Politics

Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page By Deb Riechmann and Susannah George Associated Press  April 21, 2019 WASHINGTON — Two months before special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed in the spring of 2017, President Trump picked up the phone and called the head of the largest U.S. intelligence agency. Trump told Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, that news stories alleging that Trump’s 2016 White House campaign had ties to Russia were false and the president asked whether Rogers could do anything to counter them.Rogers and his deputy Richard Ledgett, who was present for the call, were taken aback.Afterward, Ledgett wrote a memo about the conversation and Trump’s request. He and Rogers signed it and stashed it in a safe. Ledgett said it was the ‘‘most unusual thing he had experienced in 40 years of government service.’’ Advertisement … [Read more...] about As Russia probe began, Trump called NSA chief for help

Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page By JILL COLVIN Associated Press  April 20, 2019 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is lashing out at current and former aides who cooperated with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, insisting the deeply unflattering picture they painted of him and the White House was ‘‘total bullshit.’’In a series of angry tweets from Palm Beach, Florida, Trump laced into those who, under oath, had shared with Mueller their accounts of how Trump tried numerous times to squash or influence the investigation and portrayed the White House as infected by a culture of lies, deceit and deception.‘‘Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters, which are fabricated & totally untrue,’’ Trump wrote Friday, adding that some were … [Read more...] about Trump’s tone on Mueller report changes after initial upbeat view

Last fall Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, R-Alpine, and Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar engaged in one of the more bitter and bizarre races of the election cycle. Accusations were thrown around about who could receive national security clearances. Hunter’s father held a press conference attacking his son’s opponent. And the race drew national attention and was frequently full of surprises. So maybe it’s no surprise that Hunter and Campa-Najjar would again provide one of the more bizarre political stories of the week.On Wednesday Hunter made a trip to Yuma, AZ, along with several congressional members from other states. He visited detention facilities, toured the border, and consistently shared photos and videos on social media of everything from a DEA briefing to a ride in a border patrol helicopter. One video caught the eye of his political opponent and triggered giggles on social media. Hunter shared a video of a nighttime ride-along with Border Patrol Thursday. In it he says … [Read more...] about Reporter’s notebook: Rep. Hunter goes to Yuma to visit the border and it becomes a thing

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) greets OANA President Aslan Aslanov The government leader congratulated leaders of OANA members on the success of the EBM meeting and greatly valued the theme of the meeting “For a professional and innovative journalism”, and topics discussed in the framework of the event, saying that these are typical contents in the current context of the complicated development of information in the world.  OANA President Aslan Aslanov, who is also Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC), thanked the Vietnamese Government and authorized agencies for their support for the organization of the meeting, saying that the event gives a good chance to representatives of the regional news agencies to exchange information and augment cooperation.  He also briefed PM Phuc on the meeting, saying that participants focused their discussion on how to deal the spread of fake news … [Read more...] about PM Phuc hosts OANA members’ leaders