, Trump said the British leader's approach likely "killed" chances of a free-trade deal with the United States. He said he had told May how to conduct Brexit negotiations, "but she didn't listen to me."
He also praised May's rival, Boris Johnson, who quit last week as foreign secretary to protest May's Brexit plans. Trump claimed Johnson would make a "great prime minister."
The comments shocked many in Britain — even May's opponents — and couldn't have come at a worse time for the British prime minister, who is facing a crisis over Brexit from within her own ranks. Her Conservative government is deeply split between supporters of a clean break with the EU and those who want to keep close ties with the bloc, Britain's biggest trading partner.
The U.S. president later apologized and sought to soften the blow, telling reporters at a joint news conference Friday that May is an "incredible woman" who is "doing a fantastic job" as prime minister.
Asked to rate U.S.-U.K. relations, Trump called them the "highest level of special." He added it was up to May how to handle Brexit, as long as the U.S. "can trade and we don't have any restrictions" on commerce with the United Kingdom.
On Sunday, May seemed to point to Trump's inconsistent advice when she said that, as well as telling her to "sue" the EU, he also suggested not walking away from the negotiations.
May didn't elaborate, and it wasn't clear what grounds Britain would have to sue the EU, how it would work or to what purpose.
But Trump has made clear his animosity toward the EU, aggressively criticizing his European NATO allies for what he views as taking advantage of the U.S. on trade and defence spending. In a CBS interview Saturday, he called the EU a trade "foe."
May's government has just published its long-awaited Brexit plans, which propose to keep Britain and the EU in a free market for goods, with a more distant relationship for services. That has infuriated fervent Brexit supporters, who see it as a bad deal. Along with Johnson, the man who had been leading the Brexit negotiations, David Davis, also quit in protest.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/indictments-russia-mueller-probe-1.4745718
U.S.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, at a news conference at the
Justice Department in Washington, announces grand jury indictments of 12
Russian intelligence officers in special counsel Robert Mueller's
Russia investigation. (Leah Millis/Reuters)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-putin-finland-meeting-cbs-1.4747642
Trump sets expectations 'low' for summit with Putin
Kremlin says talks 'will be difficult' because of 'disagreements' between leaders
U.S.
President Donald Trump says "nothing bad ... maybe some good" will come
out of his summit Monday with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Finland, while
the Kremlin says the meeting "will be difficult" because of "the
extent of the disagreements" between the leaders.
When asked in a television interview, "What's your goal from the Putin meeting?" Trump said he's going into it with "low expectations. I'm not going with high expectations."
He told CBS News that he "hadn't thought" about asking Putin to extradite the dozen Russian military intelligence officers indicted this past week in Washington on charges related to the hacking of Democratic targets in the 2016 U.S. election, but said that "certainly I'll be asking about it."
But in tweets published as he flew to Finland for the meeting, Trump also claimed that no matter what the summit achieves, he'll face "criticism that it wasn't good enough."
"If I was given the great city of Moscow as retribution for all of the sins and evils committed by Russia over the years, I would return to criticism that it wasn't good enough — that I should have gotten Saint Petersburg in addition!" he tweeted.
He seemed to blame the media for this, repeating a notion he has expressed since his early days in office that "much of our news media is indeed the enemy of the people."
The Kremlin has said the talks between Putin and Trump will be tough.
"They will be difficult and you know the extent of the disagreements on the agenda," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week, according to Russian official news agency TASS.
Trump and Putin will meet one-on-one, with no clear agenda, no advisers and no cameras.
The United States is not seeking "concrete deliverables" from the Trump-Putin meeting, a senior White House adviser said on Sunday.
"We have asked, and the Russians have agreed, that it will be basically unstructured. We are not looking for concrete deliverables," White House national security adviser, John Bolton, told ABC's This Week in an interview.
People
in Helsinki attend the pro-human rights 'Helsinki Calling' protest on
Sunday, ahead of Monday's meeting between U.S. President Trump and
Russian President Putin. (Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)
In
recent days, Trump has outlined some of the items he'd like to discuss,
including Ukraine. Though the president has said he was "not happy"
about Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, he puts the blame on
his predecessor, Barack Obama, and says he will continue relations with
Putin even if Moscow refuses to return the peninsula.
Trump says he believes such get-togethers are beneficial. In the CBS interview, he cited his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June as "a good thing" and says "having meetings with Russia, China, North Korea, I believe in it."
The U.S. president taped the CBS interview Saturday in Scotland, a day before he was set to leave for Helsinki for the summit. CBS released excerpts on Sunday.
On the issue of the 12 Russian agents indicted in the U.S. this week, a potential hurdle to their extradition is that Washington has no extradition treaty with Moscow and can't compel Russia to hand over citizens, and a provision in Russia's constitution prohibits extraditing its citizens to foreign countries.
Trump is blaming the Democratic National Committee for "allowing themselves to be hacked."
Samuli
Huuhtanen, the CEO of craft brewery Paper Rock Scissors, came up with a
new brew and summit logo, 'Let's settle this like adults.' The beer is
sold out throughout Finland. (Susan Ormiston/CBC)
Trump
also said he and Putin would discuss the ongoing war in Syria and arms
control, negotiations that White House officials have signalled could be
fruitful.
But it is the matter of election meddling, including fears Russia could try to interfere in the midterm U.S. elections this fall, that could play a central role in the summit talks or loom even larger if not addressed.
In neither of Trump's previous meetings with Putin — informal talks on the sidelines of summits last year in Germany and Vietnam — did the U.S. president publicly upbraid the Russian leader, prompting questions about whether he believed the former KGB officer's denials that his intelligence agencies engaged in meddling.
When asked in a television interview, "What's your goal from the Putin meeting?" Trump said he's going into it with "low expectations. I'm not going with high expectations."
He told CBS News that he "hadn't thought" about asking Putin to extradite the dozen Russian military intelligence officers indicted this past week in Washington on charges related to the hacking of Democratic targets in the 2016 U.S. election, but said that "certainly I'll be asking about it."
But in tweets published as he flew to Finland for the meeting, Trump also claimed that no matter what the summit achieves, he'll face "criticism that it wasn't good enough."
"If I was given the great city of Moscow as retribution for all of the sins and evils committed by Russia over the years, I would return to criticism that it wasn't good enough — that I should have gotten Saint Petersburg in addition!" he tweeted.
He seemed to blame the media for this, repeating a notion he has expressed since his early days in office that "much of our news media is indeed the enemy of the people."
WATCH: President Trump tells @jeffglor that he is going into the Helsinki summit with "low expectations" and that he will consider asking Russia to extradite agents indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. More on @FaceTheNation Sunday. https://cbsn.ws/2Lg6ZkR
The Kremlin has said the talks between Putin and Trump will be tough.
"They will be difficult and you know the extent of the disagreements on the agenda," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week, according to Russian official news agency TASS.
'Unstructured' meeting
Trump and Putin will meet one-on-one, with no clear agenda, no advisers and no cameras.
The United States is not seeking "concrete deliverables" from the Trump-Putin meeting, a senior White House adviser said on Sunday.
"We have asked, and the Russians have agreed, that it will be basically unstructured. We are not looking for concrete deliverables," White House national security adviser, John Bolton, told ABC's This Week in an interview.
Trump says he believes such get-togethers are beneficial. In the CBS interview, he cited his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June as "a good thing" and says "having meetings with Russia, China, North Korea, I believe in it."
The U.S. president taped the CBS interview Saturday in Scotland, a day before he was set to leave for Helsinki for the summit. CBS released excerpts on Sunday.
Can't force Russia to extradite
On the issue of the 12 Russian agents indicted in the U.S. this week, a potential hurdle to their extradition is that Washington has no extradition treaty with Moscow and can't compel Russia to hand over citizens, and a provision in Russia's constitution prohibits extraditing its citizens to foreign countries.
Trump is blaming the Democratic National Committee for "allowing themselves to be hacked."
But it is the matter of election meddling, including fears Russia could try to interfere in the midterm U.S. elections this fall, that could play a central role in the summit talks or loom even larger if not addressed.
In neither of Trump's previous meetings with Putin — informal talks on the sidelines of summits last year in Germany and Vietnam — did the U.S. president publicly upbraid the Russian leader, prompting questions about whether he believed the former KGB officer's denials that his intelligence agencies engaged in meddling.
With files from Reuters and CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-may-eu-uk-visit-1.4747629
Theresa May laughs off Trump's advice to sue EU over Brexit
British PM says U.S. president's recommendation was to not enter negotiations with bloc
In the midst of a messy political crisis at home over Britain's impending exit from the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May revealed Sunday that Donald Trump gave her this piece of advice: Sue the EU, don't negotiate.
A bemused May turned him down. But the exchange was the latest example of the awkward dance between the U.S. and Britain, with the two leaders attempting to put on a public show of friendliness, despite clear strains over trade, the EU and their approaches to diplomacy.
Trump told reporters on Friday that he had given May advice about how to deal with the EU that she found too "brutal." Asked in a BBC interview Sunday what that was, May responded with an amused expression: "He told me I should sue the EU. Not go into negotiation, sue them."
With a laugh, she added: "Actually, no. We're going into negotiations with them."
In an explosive interview with The Sun newspaper published Thursday, just as May was hosting Trump at a lavish black-tie dinner, Trump said the British leader's approach likely "killed" chances of a free-trade deal with the United States. He said he had told May how to conduct Brexit negotiations, "but she didn't listen to me."
He also praised May's rival, Boris Johnson, who quit last week as foreign secretary to protest May's Brexit plans. Trump claimed Johnson would make a "great prime minister."
Apologized
The comments shocked many in Britain — even May's opponents — and couldn't have come at a worse time for the British prime minister, who is facing a crisis over Brexit from within her own ranks. Her Conservative government is deeply split between supporters of a clean break with the EU and those who want to keep close ties with the bloc, Britain's biggest trading partner.
The U.S. president later apologized and sought to soften the blow, telling reporters at a joint news conference Friday that May is an "incredible woman" who is "doing a fantastic job" as prime minister.
Asked to rate U.S.-U.K. relations, Trump called them the "highest level of special." He added it was up to May how to handle Brexit, as long as the U.S. "can trade and we don't have any restrictions" on commerce with the United Kingdom.
On Sunday, May seemed to point to Trump's inconsistent advice when she said that, as well as telling her to "sue" the EU, he also suggested not walking away from the negotiations.
May didn't elaborate, and it wasn't clear what grounds Britain would have to sue the EU, how it would work or to what purpose.
But Trump has made clear his animosity toward the EU, aggressively criticizing his European NATO allies for what he views as taking advantage of the U.S. on trade and defence spending. In a CBS interview Saturday, he called the EU a trade "foe."
May's government has just published its long-awaited Brexit plans, which propose to keep Britain and the EU in a free market for goods, with a more distant relationship for services. That has infuriated fervent Brexit supporters, who see it as a bad deal. Along with Johnson, the man who had been leading the Brexit negotiations, David Davis, also quit in protest.
Comments I made none but used the phone and email to teased Boris et al
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/indictments-russia-mueller-probe-1.4745718
Russian intelligence members indicted in U.S., accused of election meddling
Deputy attorney general won't comment on reaction of Trump, who was briefed ahead of meeting Putin
A federal grand jury indicted 12
Russian intelligence officers for hacking offences related to the 2016
presidential election, the Justice Department announced on Friday.
The grand jury indictment, part of Robert Mueller's special counsel probe, alleges intelligence officers of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) hacked into the computer networks of the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, and attempted to penetrate voting systems across the country.
"The internet allows foreign adversaries to attack America in new and unexpected ways," Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a statement before a news conference that was hurriedly called after the indictments were filed in a D.C. court.
Rosenstein
made the announcement as Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused
himself from any investigations into Russian interference, having been
an advocate of Trump during the campaign.
Trump and several Republicans have criticized that decision, as well as Rosenstein's appointment of Mueller as special counsel last year after the president fired FBI Director James Comey less than halfway into his 10-year term.
Trump,
meanwhile, has been criticized for being reluctant to speak publicly
about Russian interference into the campaign that led to a victory he
has frequently hailed, even into his second year as president.
The announcement comes as Trump prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Helsinki next week. Trump has said he believes Putin when he says that Russia did not meddle in the election.
Rosenstein said the timing of the charges on the eve of the summit was coincidental and based on the collection of evidence. He stressed that no evidence of wrongdoing by Americans or campaign officials in the U.S. was found in connection with the latest indictments.
Trump, as recently as today in England, has called the special counsel probe a "witch hunt."
Read the Justice Dept. indictment:
Rosenstein said he briefed Trump earlier this week about the pending indictments, though he gave no indication of the president's reaction.
"I will allow the president to speak for himself," he said in response to a reporter question.
The
indictment alleges that Russians engaged in hacking of volunteers and
employees of the Clinton campaign, including the campaign's chairman,
John Podesta.
Using stolen logins, it is claimed, email content and other documents were stolen, and computer activity was monitored. The domain DCLeaks.com was registered by the defendants, it is alleged.
Fictitious Facebook and Twitter accounts were employed to spread information as well as the online persona of the famed Guccifer 2.0, who purported to be a lone Romanian hacker. Cryptocurrency and bitcoin mining were utilized to fund the campaign.
The cyberintrusions are said to have started as early as March 2016 and continued for several months, including on July 27, 2016, when it is alleged "the conspirators attempted after hours to spearphish for the first time email accounts at a domain hosted by the third-party provider and used by Clinton's personal office," according to a copy of the indictment. "At or around the same time, they also targeted 76 email addresses at the domain of the Clinton campaign."
On
July 27, at a campaign appearance in Doral, Fla., Trump brushed off
allegations of Russians targeting Democrats, pivoting to the allegations
surrounding Clinton's use of a private email server.
"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," Trump said.
Rosenstein
alleged members of the GRU also conspired to hack into the computers of
state boards of elections, secretaries of state, and U.S. companies
that supply voting software and other technology.
The information of about 500,000 U.S. voters was stolen after the hacking of one unnamed state U.S. election board but Rosenstein said there was no evidence that vote counts or election outcomes in any races were affected, though he warned the U.S. should "harden" its election systems against potential intrusions in a world of ever more sophisticated cyberweapons.
Several current and former officials, as well as politicians from both parties, have signalled the alarm that the U.S. has been lagging on that front, as voters will head to the polls in November for U.S. congressional midterm as well as gubernatorial elections.
While not willing to discuss the specifics of the ongoing special counsel investigation, the deputy attorney general appeared to take a shot at media punditry surrounding the investigation, which has been under Mueller's charge since May 2017.
"The people who speculate about federal investigations usually do not know all of the relevant facts," he said. "We do not try cases on television, or in congressional hearings."
Top
Democrats reacted swiftly, if not in unison. Senate minority leader
Chuck Schumer of New York said the Putin meeting should be scrapped,
while House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi demanded that Trump not only
address the issue with Putin, but seek an agreement in writing to
prevent future meddling.
"President Trump must demand and secure a real, concrete and comprehensive agreement that the Russians will cease their ongoing attacks on our democracy," Pelosi said. "Failure to stand up to Putin would constitute a profound betrayal of the Constitution and our democracy."
Trump,
appearing hours earlier in a joint news conference with British Prime
Minister Theresa May in England, said he would "absolutely" confront
Putin about election meddling in their first head-to-head meeting but
that he didn't expect a "Perry Mason" moment of admission from the
Russian leader.
Rudy Giuliani, the former Republican presidential candidate who is now an adviser to Trump, said on social media that while the indictments were "good news for Americans," they were also a sign for Mueller to wrap up his probe as the president is "completely innocent" of any accusations of collusion.
Former Democrat congressman Brad Ashford, who lost a bid for re-election in 2016, said on social media after the indictment his emails were hacked. The Nebraskan agreed with Schumer in a subsequent post that the summit should be cancelled.
The Kremlin repeated its denial of U.S. election interference on Friday.
"The Russian state has never interfered and has no intention of interfering in the U.S. elections," said Yuri Ushakov, foreign affairs adviser to Putin.
It is unlikely any of the Russians indicted would be brought to justice as the superpower adversaries do not have an extradition treaty.
They were identifed by the Justice Department as:
The grand jury indictment, part of Robert Mueller's special counsel probe, alleges intelligence officers of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) hacked into the computer networks of the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, and attempted to penetrate voting systems across the country.
"The internet allows foreign adversaries to attack America in new and unexpected ways," Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a statement before a news conference that was hurriedly called after the indictments were filed in a D.C. court.
Trump and several Republicans have criticized that decision, as well as Rosenstein's appointment of Mueller as special counsel last year after the president fired FBI Director James Comey less than halfway into his 10-year term.
All 12 were members of Russian military intelligence agency GRU 1:53
The announcement comes as Trump prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Helsinki next week. Trump has said he believes Putin when he says that Russia did not meddle in the election.
Rosenstein said the timing of the charges on the eve of the summit was coincidental and based on the collection of evidence. He stressed that no evidence of wrongdoing by Americans or campaign officials in the U.S. was found in connection with the latest indictments.
Trump, as recently as today in England, has called the special counsel probe a "witch hunt."
Read the Justice Dept. indictment:
Rosenstein said he briefed Trump earlier this week about the pending indictments, though he gave no indication of the president's reaction.
"I will allow the president to speak for himself," he said in response to a reporter question.
Using stolen logins, it is claimed, email content and other documents were stolen, and computer activity was monitored. The domain DCLeaks.com was registered by the defendants, it is alleged.
'Russia, if you're listening'
Fictitious Facebook and Twitter accounts were employed to spread information as well as the online persona of the famed Guccifer 2.0, who purported to be a lone Romanian hacker. Cryptocurrency and bitcoin mining were utilized to fund the campaign.
The cyberintrusions are said to have started as early as March 2016 and continued for several months, including on July 27, 2016, when it is alleged "the conspirators attempted after hours to spearphish for the first time email accounts at a domain hosted by the third-party provider and used by Clinton's personal office," according to a copy of the indictment. "At or around the same time, they also targeted 76 email addresses at the domain of the Clinton campaign."
Donald Trump calls on Russia to seek out Hilary Clinton's missing e-mails during 2016 election campaign 0:15
"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," Trump said.
The information of about 500,000 U.S. voters was stolen after the hacking of one unnamed state U.S. election board but Rosenstein said there was no evidence that vote counts or election outcomes in any races were affected, though he warned the U.S. should "harden" its election systems against potential intrusions in a world of ever more sophisticated cyberweapons.
Several current and former officials, as well as politicians from both parties, have signalled the alarm that the U.S. has been lagging on that front, as voters will head to the polls in November for U.S. congressional midterm as well as gubernatorial elections.
While not willing to discuss the specifics of the ongoing special counsel investigation, the deputy attorney general appeared to take a shot at media punditry surrounding the investigation, which has been under Mueller's charge since May 2017.
"The people who speculate about federal investigations usually do not know all of the relevant facts," he said. "We do not try cases on television, or in congressional hearings."
"President Trump must demand and secure a real, concrete and comprehensive agreement that the Russians will cease their ongoing attacks on our democracy," Pelosi said. "Failure to stand up to Putin would constitute a profound betrayal of the Constitution and our democracy."
Rudy Giuliani, the former Republican presidential candidate who is now an adviser to Trump, said on social media that while the indictments were "good news for Americans," they were also a sign for Mueller to wrap up his probe as the president is "completely innocent" of any accusations of collusion.
Former Democrat congressman Brad Ashford, who lost a bid for re-election in 2016, said on social media after the indictment his emails were hacked. The Nebraskan agreed with Schumer in a subsequent post that the summit should be cancelled.
"The Russian state has never interfered and has no intention of interfering in the U.S. elections," said Yuri Ushakov, foreign affairs adviser to Putin.
It is unlikely any of the Russians indicted would be brought to justice as the superpower adversaries do not have an extradition treaty.
They were identifed by the Justice Department as:
- Viktor Borisovich Netyksho.
- Boris Alekseyevich Antonov.
- Dmitriy Sergeyevich Badin.
- Ivan Sergeyevich Yermakov,
- Aleksey Viktorovich Lukashev.
- Sergey Aleksandrovich Morgachev.
- Nikolay Yuryevich Kozachek.
- Pavel Vyacheslavovich Yershov.
- Artem Andreyevich Malyshev.
- Aleksandr Vladimirovich Osadchuk.
- Aleksey Aleksandrovich Potemkin.
- Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev.
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With files from Reuters
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