Cordial Meeting Disappoints Dems – Putin “Delighted To Meet Trump”, Trump Sees “Very Positive” Things Happening
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Jul 7, 2017
Update: The meeting seemed more cordial than many hoped for…
As The Hill reports, the encounter takes place as investigators search for any evidence of collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. No such evidence has yet been uncovered but the backdrop makes the Putin meeting politically perilous for the president.
What will Trump say about Russian meddling?
U.S. intelligence services are adamant that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Fired FBI director James Comey told Congress last month he had “no doubt” Russia was behind hacks of the Democratic National Committee and of high-level members of Hillary Clinton’s campaign. But Trump has been much more equivocal on the issue, which arose again during a news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday.
In response to a question about election interference from Hallie Jackson of NBC News, Trump said: “I agree, I think it was Russia — but I think it was probably other people and/or countries. And I see nothing wrong with that statement. Nobody really knows. Nobody really knows for sure.”
The problem for Trump is that failure to raise the issue with Putin will only fuel criticism from his domestic political enemies. They already say he is too closely aligned with the Russian president. The Kremlin would, presumably, be happy to inform the media if Trump decides against talking about the topic at all. Trump has also criticized former President Obama in recent days — including at Thursday’s news conference — for not doing enough to counter Russia’s efforts last year. But the smart money is on Trump raising the issue briefly rather than making it the centerpiece of the meeting.
The president, who believes that he is not given enough credit for his win last November, is likely to balk at saying anything that might seem to buttress his critics’ case.
Who will be in the meeting?
The meeting will reportedly be a small one, including only Trump and Putin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, and two interpreters. Assuming there are no last minute changes, that means there will be no place for Fiona Hill, a White House advisor who is more hawkish than some other Trump confidants when it comes to Russia. Hill is the co-author of a critical biography of Putin, “Operative in the Kremlin.” There has been speculation that some within the White House orbit were pushing for Hill to be included in the meeting, in part to counter suggestions that it would be an overly chummy affair.
The Rest…HERE
