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☆ European diplomats in DC scramble to gain access to Trump allies for insights
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“We are not that nervous because we know that with Trump it is all about relationships,” said one veteran European diplomat who has been in DC since the Trump administration. “The logic of doing it at Heritage was not lost on us,” said Victoria Coates, a deputy national security advisor to former President Trump who is now a vice president at the think tank. The comments sent European diplomats into over-drive, eager to understand exactly what Trump meant. “If they are worried about how President Trump is going to react to them, they hold it in their hands to do something about it,” Coates said. But European diplomats are not only worried about NATO.

Persons: Donald Trump, jostle, Trump, of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Mike Pompeo, Robert O’Brien, Keith Kellogg, Mike Pence’s, Hillary Clinton, they’ve, ”, –, David Cameron, Antony Blinken, Cameron, Jens Stoltenberg, Jim Lo Scalzo, Stoltenberg’s, Victoria Coates, Stoltenberg, ” Coates, nodded, James Carafano, “, it’s, “ He’s, Mike Johnson, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, White, NATO, Ukraine, Trump, of National Intelligence, National, European Union, Republican, Russian Central Bank, EU, British, Heritage Foundation, Heritage, GOP, Putin Locations: Washington, Russia, European, Europe, Ukraine, Brussels, West, Russian, South Florida, Brexit, ”, Washington ,, “

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump had a “good faith” basis to question the results of the 2020 election, his lawyers said in demanding that prosecutors turn over any evidence related to voting irregularities and potential foreign interference in the contest won by Democrat Joe Biden. Political Cartoons View All 1267 ImagesBut the Trump team asserts in the 37-page filing that he had reason to question the results. It also revisits the intelligence community's effort in 2020 to discern potential interference by countries including Russia, China and Iran. It quotes from a Jan. 7, 2021 memo from John Ratcliffe, the then-director of national intelligence and a close Trump ally, that said China sought to influence the election. The Trump lawyers have already asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to dismiss the indictment, saying he is shielded from prosecution by presidential immunity and arguing that the charges violate his First Amendment rights.

Persons: — Donald Trump, Democrat Joe Biden, Trump, President Trump, Jack Smith's, ”, Hillary Clinton, John Ratcliffe, Smith, Tanya Chutkan Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democrat, Homeland Security, Republican, Democratic, Intelligence Community, Defense, U.S . Capitol, Trump loyalists, Capitol, Trump, U.S Locations: Washington, Moscow, Russia, China, Iran, Russian

Washington CNN —In her new book “Enough,” former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson paints the closing days of the Trump White House as even more chaotic and lawless than she previously disclosed in her shocking televised testimony last summer. “We killed Herman Cain,” Meadows told Hutchinson and asked for his wife’s phone number. Unlike White House communications director Alyssa Farah, who resigned on December 3, 2020, or deputy White House press secretary Sarah Matthews, who left on January 6, 2021, Hutchinson remained. In the summer of 2017, Trump’s first year in office, Hutchinson was an intern in Sen. Ted Cruz’s office. It turns out, Hutchinson writes, that she coordinated with Farah, who is now a CNN political commentator, telling her everything she knew.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Cassidy Hutchinson, Donald Trump, Mark Meadows, Trump, Rudy Giuliani gropes Hutchinson, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, “ Cass, ” Meadows, Hutchinson, Cassidy Hutchinson's, Simon, Schuster, Meadows, “, ” Hutchinson, Herman Cain, Covid, furtively, Hunter Biden, Tony Bobulinski, Mark ’ Meadows, National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Tom Brenner, McCarthy, Ken Paxton, ” Trump, Trump . Hutchinson, Devin Nunes, “ Mark doesn’t, ”, Tony Ornato, Mike Flynn, Sidney Powell, Patrick Byrne, Derek Lyons, Brad Raffensperger, Pat Cipollone, Cipollone, Tony, –, ” Ornato, They’re, Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani, Brendan Smialowski, Alyssa Farah, Sarah Matthews, Donald Trump’s, Hey Cass, Kimberly Guilfoyle’s, ‘, ’, Kayleigh McEnany, Wisconsin Tom Brenner, Trump’s, Sen, Ted Cruz’s, didn’t, Stefan Passantino, Passantino, “ Stefan, Andrew Harnik, Farah, Liz Cheney, Jobs Organizations: Washington CNN, White, Trump White House, Trump, Capitol, White House, GOP, CNN, Secret Service, Republican National Committee, National Intelligence, Texas, Meadows, Georgia, State, Biden, Capitol Hill, Getty, Team Trump, Legislative Affairs, Press, Air Force, Texas Republican Locations: Tulsa , Oklahoma, North Carolina, Meadows, Fulton, Georgia, AFP, Russia, you’re, California, Wisconsin, Texas, Florida

☆ The CIA Politicizes Intelligence on China and Covid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( John Ratcliffe | Cliff Sims | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Review & Outlook: More evidence that the coronavirus may have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology catches up to those who derided the possibility of a man-made Chinese origin. (02/27/23) Images: AP/Reuters Composite: Mark KellyA Central Intelligence Agency whistleblower claims that the CIA rigged a report on the origins of Covid-19 to exonerate China. According to the allegation, the most senior member of a seven-member CIA analysis team “was the lone officer to believe COVID-19 originated through zoonosis.” His six colleagues thought the intelligence and science “were sufficient to make a low confidence assessment” that the disease came from a lab leak.

Persons: Mark Kelly, “, ” Organizations: Wuhan Institute, Virology, Reuters, Central Intelligence Agency, CIA Locations: China, zoonosis

☆ Hillary Clinton: Durham interviewed former Secretary of State on alleged plan to tie Trump to Russia, found no 'provable criminal offense'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Evan Perez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The special counsel was looking into whether any crimes occurred in the handling of an uncorroborated piece of US intelligence indicating Russia knew of a Clinton campaign plan to vilify her opponent, Trump, by tying him to the country. During the Trump administration, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe released some of Brennan’s notes about the intelligence used in his briefing of former President Barack Obama. Ratcliffe publicly said that the intelligence community never corroborated the Russian claims of a “Clinton Plan” to frame Trump, and didn’t know whether it was fabricated. In her interview with Durham’s investigators, Clinton expressed sympathy for Durham’s hunt. Durham concludes that it would be impossible to prosecute anyone for their handling of the intelligence.

☆ Trump's ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows and other top aides must provide more testimony for January 6 investigation, judge rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Meadows and other Trump aides were ordered to offer more testimony to a grand jury investigating January 6. A federal judge dismissed Trump's claims of executive privilege in a sealed order last week. Some of them had appeared before the grand jury but declined to answer certain questions about their interactions with Trump, ABC reported. His legal team is expected to appeal Howell's order compelling his aides' testimony, according to ABC. Corcoran was previously ordered to provide more testimony for the investigation after a federal judge rejected his claims of attorney-client privilege.

☆ Judge declines Trump's bid to stop ex-aides from testifying before grand jury in Jan. 6 probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

President Donald Trump is seen on a screen speaking to supporters during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington, January 6, 2021. A federal judge ordered ex-President Donald Trump's former aides, including his ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows, to testify before a grand jury in Washington, D.C., investigating Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, NBC News reported Friday. In a sealed order, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled against Trump's bid to block his aides from speaking to the grand jury on the grounds of executive privilege, people familiar with the matter told NBC. Trump is expected to appeal the ruling, which was filed in secret because it involves grand jury matters, according to NBC. Trump is also facing a legal threat in Georgia, where a Fulton County grand jury is investigating efforts by him and his allies to interfere in the 2020 election in that state.

☆ Biden aides briefed former Trump officials on the Chinese spy balloon intrusions the ex-president has claimed never happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration has briefed key former Trump administration officials on China's spy balloons. "It never happened with us under the Trump administration and if it did, we would have shot it down immediately," he said on Sunday. He referenced "recent balloon/"object" incidents," but nothing from the Trump administration. During a February 6 briefing, Kirby told reporters that the Chinese surveillance balloons transited US airspace "for brief periods of time" during the Trump administration. Biden officials reached out to key officials from the Trump administration to offer briefings on the forensics they did.

[1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall HillWASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Sunday it is searching for remnants of the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon it shot down the previous day, in a dramatic spy saga that has further strained American-Chinese relations. A successful recovery could potentially give the United States insight into China's spying capabilities, though U.S. officials have downplayed the balloon's impact on national security. Democrats said Biden's decision to wait to shoot down the balloon until it had passed over the United States protected civilians from debris crashing to Earth. The Pentagon will brief senators on the balloon and Chinese surveillance on Feb. 15, Schumer said.

☆ Republicans criticize Biden for waiting to shoot down Chinese balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. Schumer said downing the balloon into the ocean likely enables U.S. intelligence officials to examine its remnants. The Pentagon will brief senators on the balloon and Chinese surveillance on Feb. 15, Schumer said. Trump on Sunday disputed Austin's statement that Chinese government surveillance balloons had transited the continental United States briefly three times during his presidency. Speaking on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures" show, Trump's former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe also denied such balloon incidents.

☆ How Do Drag Shows Advance U.S. National Security?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( John Ratcliffe | Cliff Sims | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The exportation of American culture has long been one of our nation’s greatest soft-power assets. But instead of using it to affirm Western values and U.S. interests, the Biden administration is proselytizing for woke ideology. The foreign-policy implications could be catastrophic. In an effort to “promote diversity and inclusion,” the State Department is funding “drag theater performances” in Ecuador through cultural grants. The purpose of the grants, according to official documents, is to “support the achievement of U.S. foreign policy goals and objectives, advance national interests, and enhance national security.”

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