Russia continues to face international backlash following the assassination of a former spy and his daughter in the United Kingdom earlier this month. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that more than 25 countries have now expelled Russian intelligence agents “hiding under diplomatic cover” since Monday, when the United States and the United Kingdom announced they would take that step against the Kremlin.
“As we have said before, the United States is open to building a better relationship with Russia, but the Russian government must understand that there are serious consequences for its destabilizing actions,” Sander told reporters. “This large and growing global response makes it clearer than ever that an improved relationship will only be possible if the Russian government changes its behavior.”
Asked whether the White House was considering using the same “maximum pressure” diplomatic strategy it has employed against North Korea, Sanders declined to use that phrase. “We’re certainly applying pressure on Russia; we’re certainly encouraging and working with our allies and partners also to do so,” she said. “And I think you’ve seen an unprecedented number of countries step up and join the United States in that effort.”
Bolton Watch—Incoming national security adviser John Bolton was at the White House Tuesday, joining the man he will replace, H.R. McMaster, for a working lunch. The two dined at the ward room in the White House mess and discussed their transition, including upcoming scheduled events that will happen soon after Bolton takes the job on April 9. A source described the meeting as cordial and professional.
The White House announced Tuesday it had reached a trade agreement with South Korea. According to senior administration officials, the one-on-one agreement will exempt South Korea from the recently announced steel tariffs levied by the United States—although Seoul has agreed to limit its steel exports to around 70 percent of what it currently sells over here.
Other provisions of the agreement include extending the 25-percent tariff on South Korean-made trucks and doubling the cap on American-made vehicles allowed into the South Korean market.
North Korea Watch—The White House finally acknowledged on Tuesday North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s visit to Beijing, the young leader’s first time traveling outside of his country since taking over as supreme leader in 2011. After initially saying the U.S. government would neither confirm nor deny the visit, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement Tuesday night following the appearance of images of Kim and Chinese president Xi Jinping on China’s state TV.
“The Chinese government contacted the White House earlier on Tuesday to brief us on Kim Jong Un’s visit to Beijing. The briefing included a personal message from President Xi to President Trump, which has been conveyed to President Trump,” said Sanders. “The United States remains in close contact with our allies South Korea and Japan. We see this development as further evidence that our campaign of maximum pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with North Korea.”
Must-Read of the Day—My colleague Andrew Egger reports from Missouri on Josh Hawley, the leading Republican candidate to challenge Democratic senator Claire McCaskill. Here’s an excerpt:
On the President’s Schedule—President Trump has no public events on Wednesday, marking the third day in a row he has not appeared publicly.
Mueller Watch—The legal team for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has filed another motion to dismiss charges brought by the special counsel’s office. This motion, similar to Manafort’s March 14 filing in D.C. district court, requests that the Eastern District court of Virginia dismiss the charges brought last month against Manafort on counts of money laundering, tax fraud, and bank fraud.
“Mr. Manafort was threatened with additional charges in additional jurisdictions,” said Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Manafort’s legal team. “He is now playing a game of criminal-procedure whack a mole against a special counsel whose massive resources he cannot possibly hope to match.” Maloni did not clarify which additional charges in which jurisdictions Robert Mueller’s team have threatened Manafort with.
Special counsel spokesman Peter Carr suggested Maloni’s mention of threats refers to a standard prosecutorial action. Carr provided an explanation from the federal government in a previous filing: “Far from threatening defendant, the government advised defense counsel of the nature of proposed charges as part of an offer to entertain any arguments from defense counsel, whether factual, legal, or discretionary, about why charges should not be brought—a standard practice the government followed both before bringing the instant indictment and in connection with bank fraud evidence discussed above.”
Song of the Day— “Lazaretto” by Jack White
