President Donald Trump just spoke saying if the U.S. government conducts “confrontation” with Russia, it could lead to “war.” That comment implies that he as our president should not confront Russian President Vladimir Putin–with whom he just has a private, two-hour meeting in Helsinki Sunday–about Russian meddling in our 2016 presidential election which our intelligence agencies claim. That should further worry Americans about whether or not President Trump is really protecting our nation. In his press conference with Putin Monday, he looked like he is a traitor by siding with Putin in his denial of such alleged meddling and rejecting what his intelligence agencies have been telling him.
Yesterday, we were told for the first time that as soon as Donald Trump was inaugurated as president, his intelligence authorities told him they have very reliable evidence that Russian governmental operatives interfered in the election. Yet ever since he as spoken out against this assessment. All of this makes it look like Mr. Putin has something on Mr. Trump that Trump does not want Americans to know and that this is causing President Trump to not act in the best interests of the U.S.
Right now, the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, is being interviewed at length on NBC News by Andria Mitchell. He again is confirming that Putin is responsible for Russians interfering in our election and that they are still “targeting the U.S.,” thus disagreeing with President Trump. Trump was asked this question Tuesday and answered “no.” Press Secretary Sarah Sanders afterwards claimed the president meant “no” that he would not continue being interviewed. That is not at all what it looked like.
Both Trump and his press people are having to walk back what he says, changing it, as damage control. But it is more lies. I wonder about such people in the White House aiding President Trump in lying. As I posted yesterday, it was reported that Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo advised President Trump that he should “correct” what he said in the conference with Putin Monday when he said the word “would” in his statement, “I don’t see any reason why it would be Russia” regarding meddling in our election. So, Trump did that Tuesday, saying he meant, “I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.” I think that is a bald-faced lie, and if it is true about Pence and Pompeo, they are aiding the president in lying to the American people about something that is important. Could they be legally liable for doing that or susceptible to impeachment if they knew it was a lie? The change certainly didn’t fit what was said overall by Trump in that conference with Putin.
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