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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livew...n-of-us-ambassadors-wish-to-empower-the-right

Germany Wants ‘Clarification’ Of US Ambassador’s Wish To ‘Empower’ The Right

The German government on Monday pressed for further explanation of partisan and inflammatory remarks by America’s ambassador to the country.

“We have asked the U.S. side for clarification, and whether (the remarks) were made as reported,” a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry told reporters at a regularly scheduled press conference, according to Reuters. (The Associated Press and Washington Post translated the remark as the government seeking “clarification on whether the statements were actually made in the form they were given.”)

U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell told Breitbart News on Sunday that he “absolutely want to empower other conservatives throughout Europe, other leaders.” He cited “failed policies of the left” for “a groundswell” of conservative policies in Europe.

In a separate Breitbart piece, Grenell was quoted as saying that German Chancellor Angela Merkel “has suffered politically” as a result of her refugee policy, which he said led to “a lot of political concern in the campaign about chain migration.”

He even offered his support of Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, a critic of Merkel’s who formed a coalition government last year with the far-right Austrian Freedom Party.


Reuters noted Monday that, according to the German outlet Der Spiegel’s website, Grenell had invited Kurz to lunch at America’s embassy in Berlin during an upcoming visit. A spokesperson for the Austrian government confirmed the invite to Reuters, adding that Kurz was one “of a number of people whom Kurz would meet during his Berlin trip,” in Reuters’ words.

“Like many others, I have taken note of this,” Merkel said of the lunch plans at a separate press conference, according to Reuters.

German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas is a member of the Social Democratic Party, to Merkel’s left. The deputy parliamentary leader of that party, Rolf Muetzenich, told Reuters: “Clearly the U.S. ambassador sees himself as an extension of a right-wing conservative world movement.”

Metin Hakverdi‪, another Social Democrat, was quoted condemning the interview in the Guardian: “In the past, Germany was fortunate to have had great US ambassadors who built bridges and did not do party politics.”

“As a member of the SPD, a left party with a long proud legacy of fighting, together with the United States, both Nazis and communists, I am irritated to hear from ambassador Grenell about our allegedly failed policies,” he added. “US Senator Chris Murphy said rightly that ambassadors are not supposed to ‘empower’ political parties. Ambassador Grenell is new on his post and I hope this irritation will not be repeated.”


Grenell hasn’t backed down on Twitter, where he is an active poster.



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...r-to-germany-under-fire-for-rightwing-support

New US ambassador to Germany under fire for rightwing support

Politicians accuse Richard Grenell of breaching protocol over interview with Breitbart


German politicians have criticised Donald Trump’s new ambassador to Germanyafter he said he wanted to “empower” anti-establishment rightwing forces throughout Europe.

In an interview with the far-right news outlet Breitbart over the weekend, Richard Grenell, who has been in office for less than a month, said: “I absolutely want to empower other conservatives throughout Europe, other leaders.

“I think there is a groundswell of conservative policies that are taking hold because of the failed policies of the left.”

In Berlin, the foreign ministry asked him to clarify the comments and politicians criticised him for a perceived breach of diplomatic protocol.

“In the past, Germany was fortunate to have had great US ambassadors who built bridges and did not do party politics,” said Metin Hakverdi‪, a Social Democrat delegate and member of the German-US parliamentary friendship group.

“As a member of the SPD, a left party with a long proud legacy of fighting, together with the United States, both Nazis and communists, I am irritated to hear from Ambassador Grenell about our allegedly failed policies.

“US Senator Chris Murphy said rightly that ambassadors are not supposed to ‘empower’ political parties. Ambassador Grenell is new on his post and I hope this irritation will not be repeated.”

Omid Nouripour, a Green MP and deputy chair of the German-US parliamentary friendship group, said: “The comments made by Richard Grenell give the impression that the new US ambassador still hasn’t adjusted to his new role. At least the Russians make an effort not to be seen to be meddling in other countries’ affairs.”

He added: “The US ambassador represents the American people, not just the readership of Breitbart. That’s why it is important that he conducts himself as neutrally as possible.”

A spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Monday that the government had asked Breitbart to confirm the authenticity of Grenell’s comments and that the US ambassador would be expected to “explain what he meant” during his first official visit to the foreign ministry on Thursday.

Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the chancellor had registered the comments made by the US ambassador but would not comment on the matter.

At the White House, press secretary Sarah Sanders declined to address Grenell’s comments, saying she did not have “any updates on that front at this point”.

While the use of political appointees – candidates with little or no foreign or diplomatic experience to be an ambassador – is more common in America than in other countries, ambassadors tend to subscribe to an unwritten code of conduct according to which they must remain politically neutral. Their ambassadorial instructions, signed by the US secretary of state, usually remain private, however.

In 2013, Germany formally summoned the US ambassador over allegations that US secret services bugged Merkel’s mobile phone. The only time a US ambassador in Germany has been recalled to the US was in 1990, after the American embassy to East Germany ceased to exist.

“The question to ask is whether Grenell in his Breitbart interview was explaining the US government’s position, or that of the Republican party,” said James D Bindenagel, a deputy chief of mission in the German US embassy from 1994 to 1997.

“The latter is just not done. If he is saying that Trump is in fact seeking to deal with anti-establishment politicians in opposition rather than the German government, however, then that’s a whole new problem.”

In his Breitbart interview, Grenell did not voice support for the rightwing populist party Alternative für Deutschland, which has been a vocal critic of Merkel’s refugee policies and is the largest opposition group in the Bundestag.

But he did express admiration for the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, whose conservative Austrian People’s party governs in a coalition with the far-right FPÖ. “Look, I think Sebastian Kurz is a rock star,” he said. “I’m a big fan.”

On Sunday, Grenell attended a workshop on transatlantic relations with a number of younger delegates from Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, organised by the health minister, Jens Spahn, a leading advocate of a rightwing realignment of the CDU.
 
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livew...n-statement-trump-dictated-about-sons-meeting

WH Refuses Questions On Statement Trump Dictated About Son’s Meeting

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday refused to answer questions about a recently revealed letter from Trump’s legal team to Robert Mueller establishing that she lied to the American people.

The lawyers claimed in the January letter that President Donald Trump did in fact dictate his son’s misleading statement to the New York Times in July of last year regarding a campaign-era meeting with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. Sanders, as well as one of the letter’s authors, Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow, claimed last year that Trump did not dictate the statement.

“This is from a letter from the outside counsel, and I direct you to them to answer that question,” Sanders told reporters regarding the letter at a press briefing Monday.

Sekulow and John Dowd, who has since left Trump’s legal team, wrote to Special Counsel Robert Mueller in January that “the President dictated a short but accurate response to the New York Times article on behalf of his son, Donald Trump, Jr.” The New York Times published the letter Saturday.

Donald Trump Jr. initially, and misleadingly, told the Times the Trump Tower meeting primarily concerned adoption.

Sanders said in August last year that Trump “certainly didn’t dictate” the statement, but that he did weigh in and offer suggestions “like any father would do.”

According to Trump’s lawyers’ January letter to Mueller, that statement was a lie.

Later in the briefing, Sanders refused the question again.

“Once again, this is a reference back to a letter from the outside counsel,” she told the New York Times’ Peter Baker, who responded that she had spoken about Donald Trump Jr.’s statement, as well.

“I understand,” Sanders said. “But it’s also pertaining to a letter from the President’s outside counsel, and therefore I can’t answer and I would direct you to them.”

And the same to the Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey: “I’m not going to respond to a letter from the President’s outside counsel.”

 
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Trump blames Russia probe on Jeff Sessions


Trump went on to suggest that Sessions, who earlier served as a Trump campaign adviser, would have quashed the probe.


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President Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Related SearchesTrump Russia InvestigationTrump Jeff SessionsTrump Pardon Himself
In a striking relationship between a president and one of his executive branch officials, Trump has repeatedly and publicly attacked his own attorney general.


Trump could fire Sessions or Rosenstein, but he would potentially face an uphill battle to confirm their replacements in the U.S. Senate.



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Trump speaks with Sessions at an event in May 2017. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
In February, the president ripped Sessions for asking the inspector general to investigate allegations of misconduct in FBI Director James Comey’s handling of surveillance of former Trump adviser Carter Page.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump wondered aloud why the inspector general’s investigation is “taking so long.”


Meanwhile, Mueller continues to investigate the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia and the president’s possible obstruction of justice.

And there appears to be growing concern among Trump’s legal team that the probe could produce charges against the president.


 
LLS there is a small immigrant family protest going on in front of the white house right now and they have a mariachi band playing kind of loud.

I know sometimes he looks out the window at all those protests screams to himself fuck all those people
 
https://www.mediaite.com/online/va-gop-senate-front-runner-praised-white-nationalist-paul-nehlen/

VA GOP Senate Front-Runner Praised White Nationalist and Named Apparent Neo-Nazi ‘Volunteer of the Week’

Corey Stewart, the GOP front-runner in Virginia’s Senate race, called white nationalist Paul Nehlen “one of my personal heroes” on-camera and praised an apparent neo-Nazi his campaign’s official “volunteer of the week.”

Stewart, an ardently pro-Trump candidate, is leading the Republican primary against two challengers on an anti-immigration platform. Should he win the nomination — to be held on June 12 — he will face off against Democratic incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine.

“One of my personal heroes, not from Virginia, but from the great state of Wisconsin, there is Paul Nehlen, who had a lot of courage and took on Speaker Ryan,” Stewart said of Nehlen in the clip taken on the night of President Donald Trump’s inauguration and posted on his YouTube page. “And I can’t tell you how much I was inspired by you.”

Although Stewart is known for his love of the Confederate statues — even comparing their removal to ISIS terror attacks — he doesn’t have nearly the same notoriety as Nehlen, who expressed white supremacist and anti-semitic views during his campaign to win House Speaker Paul Ryan’s Wisconsin congressional seat. Nehlen calls himself a “pro-White” Christian American candidate,” was banned from Twitter for posting a racist meme attacking Prince Harry’s biracial wife Meghan Markle, and helped spread the alt-right “it’s OK to be white” 4chan meme.


Nehlen also makes the Jewish community one of his main targets in call-out campaigns. Last year, Nehlen created a list of 81 Twitter accounts — of which he claimed “74 are Jews” — and blamed them for helping to sink his campaign against Ryan because of their hatred for “#AmericaFirst positions.”

His other greatest hits include using Stars of David to “identify” apparently Jewish NBC staffers, retweeting endorsements of the Charlottesville, Virginia Unite The Right rally — a white supremacist event that ended with the murder of an anti-racist protester — and peddling the absurd #Pizzagate conspiracy.

While Nehlen was previously a favorite of Breitbart News for his anti-establishment rhetoric and opposition to Ryan, he became too toxic for even that website, and editor Joel Pollock wrote the candidate went “off the deep end,” adding that they “don’t support him.” His toxicity led ex-White House official Steve Bannon to disavow him in a statement that claimed “Nehlen is dead to us.”

As for Stewart, his praise for the white nationalist Nehlen is not the extent of his ties to racists.

In one picture from a right-wing Charlottesville rally that occurred before the Unite The Right event, Stewart can be seen speaking on a megaphone to a crowd. Alt-right activist and white supremacist Jason Kessler, who was the organizer of the deadly rally in Charlottesville, can be spotted in the background holding a handmade poster of Pepe the Frog — a 4chan meme that was turned into a key symbol of Internet savvy white supremacists.

Kessler has also expressed his support for Stewart. The white supremacist tweeted a Confederate-themed endorsement during the Senate candidate’s failed gubernatorial campaign
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Predictably, Stewart’s ties to racists trickle down to his campaign. A recent email sent out by the Republican’s team praised apparent neo-Nazi Ian Phil MacDonald as their “volunteer of the week.”

“Congratulations to this week’s volunteers of the week, Ian Phil MacDonald and Dona Danzincer!” Read the email. “Ian and Dona have helped organize events, make calls, and put up large signs all over the Eastern Shore and Hampton Roads region.”

In the email, MacDonald can be seen posing with a Trump campaign T-shirt and his thump up next to Stewart.

MacDonald is no typical conservative activist, however. A scan of his Facebook page revealed that the Stewart campaign volunteer identifies politically with late-white supremacist and founder of the American Nazi Party George Lincoln Rockwell.

When MacDonald presumabely learned that his affinity for the neo-Nazi Rockwell was being publicized on Twitter, he posted the following on Facebook in response: “Now that I know every one of my posts is a swamp target, just want to say, hey! How ya doing? Glad I’m so important that I take up space in your head.”

With the Washington Post reporting that Stewart is seen as the frontrunner in his battle against state Delegate Nick Freitas and pastor E.W. Jackson
, it appears he will win the GOP nomination in Virginia’s Senate race with his racially-charged campaign focused on crime perpetuated by Hispanic gangs.

To recap: Corey Stewart regards white nationalist Paul Nehlen, a man who was too much of a white supremacist for Breitbart, as his “personal hero.” His campaign considers a volunteer who idolizes the founder of the American Nazi Party as a model one. He attended a rally with the organizer of the deadly white nationalist event in Charlottesville. And it looks like he’s set to win the GOP primary for Virginia Senate.

He will then go on to face Kaine, who maintains a sizable lead in the polls.

Stewart is not the only candidate running in 2018 who has ties to racial extremists, as a report from MSNBC and the Southern Poverty Law Center found that eight white nationalists are currently campaigning for public office — a number of which are also running as Republicans.
 
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/devos-congressional-hearing-school-safety-panel

DeVos: ‘We Are Actually Studying School Safety’ By Not Considering Role Of Guns

WASHINGTON (AP) — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday said the federal commission on school safety set up after a Florida high school shooting won’t be looking at the role of guns in school violence.

DeVos was asked during a congressional hearing whether the panel, which she is chairing, will look at guns in the context of school safety.

“That is not part of the commission’s charge per se,” DeVos told a Senate subcommittee overseeing education spending. “We are actually studying school safety and how we can ensure our students are safe at school.”

Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, who asked the question, quipped.

“So you are studying gun violence, but not considering the role of guns.”

At the same time, a fact sheet posted on the White House website says the commission will study “age restrictions for certain firearm purchases,” among other topics.

Liz Hill, press secretary for the Department of Education told the AP in a statement that the commission will look at all the issues the president asked it to study. She added, however, “It’s important to note that the commission cannot create or amend current gun laws—that is the Congress’ job.”

DeVos is chairing the panel that President Donald Trump created following the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people were killed.

DeVos has faced criticism for not including any Democrats or educators on the committee. As part of the panel’s work, DeVos last week visited an elementary school in Maryland that has moved away from strict discipline policies in favor of softer approaches to foster a positive school climate. Some educators noted that the method has been widely used across the country for many years.

DeVos was also grilled on the issue of undocumented students and whether principals or teachers can call immigration authorities on such students.

DeVos cited the 1982 decision by the Supreme Court that ruled that students are entitled to public education regardless of their status.

“I think it’s incumbent on us to ensure that those students have a safe and secure environment to attend school, to learn and I maintain that,” DeVos said.

“I think a school is a sacrosanct place for students to be able to learn and they should be protected there,” DeVos said.

Pressed further on whether a principal can call immigration authorities, DeVos replied.

“I don’t think they can.”

The audience gasped with relief.
 
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/pruitt-tried-get-job-wife-chick-fil-a

Emails Show Pruitt Hatched Plan With Aide To Score Wife Chick-Fil-A Franchise

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt tried to score his wife, Marlyn Pruitt, a gig as a Chick-Fil-A franchisee, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

According to a slew of emails recently released under a Freedom of Information Act request by the Sierra Club, Pruitt had his executive scheduler Sydney Hupp last May contact the president and chairman of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, about a “potential business opportunity” with Pruitt.

Cathy, well-known for his support of conservative and Christian causes, has met Pruitt in the past and responded within an hour. A phone call was arranged between Pruitt, Cathy and a Chick-fil-A attorney, but that was later cancelled, according to the Post. Pruitt eventually had a phone call with a person in the company’s legal department, but the efforts did not prove fruitful for Marlyn Pruitt.

“Administrator Pruitt’s wife started, but did not complete, the Chick-fil-A franchisee application,” Chick-fil-A representative Carrie Kurlander told the Post.

According to multiple current and former EPA staffers who spoke to the Post, Pruitt was keen on Marlyn Pruitt finding a job at the time because of the expenses associated with having a house in Washington, D.C. and back in Oklahoma. And Pruitt didn’t halt efforts to find his wife work with the Chick-fil-A venture, either. Emails show he also reached out to the head of Concordia, a non-profit organization, last year, and Marlyn Pruitt was hired to help plan a conference for the organization last September, according to the Post.

Pruitt’s use of his official position and public aides to secure work for his wife is just one of several recent reports that’s ruffled ethics experts’ feathers.

Pruitt reportedly had his top aide, Millan Hupp, Sydney Hupp’s sister, help him search for housing for him and his wife during work hours. Millan Hupp also told lawmakers last month that Pruitt had her try to obtain a “used mattress” from the Trump International Hotel and asked her to book vacation flights for him during her personal time.

But.. but.. Drain the swamp tho...
 
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sanders-higher-credibility-than-media

WH Spox: ‘Frankly I Think My Credibility Is Probably Higher Than The Media’s’


White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday finally addressed questions from a roomfull of reporters about misleading statements she made last year — by bashing the media’s credibility.

Sanders said that she is “an honest person who works extremely hard” to give reporters “accurate and up-to-date information.”

“Frankly, I think my credibility is probably higher than the media’s,” she said. “I think in large part that’s because you guys spend more of your time focused on attacking the President instead of reporting the news. I think if you spent a little bit more time reporting the news instead of trying to tear me down, you might actually see we’re working hard to provide you good information and trying to provide that same good information to the American people.”

At Monday’s press briefing, Sanders deflected on the lie, repeatedly telling reporters that she wouldn’t answer questions about communications between President Trump’s legal team and the special counsel.

Last year, Sanders told reporters that Trump didn’t dictate a statement released by his son, Donald Trump Jr., regarding the basis of a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer. At the time, Trump Jr. said the meeting was centered on adoptions. It was later revealed that Trump Jr. took the meeting with the promise of gaining dirt on Hillary Clinton.

In a 20-page letter by Trump’s lawyers that was sent to special counsel Robert Mueller in January, Trump’s lawyers wrote that the President did, in fact, dictate the statement.

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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sanders-ryan-heated-press-briefing-exchange

Briefing Ends In Heated Exchange Between April Ryan And The White House

In an intense back-and-forth between White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and American Urban Radio Networks reporter April Ryan at Tuesday’s press briefing, Ryan repeatedly shouted questions about the NFL and police brutality until Sanders was forced to answer.

“Is the President aware that this is about police-involved shootings and not disrespecting the flag?” Ryan asked about football players kneeling, despite Sanders’ attempt to call on another reporter.

When Ryan had captured Sanders’ attention, she asked her full question. “There are black and brown soldiers that fight in the military as well who feel that taking a knee, bringing an attention to police-involved shootings, is something that this White House should deal with,” she said. “Is the President aware that taking the knee is about police-involved shootings?”

As Sanders began to answer, Ryan tried to pull her back to the specific question, earning a sharp rebuke from the press secretary.

“I let you rudely interrupt me and your colleague,” Sanders said. “I’m going to ask that you allow me to finish my answer. I would be happy to answer it if you would stop talking long enough to let me do that.”

She went on to say that standing for the national anthem makes America “special and unique” and that the President is not going to “back down” on that stance.



Smdh...
 
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