The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the Roll Call website July 30, 2018:
Press conference did not include a question about Russia probe
ANALYSIS — President Donald Trump took questions from reporters Monday for the first time in several days, but key matters — including some that lawmakers must quickly sort out — went unresolved. And he issued a blanket vow he just might regret.
The president used part of his joint press conference with fellow-populist Giuseppe Conte, Italy’s prime minister, to send members of Congress a signal that his government shutdown threat isn’t an all-or-nothing warning to ensure his immigration and border security demands are completely met.
Some things became somewhat clear Monday in the East Room. However, the brief press conference, in many ways, raised more questions than it answered.