President Trump on Wednesday doubled down on his assertion that his presidential campaign had been spied on by the FBI in 2016, telling reporters that “all you have to do is look at the basics and you’ll see.”
“It looks like a very serious event. But we’ll find out,” Trump said. “When they look at the documents, I think people are going to see a lot of bad things happened. I hope it’s not so, because if it is, there’s never been anything like it in the history of our country.”
In mentioning “the documents,” Trump was referring to a meeting the White House is facilitating between top Republicans on the House Intelligence committee and senior Department of Justice officials that will take place on Thursday. At the meeting, GOP lawmakers are expected to discuss the FBI’s use of an informant to make contact with the Trump campaign in the early days of the investigation into Russian election meddling during the 2016 election. Committee chairman Devin Nunes has subpoenaed documents related to the investigation, but the Justice Department has resisted his demands for months.
But President Trump has not made clear whether he has ordered the Justice Department to hand over those documents at Thursday’s meeting. Asked as much on Wednesday, the president waffled. “I want them all to get together and I want them—because everybody wants this solved,” Trump said. “But a lot of bad things have happened . . . I want them all to get together. They’ll sit in a room. Hopefully they’ll be able to work it out among themselves.”
The Hill, by the way, reports that “The White House is planning a separate meeting for bipartisan House and Senate leaders to receive classified information related to the Russia investigation, bowing to pressure over a decision to exclude Democrats” from the Thursday meeting.
One More Thing—I’ve asked the White House to clarify whether President Trump has seen the documents he says could demonstrate that “a lot of bad things happened” with the FBI’s investigation into his campaign advisers.
There’s been no response, but a Justice Department source says the president would be able to access those documents on his own if he chose. So what’s stopping him from doing that and revealing, at least to himself, the details of the FBI’s investigation? Again, the White House was silent.
Mark It Down—“I’m seeing a willingness, even, to a certain extent, by the Democrats. They’re starting to come around, but it’s brutal. It’s brutal. As you know better than anybody, it’s a tough situation. We need the laws enhanced very substantially and very quickly.” —President Trump, on the need to toughen laws about deporting illegal immigrants who came as unaccompanied children and who commit violent crimes, May 23, 2018
Feature of the Day—By Mark Leibovich for the New York Times Magazine: “The Risky Business of Speaking for President Trump”
Maybe Not—More sound and fury from Kim Jong-un, or could the June 12 summit really not happen? From the New York Times Wednesday night: “North Korea Issues New Threat on Trump Meeting, Calling Pence Remarks ‘Ignorant and Stupid’”
President Trump walked back his triumphant announcement of a new trade deal with China Wednesday, tweeting that although the deal is “moving along nicely,” the administration will “probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and to verify results after completion.”
Trump had struck an uncharacteristically friendly tone toward China in recent weeks, pledging to help save Chinese jobs and eliminate trade barriers as he has sought President Xi Jinping’s assistance in dealing with North Korea and striking a deal to lower America’s trade deficits. Earlier this week, the charm campaign appeared to be paying dividends: On Monday, Trump tweeted that China had “agreed to buy massive amounts of ADDITIONAL Farm/Agricultural products… practically as much as our farmers can produce.” But the president’s Wednesday tweet indicates that excitement might have been premature. Trump did not clarify what he meant by “a different structure.”
Meanwhile, diplomatic relations between the two states were dealt another blow Wednesday after the United States rescinded an invitation for the Chinese military to participate in a joint military exercise, citing China’s aggressive military moves in the South China Sea. A Pentagon spokesman said that China had raised international tensions by deploying missiles and other military equipment on the contested Spratly Islands. Another official told CNN that the decision to rescind China’s invitation was made by Defense Secretary James Mattis, in coordination with the Trump administration.
Michael Cohen Watch—From the BBC: “Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, received a secret payment of at least $400,000 (£300,000) to fix talks between the Ukrainian president and President Trump, according to sources in Kiev close to those involved.”
2018 Watch—My colleague Chris Deaton analyzes the results of Tuesday’s Republican and Democratic primaries for governor in Georgia. The Democrat, Stacey Abrams, is in position to become the first black female governor in American history. It may all depend, Deaton writes, on who the Republicans select as their nominee in the runoff—and how the eventual winner gets there. Here’s an excerpt:
Song of the Day—“And When I Die” by Blood, Sweat, and Tears
