At this week’s G-20 summit in Germany, one subject the world’s most powerful leaders are discussing is why Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman did not cooperate with U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials as they investigated cyberattacks against the Democratic National Committee, President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter this morning.
He did not explain why Podesta, who did not work for the DNC, would have been responsible for its email server.
Also, it is very unlikely that people were discussing this at the G20.
Podesta responded by Twitter (read from the bottom up)
:
Pretty insane what is on Trump’s mind.
And God knows he and Putin are discussing. The meeting is between the two men, Tillerson, a Putin cabinet member, and the translators.
Nothing even slightly fishy about Trump excluding his National Security Adviser & top Russia aide from his meeting with Putin … pic.twitter.com/XHCSBjZU3N
— David Frum (@davidfrum) July 7, 2017
There’s no way Trump “wins” this meeting with Putin, which is probably why Trump wants as few leaks as possible.
Here are the possible outcomes as I see it:
(1) Trump makes no promises or offers about anything, because he knows he is hamstrung by domestic politics. Putin can conclude that Trump is therefore weak.
(2) Trump can agree to work with Putin despite a list of Russian transgressions beginning with the annexation of Crimea and ending with its interference in the 2016 presidential election. Putin can claim that he reconstructed the relationship, again emerging as the stronger of the two.
And then of course, Trump can commit all kinds of faux pas, reveal top secret information, etc. (like before). Also a win for Putin.
Let’s be real – Putin has years of experience and he has a set of talking points and a strategy. Trump is winging it, literally. This will not go well.
UPDATE:
Per pool, Trump-Putin meeting is still taking place, nearly an hour and a half later. Was scheduled to last for 30 minutes.
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) July 7, 2017
We’re doomed.
UPDATE #2:
It lasted 2 and a half hours.
I expect any moment an announcement that Alaska is now Russian territory.
UPDATE #3:
And already, Russia and U.S. are contradicting each other about what happened.
CNN’s Jeff Zelny:
Trump “pressed Putin more than once” on Russian interference in 2016 election, Tillerson said.
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) July 7, 2017
But Lavrov (Russian foreign minister) seems to be emphasizing something else.
Lavrov: #Trump said he accepted statements from #Putin that #Russia had not hacked election.
— Neil MacFarquhar (@NeilMacFarquhar) July 7, 2017
Then there’s this:
Tillerson on Trump and Putin: “There was not a lot of relitigating the past.”
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) July 7, 2017
Russian election meddling is an “intractable disagreement,” Tillerson tells US press. Not clear we’ll ever come to agreed upon resolution.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) July 7, 2017
UPDATE #4:
And now this….
Lavrov: Trump said “some circles continue to pump up the topic of Russian interference in the American elections though they can’t prove it” https://t.co/tsCqJ5PyQJ
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) July 7, 2017
Pushback already from Trump administration: one official tells @NBCNews Lavrov’s “not accurate” w/this comment –> https://t.co/URIsFPQYWT
— Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) July 7, 2017
The problem is, Lavrov echoes what Trump says in public, so he’s more believable.
We’re screwed in 2018.
BONUS:
Both the fence and the burglar agreed there was no need to relitigate who the TV belonged to.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) July 7, 2017