WASHINGTON (AP) — Intelligence officials have warned lawmakers that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election campaign to help President Donald Trump get reelected, three officials familiar with the closed-door briefing said Thursday.
The warning raises questions about the integrity of the presidential campaign and whether Trump’s administration is taking the proper steps to combat the kind of interference that the U.S. saw in 2016.
The officials asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. They said the briefing last week focused on Russia’s efforts to influence the 2020 election and sow discord in the American electorate.
The warning was first reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post. A senior administration official said the news infuriated Trump, who complained that Democrats would use the information against him. Over the course of his presidency, Trump has dismissed the intelligence community’s assessment of Russia’s 2016 election interference as a conspiracy to undermine his victory. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private meeting.
One day after the Feb. 13 briefing to the House Intelligence Committee, Trump berated the then-director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, and he announced this week that Maguire would be replaced by Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist.
President Donald Trump addressed a massive public rally early Monday in India, where he showered the country and its prime minister with praise—but repeatedly struggled with his pronunciation.
The 100,000-seat stadium in the state of Gujarat was reportedly at capacity by the time Trump arrived—he walked to the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the sound of the Village People song “Macho Man” rang out over loudspeakers. Trump was cheered as he told the crowd that their country “will always hold a very special place in our hearts,” and said of the PM: “Everybody loves him but I will tell you this, he is very tough.”
BBC News India kept a running total of the Indian words Trump managed to mispronounce, including Ahmedabad, the city where he was speaking. He reportedly referred to the Indian philosopher Swami Vivekananda as Swami Vivekamanan, and called the Vedas—ancient Hindu religious texts—“Vestas.” He also mangled the names of India’s biggest cricket stars.
The BBC reports some in the crowd began leaving midway through Trump’s speech.
If Biden ultimately wins the nomination, we’ll be able to say that these things didn’t matter this year:
-Money
-TV ads
-Organization
-Enthusiasm
-Candidate quality
In other words, pretty much everything we think is supposed to matter.
+ Dementia
Christ, Droid. He's certainly not as sharp as he used to be but geez, Russian propaganda much? I just did a search and the only references are on obviously-biased sites and an interview with Don Jr.