Zippyjuan
07-25-2018, 02:11 PM
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/25/632367019/white-house-postpones-proposed-putin-visit-citing-russia-witch-hunt
Bolton says he wants to wait until after Muller investigation is over- indicating he expects that to be finished by the end of the year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin won't visit the United States this year after all, the White House said on Wednesday, following an earlier invitation by President Trump after their recent summit in Helsinki.
"The president believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," national security adviser John Bolton said in a statement released by the administration.
The White House said last week that Trump had invited Putin to the United States, but the Kremlin had been quiet on the offer. Russian officials had said they might be open to Trump and Putin meeting on the sidelines of an international summit such as the G-20, but they had not committed to a trip to Washington, D.C.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the Kremlin had formally turned down the White House behind the scenes, or whether the American side decided to foreclose its offer before getting an official answer from Moscow.
It also wasn't clear upon what basis Bolton believes that Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, whose investigation Trump calls the "witch hunt" to which Bolton alluded, might be finished by Dec. 31.
The special counsel's office does not comment on its work or its schedules.
One unanswered question on Wednesday was whether Bolton's statement effectively amounted to a policy that means Putin cannot come to the United States so long as Mueller's work continues.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday afternoon to answer questions about what Trump and Putin discussed in their two-hour private meeting.
Pompeo told senators how strongly he has warned the Russians not to interfere in American elections following the wave of "active measures" they launched against the United States in 2016.
He also urged senators to consider the policies Trump has adopted toward Russia, apart from his rhetoric about the attack on the election. Trump's administration has imposed 213 Russian sanctions, Pompeo said, expelled 60 Russian intelligence officers, supported the U.S. military posture in Europe and taken other steps.
Pompeo also called attention to the military aide the United States is providing to Ukraine and Georgia that, as he said, was not forthcoming under President Barack Obama.
more at link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry5usgJHXgw
Bolton says he wants to wait until after Muller investigation is over- indicating he expects that to be finished by the end of the year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin won't visit the United States this year after all, the White House said on Wednesday, following an earlier invitation by President Trump after their recent summit in Helsinki.
"The president believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," national security adviser John Bolton said in a statement released by the administration.
The White House said last week that Trump had invited Putin to the United States, but the Kremlin had been quiet on the offer. Russian officials had said they might be open to Trump and Putin meeting on the sidelines of an international summit such as the G-20, but they had not committed to a trip to Washington, D.C.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the Kremlin had formally turned down the White House behind the scenes, or whether the American side decided to foreclose its offer before getting an official answer from Moscow.
It also wasn't clear upon what basis Bolton believes that Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, whose investigation Trump calls the "witch hunt" to which Bolton alluded, might be finished by Dec. 31.
The special counsel's office does not comment on its work or its schedules.
One unanswered question on Wednesday was whether Bolton's statement effectively amounted to a policy that means Putin cannot come to the United States so long as Mueller's work continues.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday afternoon to answer questions about what Trump and Putin discussed in their two-hour private meeting.
Pompeo told senators how strongly he has warned the Russians not to interfere in American elections following the wave of "active measures" they launched against the United States in 2016.
He also urged senators to consider the policies Trump has adopted toward Russia, apart from his rhetoric about the attack on the election. Trump's administration has imposed 213 Russian sanctions, Pompeo said, expelled 60 Russian intelligence officers, supported the U.S. military posture in Europe and taken other steps.
Pompeo also called attention to the military aide the United States is providing to Ukraine and Georgia that, as he said, was not forthcoming under President Barack Obama.
more at link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry5usgJHXgw