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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2019 3:45:42 GMT
Vladimir Putin on Wednesday appeared to revel in the ongoing political maelstrom in the U.S., jokingly admitting to plans for future election meddling. When asked whether Russia would interfere in the 2020 election cycle, Putin leaned into the microphone onstage and mimicked a whisper: “I’m going to tell you a secret. Yes, sure. We’re going to do that. Don’t tell anybody.” The quip at the Russian Energy Week panel elicited laughter and applause as Putin discussed why he believes the allegations made by former special counsel Robert Mueller, who concluded that Moscow mounted an aggressive effort to disrupt the 2016 presidential election, were untrue. “The fact that myself and Mr. Trump have a close relationship doesn’t mean that it’s in any way affecting the current political environment within the U.S.,” he said. “We see that (the United States) is trying to use any pretext to attack Mr. Trump, and now they’re even trying to use Ukraine.” He maintained that while he has a good relationship with Trump “built on trust,” Russia did not interfere in the 2016 presidential election, citing focus on issues within his own country. “We have our own problems,” he said. “We invest immense resources into implementing our own goals in our own country. Why would we interfere anywhere?”
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Post by Admin on Oct 6, 2019 18:08:36 GMT
A second whistleblower has come forward in the impeachment case against US President Donald Trump, according to lawyers representing the first one.
Mark Zaid told ABC News the second person was also an intelligence official and they had spoken to the inspector general.
The White House has made no direct comment. President Trump has repeatedly rejected the original complaint.
However, Mr Zaid said the person had first-hand knowledge of allegations associated with the phone call Mr Trump made with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 25 July.
The impeachment inquiry stems from the call, which was flagged up by the initial whistleblower in August.
On Friday, the New York Times reported that a second person was considering coming forward who had "more direct information" about the events surrounding the call.
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Post by Admin on Oct 9, 2019 18:20:54 GMT
The Trump administration has blocked Gordon Sondland, President Trump's ambassador to the European Union, from testifying before Congress on Tuesday. Sondland has been a key figure in the widening Ukraine scandal involving the president, members of his Cabinet and high-ranking diplomats. "Early this morning, the U.S. Department of State directed Ambassador Gordon Sondland not to appear today for his scheduled transcribed interview before the U.S. House of Representatives Joint Committee," the law firm representing Sondland said in a statement. "Ambassador Sondland had previously agreed to appear voluntarily today, without the need for a subpoena, in order to answer the Committee's questions on an expedited basis. As the sitting U.S. Ambassador to the EU and employee of the State Department, Ambassador Sondland is required to follow the Department's direction." How The U.S. Ambassador To The E.U. Is Wrapped Up In The Ukraine Controversy The statement described Sondland as "profoundly disappointed" and noted that he traveled from Brussels to Washington for the testimony and to prepare.
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Post by Admin on Oct 10, 2019 17:47:42 GMT
Two foreign-born men who helped the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani in his efforts to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden have been arrested on federal campaign finance charges.
The men, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, are accused of conspiring to "circumvent the federal laws against foreign interference by engaging in a scheme to funnel foreign money to candidates for federal and State office," according to an indictment in the Southern District of New York. Two other men, David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, also face charges.
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Post by Admin on Oct 13, 2019 18:57:50 GMT
President Donald Trump’s politically appointed ambassadors have long drawn skepticism, even resentment, from career U.S. diplomats. Now, as an impeachment inquiry exposes some of their more questionable activities and threatens the career of a traditional envoy, the anger toward them is rising. Current and former career U.S. diplomats say Trump has handed far too many ambassadorial posts to unqualified candidates, many of whom were political donors with thin diplomatic resumes and little respect for the U.S. Foreign Service. Some say it’s time to rethink, if not cap or outright bar, political appointments for ambassadorships. “It is out of whack under Trump,” said Dana Shell Smith, a former career Foreign Service officer who served as the U.S. ambassador to Qatar. “These ambassadorships are being seen as the spoils, as opposed to being very serious jobs that act in the interest of the country.” Most modern presidents have given roughly 30 percent of U.S. ambassador postings to political appointees, with the rest drawn from career government ranks. Under Trump, the proportions appear to have changed significantly. As of now, nearly 45 percent of his ambassador picks — people who have been confirmed or are awaiting confirmation — are political appointees, one database shows.
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