© Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP President Trump
WASHINGTON —- President Trump preceded a week-long trip to Florida on Monday with another tweeted blast at ex-FBI Director James Comey, saying again that he and the bureau went easy on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 email investigation.
“Comey drafted the Crooked Hillary exoneration long before he talked to her (lied in Congress to Senator G), then based his decisions on her poll numbers. Disgruntled, he, McCabe, and the others, committed many crimes!” Trump tweeted.
The latest anti-Comey tweet came an hour before he retreated to his home in Florida this week while juggling challenges that range from Syria to China to North Korea to the new book by Comey.
The president will use his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach as the site of a two-day summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Topics at Tuesday and Wednesday meetings are expected to include the brewing trade war with China as well as Trump's planned meeting with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un.
Trump's week in Florida begins Monday visit to the Miami are for a discussion with local business owners about the tax cut bill and other economic issues. On Thursday, the president is scheduled to visit the Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West to talk about drug interdiction efforts.
The Florida spring break comes just days after Trump authorized a missile strike on Syria in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack on rebels fighting Bashar Assad's government. Russia, Syria's ally, protested the attack, but has not retaliated.
Trump and aides blame Russia in part for the attack, saying it was supposed to have gotten rid of Syria's chemicals weapons years ago. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the administration is preparing new sanctions on Russia, telling CBS' Face The Nation that the penalties will target "any sort of companies that were dealing with equipment related to Assad and chemical weapons use."
The Florida trip also takes place amid any number of looming political, legal. economic, and foreign policy challenges. They include:
Comey
The ex-FBI director's book is scheduled to be published Tuesday, and he has begun a media tour that includes striking criticism of the president who fired him last year.
Comey told USA TODAY he regards Trump as "morally unfit to be president," and believes it was possible that the Russians were holding compromising personal information over the head of the commander-in-chief.
Trump has responded with an extraordinary personal assault, describing Comey as a "slime ball" who should be in jail for leaking classified information. He calls him "Slippery James Comey."
More: Exclusive: James Comey strikes back against 'morally unfit' Donald Trump in scathing interview
More: In his own words: 8 key quotes from James Comey on Donald Trump and what's next
The Russia investigation
Before his dismissal, Comey headed up an investigation into any links between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russians who sought to influence the presidential election by hacking prominent Democrats and pushing fake news. Comey's firing led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Trump's anger at the Mueller investigation rose after last week's raid on the home and office of his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. The president's lawyer is under investigation by the local U.S. attorney's office in New York City.
The president is said to be looking at whether to dismiss Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, and perhaps other ways to limit or somehow end the Russia investigation.
Administration officials are negotiating a possible Trump meeting with Kim, as the U.S. and allies apply economic pressure on the North Korea leader, seeking to get him to give up nuclear weapons.
North Korea's nuclear weapons program is likely to be a major topic of Trump's meetings with Abe at Mar-a-Lago. Japanese officials are reportedly suspicious of Kim's motives in seeking a meeting with the American president.
China
Another topic of the U.S.-Japan summit, the Trump administration has threatened to put tariffs on Chinese exports, in retaliation for what U.S. officials call China's unfair trade practices. China has responded by threatening tariffs on U.S. goods.
The prospect of a trade war has roiled global markets, fearful that global prices will rise as a result of tariffs.
Among those concerned: Japan, which worries about getting caught in the middle of a U.S.-China conflict.
The Japanese have also protested the fact that the Trump administration did not grant them a waiver from new tariffs in steel and aluminum announced by Trump this year.
Trump is not expected to return to the White House until the weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment