From Matt Gaetz:
Hello, Friends:
This week, for good or ill, much of the media coverage has been focused on the Helsinki Summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Though it is always good to be more aware of America’s foreign relations, this nonstop coverage has, unfortunately, drowned out much of the coverage of Peter Strzok’s testimony, recent developments in the (unending) Mueller probe, the NATO summit, and other important topics. So, to that end, here’s what we’re reading this week:
NATIONAL NEWS
National Review July 16, 2018
Mueller’s Politicized Indictment of Twelve Russian Intelligence Officers
“Make no mistake: This is nakedly politicized law enforcement. There is absolutely no chance any of the Russian officials charged will ever see the inside of an American courtroom. The indictment is a strictly political document by which the special counsel seeks to justify the existence of his superfluous investigation.”
The Federalist July 16, 2018
Trump Is Right: Mueller’s Latest Indictment Suggests He’s Conducting A Witch Hunt
“Predictably, and without forethought, the press pounced, reporting that “Trump sent out an early-morning tweet once more calling into question the conclusion of the US intelligence agencies that Russia was involved in the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails during the election.” That narrative quickly germinated in the Twittersphere, but as I pointed out at the time, Trump “DIDN’T say Russia had nothing to do with meddling! He said RUSSIA ‘says’ they didn’t AND Trump points to evidence Obama’s folks ignored that could PROVE Russia interference.”
Had the media paused even momentarily, they would have realized that the president’s reference to the DNC server refutes claims he was denying Russian interference in the election. But they didn’t. So instead the press handed Trump another example of fake news.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette July 17, 2017
It is better to talk: Russia is not America’s friend, but we can converse
“With their usual unholy, and unintended, alliance, President Donald Trump and the elite American press have distorted and utterly obscured what should be the takeaway of the Trump-Vladimir Putin summit.
The point is not that Russia meddled in the last U.S. presidential election. (We know that Russia did.)
It is not that Mr. Trump refused to say Russia did so in front of Mr. Putin. (That would have been asking a lot, even of a more conventional politician. Presidents sometimes critique regimes in a public speech when visiting a country. Ronald Reagan did. But not during a summit press availability.)
It is that it is better to talk, and talk frankly, with our foreign allies and our enemies.”
American Spectator July 13, 2018
Peter Strzok, A Cocky Liar to the End
“One act of obvious perjury during the hearing was Strzok’s claim which he presented as incontrovertible proof of his apolitical professionalism that he “never” spoke to reporters about the investigation before election day. Strzok didn’t even bother to coordinate this lie with his defense attorney, who has previously admitted that Strzok talked to reporters about the investigation. Strzok’s attorney wrote an Op-Ed in USA Today saying that “Peter and others” at the FBI “actively ensured that news reports didn’t overplay the seriousness of the investigation.” How did he do that without talking to them?”
Washington Examiner July 13, 2018
Trump is right that Germany is too cozy with Russia
“What’s more, to this day, Germany has consistently served the interests of the Kremlin by blocking sales of lethal defensive weapons to Georgia. By contrast, President Trump’s administration authorized the sale of air defense and anti-tank weaponry to American allies in Eastern Europe, including Georgia and Ukraine. (It is worth noting that this was a reversal of former President Barack Obama’s policy: Though he expressed concerns about Russian aggression in Georgia and Ukraine, Obama refused to authorize U.S. weapon sales to these U.S. allies, for fear of antagonizing Russia.)
Thus, the Germans and their allies in Europe are being rather disingenuous when they voice concerns about under-the-table cooperation between President Trump and President Putin especially in the run-up to the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki next week. There is no evidence Trump has collaborated with Putin to weaken European security; by contrast, there are many examples of that exact scenario in Germany, France, Italy, and several other European states.”
The Washington Post July 12, 2018
Trump isn’t attacking NATO. He’s strengthening it.
“As President Trump put Germany and other allies on notice for the harm they are doing to NATO with their failure to spend adequately on our common defense, Democrats in Washington came to Germany’s defense. “President Trump’s brazen insults and denigration of one of America’s most steadfast allies, Germany, is an embarrassment,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a joint statement.
Sorry, Trump is right. The real embarrassment is that Germany, one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, spends just 1.24 percent of its gross domestic product on defense in the bottom half of NATO allies. (The U.S. spends 3.5 percent of GDP on its military.) A study by McKinsey & Co. notes that about 60 percent of Germany’s Eurofighter and Tornado fighter jets and about 80 percent of its Sea Lynx helicopters are unusable. According to Deutsche Welle, a German parliamentary investigation found that “at the end of 2017, no submarines and none of the air force’s 14 large transport planes were available for deployment due to repairs,” and “a Defense Ministry paper revealed German soldiers did not have enough protective vests, winter clothing or tents to adequately take part in a major NATO mission.” Not enough tents?”
National Review July 14, 2018
Strzok by a Farce
“Only one official in the U.S. government has the power instantly to end the contemptuous flouting of Congress’s oversight authority: President Trump. He could, at any time, direct that all relevant documents be disclosed to the committees and that all executive-branch officials provide complete and truthful testimony.”
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