Punk in Finland

Trump: Saudi Arabia paid the US $1 billion for more troops. Pentagon: Eh, not quite.

Trump seemingly announced a major deal during his latest Fox News interview, but officials are walking it back.

Vox, By Aaron Rupar on January 14, 2020 1:20 pm

During an interview on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show Friday night, President Donald Trump made a stunning announcement: Saudi Arabia was paying the US $1 billion to send US troops to defend it from Iran.

“We’re sending more [troops] to Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia is paying us for it,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Listen, you’re a very rich country. You want more troops? I’m going to send them to you, but you have to pay us.’ They’re paying us. They’ve already deposited $1 billion in the bank.”

Critics, including Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI), slammed the move, accusing Trump of using American troops as “paid mercenaries.” “He sells troops,” Amash tweeted.

On MSNBC, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) raised the possibility that Trump deposited the Saudi money in a personal bank account and said the president is “selling our soldiers as mercenaries to foreign governments.”

“It’s outrageous,” Lee added. “He does not deserve to be the commander in chief of the United States of America.”

As is often the case when it comes to Trump, the details of this purported transaction with Saudi Arabia are murky. Ingraham didn’t ask any follow-up questions about it, and Trump didn’t offer any additional details.

Though the Pentagon did announce last October that it would send troops to Saudi Arabia to defend the country against Iran, there had been no reporting about Saudi Arabia financially compensating the US.

Trump’s comments immediately raised questions: Into which bank account did Saudi Arabia deposit the $1 billion? What exactly are US troops doing over there? And did this transaction even happen, or was the president just making stuff up?

Days later, we’ve learned a bit more about what Trump was talking about. And it seems the president, as he often does, was exaggerating.

In a statement to Vox, Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich said, “The Department of Defense has engaged Saudi Arabia on contributing to US activities that support regional security and dissuade hostility and aggression.”

But the statement did not specify whether any sort of financial transaction took place — on the contrary, it said that “discussions are ongoing to formalize these contributions.”

Here’s Rebarich’s statement in full:

Consistent with the president’s guidance to increase partner burden-sharing, the Department of Defense has engaged Saudi Arabia on contributing to US activities that support regional security and dissuade hostility and aggression. The Saudi government has agreed to contribute to the costs of these activities, and discussions are ongoing to formalize these contributions. Contributions of this nature do not lead to the deployment of additional US forces, and they do not drive DoD to take on new missions or responsibilities.

“Discussions are ongoing” is quite different from Trump’s unequivocal claim that Saudi Arabia had “already deposited $1 billion in the bank.”

Trump’s comments came during an interview in which he bragged about war crimes, told blatant lies about the FBI, and said he feels no obligation to publicly detail the intelligence underpinning his decision to approve a military strike against an Iranian official that brought the country to the brink of war.

Any of those remarks from the mouth of the president would’ve likely generated a major scandal in a previous era. But three years in, Trump has normalized gaslighting and authoritarian rhetoric to such an extent that this interview with Ingraham barely registered as a blip on the news radar.

A resolution to curb President Trump’s military authority in Iran has enough votes to pass the Senate, leading Democrats announced Tuesday, stating that Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins will join three other members of the GOP who had previously announced their support for the measure to invoke Congress’ war powers.

“We now have the 51 votes that we need for the version that’s the bipartisan version,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the author of the resolution, told reporters, noting that Republican Sens. Collins, Todd C. Young (Ind.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Rand Paul (Ky.) had decided to join all 47 Democrats in backing the measure.

kuka vittu wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2020, 00:59

Hemmetin ihanaan aikaan tulee nyt säröä senaatin gop muuriin

A resolution to curb President Trump’s military authority in Iran has enough votes to pass the Senate, leading Democrats announced Tuesday, stating that Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins will join three other members of the GOP who had previously announced their support for the measure to invoke Congress’ war powers.

“We now have the 51 votes that we need for the version that’s the bipartisan version,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the author of the resolution, told reporters, noting that Republican Sens. Collins, Todd C. Young (Ind.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Rand Paul (Ky.) had decided to join all 47 Democrats in backing the measure.

Itse hommelihan on melko pitkälle muodollisuus ja lähinnä kyse kai on trumpille vittuilista mut hyvä alku silti

Robert F. Hyde: Fuck that bitch

Parnas: [links multiple articles]

Robert F. Hyde: Wow. Can’t believe Trumo [sic] hasn’t fired this bitch. I’ll get right in that.

Robert F. Hyde: [Links multiple articles/pictures]

Robert F. Hyde: She under heavy protection outside Kiev

Parnas: I know crazy shit

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Parnas: [Links articles]

Robert F. Hyde: [Links picture]

Parnas: Interesting

Robert F. Hyde: [Links to article]: www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-h ... -the-world

Robert F. Hyde: What should I do with this?

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Robert F. Hyde: Wake up Yankees man

Robert F. Hyde: She's talked to three people. Her phone is off. Computer is off.

Robert F. Hyde: She's next to the embassy

Robert F. Hyde: Not in the embassy

Robert F. Hyde: Private security. Been there since Thursday.

Parnas: Interesting

Robert F. Hyde: They know she's a political puppet

Robert F. Hyde: They will let me know when she's on the move

Robert F. Hyde: And they will let me know when she's on the move

Parnas: Perfect

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Robert F. Hyde: That adress I sent you checks out

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Robert F. Hyde: They are willing to help if we/you would like a price

Robert F. Hyde: Guess you can do anything in the Ukraine with money... what I was told

Parnas: Lol

Robert F. Hyde: Update she will not be moved special security unit upgraded force on the compound people are already aware of the situation my contacts are asking what is the next step because cannot keep going to check people will start to ask questions

Robert F. Hyde: If you want her out they need to make contact with security forces

Robert F. Hyde: From Ukranians

Robert F. Hyde: What's the word bro

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Parnas: Call you soon in studio

Robert F. Hyde: Let's go Holmes

Robert F. Hyde: RG was good. But Ingraham had some hard questions

Robert F. Hyde: Nothing has changed she is still not moving they check today again

Robert F. Hyde: Hi buddy

Robert F. Hyde: It's confirmed we have a person inside

Parnas: [Links youtube video]: "Trumps takedown of FBI (Winning montage!)"

Robert F. Hyde: Nice

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Robert F. Hyde: She had visitors

Robert F. Hyde: It's confirmed we have a person inside

Robert F. Hyde: Hey broski tell me what we are doing what's the next step[/

VISÖN 2001 wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2020, 08:16

Robert F. Hyde: Hey broski

kakkokenraali wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2020, 09:22

VISÖN 2001 wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2020, 08:16

Robert F. Hyde: Hey broski

Jesse Python wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2020, 08:47

Onko noi puhelut tms. keskustelut nauhoitettu? Ei sitten mitään opittu Watergatesta

Lusku wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2020, 11:15

Implikoi toi, että USAn lähettiläs joutu hengenvaaraan tän takia?

Lusku wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2020, 11:23

noi siis stalkkaa sen sijaintia

President Trump’s words about Marie L. Yovanovitch, his former ambassador to Ukraine, were ominous. In a telephone conversation that has set off a political crisis for Mr. Trump, he told Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, that she was “bad news.”

“She’s going to go through some things,” he added.