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Trump Indicates He'll Seek To Block Key Impeachment Witnesses' Testimonies At Trial
President Donald Trump signaled in an interview aired Friday that he would seek to block key witnesses from testifying in the Senate's impeachment trial, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Trump ordered the men, and several other witnesses, not to cooperate with the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry about his pressure campaign on Ukraine to produce political dirt against Democrats.
Now, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) prepares to transmit two articles of impeachment to the Senate for an impeachment trial, Trump implied he would seek to do the same in that chamber.
Asked by Fox News host Laura Ingraham if he would invoke executive privilege in an attempt to prevent Bolton from testifying, Trump said "I think you have to, for the sake of the office."
Bolton witnessed several attempts by Trump administration officials to pressure Ukraine to do the President's political bidding.
At one point, referring to the EU ambassador and the White House chief of staff, Bolton reportedly told a deputy "I am not part of whatever drug deal [Gordon] Sondland and [Mick] Mulvaney are cooking up."
After a judge dismissed his lawsuit seeking an answer on whether he was obliged to testify, Bolton announced last week that he would testify if subpoenaed.
Trump similarly suggested Friday he would seek to prevent potential testimony from Pompeo, Mulvaney and Perry.
"I would love everybody to testify," he said. "I would like Mick to testify, I like Mike Pompeo to testify. I like Rick Perry to testify. I want everybody. But there are things that you can't do from the standpoint of executive privilege."
"You have to maintain that," Trump continued. "So we'll see where it all goes. But especially a national security adviser, you can't have him explaining all of your statements about national security concerning Russia, China, North Korea, everything. You just can't do that."
A few GOP senators have hinted that they would be open to hearing witnesses later on in the Senate trial, but that hasn't reassured Democrats; Pelosi has withheld the articles of impeachment from the Senate for weeks in an attempt to build political pressure on Senate Republicans to allow witnesses that were not part of the House's hearings to testify.
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Posted by Trang Ánh Nam to Erin Burnett at January 12, 2020 at 12:42 AM
Sunday, 12 January 2020
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TReport Pokes More Holes In Dubious Claim Soleimani Was Plotting 'Imminent' Attack
A lengthy new report pokes yet more holes in the Trump administration's already-dubious claims that it needed to kill a top Iranian general in order to prevent an "imminent" threat.
The general, Qassem Soleimani, was killed by a done strike outside Baghad International Airport last Friday.
The administration has argued that Soleimani's killing was necessary to prevent an "imminent" attack, but its changing rhetoric about the danger Soleimani posed has weakened its case.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for example, said Thursday that "we don't know precisely when and we don't know precisely where" the supposedly imminent attack, or attacks, plotted by Soleimani would've occurred.
"Soleimani was actively planning new attacks, and he was looking very seriously at our embassies, and not just the embassy in Baghdad," President Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham aired Friday, adding: "I believe it probably would've been four embassies."
That was the first time the administration had offered that detail.
Meanwhile, a lengthy report from The New York Times published Saturday matched multiple outlets' reporting that Soleimani's killing was one of a number of options presented to Trump as a response to the storming of the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad by an Iranian-backed militia.
One unnamed State Department official told the Times it was "a mistake" for Pompeo to refer to the purported attack being plotted by Soleimani as "imminent."
At the CIA, officers referred to a "mosaic effect" of information about a large-scale attack Soleimani was planning that targeted American assets.
But several unnamed officials told the Times that there was not sufficient information to describe the threat as "imminent."
Other unnamed officials told the Times there was no specific intelligence supporting Pompeo's claim that the attack could've killed "hundreds" of people.
The administration's classified briefings to members of Congress about the Soleimani killing — which Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) called "the worst briefing" on a military issue he'd seen — was similarly fraught.
In the briefings, several top Trump administration officials attempted to sell Congress on the imminent threat Soleimani posed, but many legislators left unconvinced after the briefers skimped on detail.
At one point, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly listed three specific dates on which Soleimani had discussed potential attacks.
"What were the threats?" lawmakers shouted, per the Times. Milley didn't say.
One lawmaker, unnamed in the report, noted that the dates Milley listed, in late December or early January, had passed before Soleimani's killing without any attacks.
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Posted by Trang Ánh Nam to Erin Burnett at January 12, 2020 at 12:40 AM
TReport Pokes More Holes In Dubious Claim Soleimani Was Plotting 'Imminent' Attack
A lengthy new report pokes yet more holes in the Trump administration's already-dubious claims that it needed to kill a top Iranian general in order to prevent an "imminent" threat.
The general, Qassem Soleimani, was killed by a done strike outside Baghad International Airport last Friday.
The administration has argued that Soleimani's killing was necessary to prevent an "imminent" attack, but its changing rhetoric about the danger Soleimani posed has weakened its case.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for example, said Thursday that "we don't know precisely when and we don't know precisely where" the supposedly imminent attack, or attacks, plotted by Soleimani would've occurred.
"Soleimani was actively planning new attacks, and he was looking very seriously at our embassies, and not just the embassy in Baghdad," President Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham aired Friday, adding: "I believe it probably would've been four embassies."
That was the first time the administration had offered that detail.
Meanwhile, a lengthy report from The New York Times published Saturday matched multiple outlets' reporting that Soleimani's killing was one of a number of options presented to Trump as a response to the storming of the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad by an Iranian-backed militia.
One unnamed State Department official told the Times it was "a mistake" for Pompeo to refer to the purported attack being plotted by Soleimani as "imminent."
At the CIA, officers referred to a "mosaic effect" of information about a large-scale attack Soleimani was planning that targeted American assets.
But several unnamed officials told the Times that there was not sufficient information to describe the threat as "imminent."
Other unnamed officials told the Times there was no specific intelligence supporting Pompeo's claim that the attack could've killed "hundreds" of people.
The administration's classified briefings to members of Congress about the Soleimani killing — which Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) called "the worst briefing" on a military issue he'd seen — was similarly fraught.
In the briefings, several top Trump administration officials attempted to sell Congress on the imminent threat Soleimani posed, but many legislators left unconvinced after the briefers skimped on detail.
At one point, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly listed three specific dates on which Soleimani had discussed potential attacks.
"What were the threats?" lawmakers shouted, per the Times. Milley didn't say.
One lawmaker, unnamed in the report, noted that the dates Milley listed, in late December or early January, had passed before Soleimani's killing without any attacks.
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Posted by Trang Ánh Nam to Erin Burnett at January 12, 2020 at 12:40 AM
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Trump Indicates He'll Seek To Block Key Impeachment Witnesses' Testimonies At Trial
President Donald Trump signaled in an interview aired Friday that he would seek to block key witnesses from testifying in the Senate's impeachment trial, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Trump ordered the men, and several other witnesses, not to cooperate with the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry about his pressure campaign on Ukraine to produce political dirt against Democrats.
Now, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) prepares to transmit two articles of impeachment to the Senate for an impeachment trial, Trump implied he would seek to do the same in that chamber.
Asked by Fox News host Laura Ingraham if he would invoke executive privilege in an attempt to prevent Bolton from testifying, Trump said "I think you have to, for the sake of the office."
Bolton witnessed several attempts by Trump administration officials to pressure Ukraine to do the President's political bidding.
At one point, referring to the EU ambassador and the White House chief of staff, Bolton reportedly told a deputy "I am not part of whatever drug deal [Gordon] Sondland and [Mick] Mulvaney are cooking up."
After a judge dismissed his lawsuit seeking an answer on whether he was obliged to testify, Bolton announced last week that he would testify if subpoenaed.
Trump similarly suggested Friday he would seek to prevent potential testimony from Pompeo, Mulvaney and Perry.
"I would love everybody to testify," he said. "I would like Mick to testify, I like Mike Pompeo to testify. I like Rick Perry to testify. I want everybody. But there are things that you can't do from the standpoint of executive privilege."
"You have to maintain that," Trump continued. "So we'll see where it all goes. But especially a national security adviser, you can't have him explaining all of your statements about national security concerning Russia, China, North Korea, everything. You just can't do that."
A few GOP senators have hinted that they would be open to hearing witnesses later on in the Senate trial, but that hasn't reassured Democrats; Pelosi has withheld the articles of impeachment from the Senate for weeks in an attempt to build political pressure on Senate Republicans to allow witnesses that were not part of the House's hearings to testify.
Unsubscribe from comment emails for this blog.
Posted by Trang Ánh Nam to Erin Burnett at January 12, 2020 at 12:38 AM
Trump Indicates He'll Seek To Block Key Impeachment Witnesses' Testimonies At Trial
President Donald Trump signaled in an interview aired Friday that he would seek to block key witnesses from testifying in the Senate's impeachment trial, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Trump ordered the men, and several other witnesses, not to cooperate with the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry about his pressure campaign on Ukraine to produce political dirt against Democrats.
Now, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) prepares to transmit two articles of impeachment to the Senate for an impeachment trial, Trump implied he would seek to do the same in that chamber.
Asked by Fox News host Laura Ingraham if he would invoke executive privilege in an attempt to prevent Bolton from testifying, Trump said "I think you have to, for the sake of the office."
Bolton witnessed several attempts by Trump administration officials to pressure Ukraine to do the President's political bidding.
At one point, referring to the EU ambassador and the White House chief of staff, Bolton reportedly told a deputy "I am not part of whatever drug deal [Gordon] Sondland and [Mick] Mulvaney are cooking up."
After a judge dismissed his lawsuit seeking an answer on whether he was obliged to testify, Bolton announced last week that he would testify if subpoenaed.
Trump similarly suggested Friday he would seek to prevent potential testimony from Pompeo, Mulvaney and Perry.
"I would love everybody to testify," he said. "I would like Mick to testify, I like Mike Pompeo to testify. I like Rick Perry to testify. I want everybody. But there are things that you can't do from the standpoint of executive privilege."
"You have to maintain that," Trump continued. "So we'll see where it all goes. But especially a national security adviser, you can't have him explaining all of your statements about national security concerning Russia, China, North Korea, everything. You just can't do that."
A few GOP senators have hinted that they would be open to hearing witnesses later on in the Senate trial, but that hasn't reassured Democrats; Pelosi has withheld the articles of impeachment from the Senate for weeks in an attempt to build political pressure on Senate Republicans to allow witnesses that were not part of the House's hearings to testify.
Unsubscribe from comment emails for this blog.
Posted by Trang Ánh Nam to Erin Burnett at January 12, 2020 at 12:38 AM
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WSJ: Trump Admin Threatened Iraq's Access To NY Fed Account Over Proposed Troop Withdrawal
The Trump administration reportedly threatened to cut off Iraq's access to its account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York over a proposed withdrawal of American troops.
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that the State Department threatened to cut off Iraq's New York Fed account in a phone call Wednesday with Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, according to unnamed Iraqi officials. The resulting cash shortage would hurt Iraq's economy.
Many countries maintain accounts with the New York Fed in order to store government revenue in the form of U.S. dollars. In Iraq's case, much of that comes from oil sales.
The State Department didn't respond to TPM's request for comment on Saturday.
Abdul-Mahdi and Iraq's parliament have called for American troops to exit the country following the killing, ordered by President Donald Trump, of the top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani outside Baghdad International Airport a week ago.
Trump in turn threatened to sanction Iraq if U.S. troops were expelled. The State Department has refused to recognize Iraq's call for the troops to leave.
"At this time, any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how best to recommit to our strategic partnership — not to discuss troop withdrawal," the State Department said in a statement quoted by The Washington Post Friday.
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Posted by Trang Ánh Nam to Erin Burnett at January 12, 2020 at 12:37 AM
WSJ: Trump Admin Threatened Iraq's Access To NY Fed Account Over Proposed Troop Withdrawal
The Trump administration reportedly threatened to cut off Iraq's access to its account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York over a proposed withdrawal of American troops.
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that the State Department threatened to cut off Iraq's New York Fed account in a phone call Wednesday with Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, according to unnamed Iraqi officials. The resulting cash shortage would hurt Iraq's economy.
Many countries maintain accounts with the New York Fed in order to store government revenue in the form of U.S. dollars. In Iraq's case, much of that comes from oil sales.
The State Department didn't respond to TPM's request for comment on Saturday.
Abdul-Mahdi and Iraq's parliament have called for American troops to exit the country following the killing, ordered by President Donald Trump, of the top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani outside Baghdad International Airport a week ago.
Trump in turn threatened to sanction Iraq if U.S. troops were expelled. The State Department has refused to recognize Iraq's call for the troops to leave.
"At this time, any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how best to recommit to our strategic partnership — not to discuss troop withdrawal," the State Department said in a statement quoted by The Washington Post Friday.
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Posted by Trang Ánh Nam to Erin Burnett at January 12, 2020 at 12:37 AM
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