Tag: Donald Trump

White House aides struggle to defend Trump wiretap claims

The following article by Ashley Parker and Jenna Johnson was posted on the Washington Post website March 6, 2017:

The White House on Monday attempted to defend President Trump’s unfounded claim that former president Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower near the end of the presidential campaign, sending out several administration officials — both on and off camera — to reiterate the assertion without providing supporting evidence. Continue reading “White House aides struggle to defend Trump wiretap claims”

Trump Can’t Govern

The following article by John Stoehr was posted on the US News and World Report website February 28, 2017:

I’m on record saying I believe President Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. The waves of antisemitism crashing around the nation are sufficient evidence, as are the president’s repeated attacks on the press, the courts and democratic norms.

While we should be vigilant, I’ve been thinking: Are we seeing fascism where there is first plain ordinary incompetence? This may be a moot distinction since one thing can beget another, but in terms of a communication strategy, it’s important to understand what’s going on. This White House talks a good game. It has crowed about the return of “alpha males.” But when it matters, it chokes.

More than exposing Trump for his white nationalist sympathies, the best way forward may be stressing what’s emphatically evident: Trump can’t govern.

Continue reading “Trump Can’t Govern”

It’s Time For a Special Prosecutor

The following article was posted on the TrumpAccountable.org website March 6, 2017:

Rather than diverting attention away from his connections with Russia, Donald Trump’s unfounded Twitter assertions on Saturday are bringing attention back around to persistent questions about both his taxes and his campaign staff’s connections with Russian intelligence agents during and after the campaign.

The Trump administration on Sunday and Monday doubled down (mostly) on the assertions. Here are the latest developments: Continue reading “It’s Time For a Special Prosecutor”

FBI Director Comey asked Justice officials to refute Trump’s unproven wiretapping claim

The following article by Abby Phillip and Ellen Nakashima was posted on the Washington Post website March 5, 2017:

PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/ASSOCIATED PRESS/FILE

FBI Director James B. Comey asked the Justice Department this weekend to issue a statement refuting President Trump’s claim that President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of Trump’s phones before the election, according to U.S. officials, but the department did not do so.

Comey made the request Saturday after Trump accused Obama on Twitter of having his “ ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower.” The White House expanded on Trump’s comments Sunday with a call for a congressional probe of his allegations. Continue reading “FBI Director Comey asked Justice officials to refute Trump’s unproven wiretapping claim”

The Daily 202: Wiretapping allegations accomplished what Trump wanted – but may backfire bigly

The following article by James Hohmann with Breanna Deppisch was posted on the Washington Post website March 6, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: It is easy to pooh-pooh Donald Trump’s predawn Saturday tweetstorm — accusing Barack Obama of the worst political crimes since Watergate while offering no evidence — as an undisciplined rant from someone who has long embraced conspiracy theories.

That neither gives the president enough credit nor reflects the gravity of his unfounded accusations. Continue reading “The Daily 202: Wiretapping allegations accomplished what Trump wanted – but may backfire bigly”

Trump Today: Fallout from wiretap accusation

The following article by Martin Finucane was posted on the Boston Globe website March 6, 2017:

ERIK S. LESSER/GETTY IMAGES/POOL

Welcome to Trump Today, a one-stop entry point for the latest news on the 45th president of the United States.

Afternoon update

President Donald J. Trump signed the new version of his controversial travel ban. Here’s the text.

The new executive order is almost everything the first was not, but Democrats and some activists say they’ll challenge it anyway, the Globe’s James Pindell writes. Continue reading “Trump Today: Fallout from wiretap accusation”

Inside Trump’s fury: The president rages at leaks, setbacks and accusations

The following article by Philip RUcker, Robert Costa and Ashley Parker was posted on the Washington Post website March 5, 2017:

President Trump spent the weekend at “the winter White House,” Mar-a-Lago, the secluded Florida castle where he is king. The sun sparkles off the glistening lawn and warms the russet clay Spanish tiles, and the steaks are cooked just how he likes them (well done). His daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner — celebrated as calming influences on the tempestuous president — joined him. But they were helpless to contain his fury.

Trump was mad — steaming, raging mad. Continue reading “Inside Trump’s fury: The president rages at leaks, setbacks and accusations”

Despite early denials, growing list of Trump camp contacts with Russians haunts White House

The following article by Rosalind S. Helderman was posted on the Washington Post website March 4, 2017:

Two days after the presidential election, a Russian official speaking to a reporter in Moscow offered a surprising acknowledgment: The Kremlin had been in contact with Donald Trump’s campaign.

The claim, coming amid allegations that Russia had interfered with the election, was met with an immediate no-wiggle-room, blanket denial from Trump’s spokeswoman. “It never happened,” Hope Hicks told the Associated Pressat the time. “There was no communication between the campaign and any foreign entity during the campaign.” Continue reading “Despite early denials, growing list of Trump camp contacts with Russians haunts White House”