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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Vivian Ho in San Francisco (now) and Joan E Greve in Washington and Lauren Aratani in New York (earlier)

Pelosi: Trump had 'meltdown' during White House meeting on Syria – as it happened

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer speak to the media after their White House meeting with Trump.
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer speak to the media after their White House meeting with Trump. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Live political reporting continues on Thursday’s blog:

Evening summary

Most of the rest of the day was spent processing the White House meeting to talk about Syria and Turkey:

Thanks for tuning in, everybody. Don’t be a fool!

Of note: today marked President Trump’s 1,000th day in office.

US Immigration and Enforcement confirmed today that another detainee died in custody on Tuesday. Roylan Hernandez-Diaz, 43, a Cuban national, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana. He’s been in custody since May.

Preliminary cause of death appears to be self-inflicted strangulation, but the case is still under investigation.

Hernandez-Diaz is the second detainee this month to die in ICE custody. Nebane Abienwi, 37, died while undergoing treatment for a brain hemorrhage on 1 October.

President Trump wanted to shame House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when he tweeted out the photo of her from the meeting about Syria and Turkey today. Press secretary Stephanie Grisham ironically quoted senate minority leader Chuck Schumer saying, “The Speaker kept her cool” when she tweeted out the photo, as if the photo depicted Pelosi not keeping her cool in some way.

Unfortunately for the Trump administration, all they really did was make Pelosi look like the only woman at a table full of men, making sure her point was heard. And Pelosi evidently thought the photo made her look pretty cool too:

Pelosi also made the photo her Facebook background pic too:

Updated

House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff sent out an impeachment inquiry update letter to his colleagues

In lashing out against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Trump provides us with a nice visual of the most talked-about meeting in Washington today.

Trump appears to be attempting to reclaim the term “meltdown” from Pelosi, but in tweeting out this photo, the president only seems to be drumming up more support for her.

And throughout all this, President Trump has been tweeting up a storm. His latest is, perhaps, most baffling:

Pelosi to Trump: "All roads with you lead to Putin"

More is coming out of the heated White House meeting regarding Syria and Turkey - you know, the meeting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described as a “very serious meltdown” for President Trump.

If you’re just tuning in today, the buzzwords of the last hour or so are “third-rate politician”, possibly “third-grade politician”, “a very serious meltdown” and “world’s most overrated general”. All great Halloween costume ideas!

A third-rate insult, perhaps?

However, it should be noted that there is some dispute over the insult in question:

The White House responds to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her description of President Trump having a “very serious meltdown”:

Trump calls Mattis "the world's most overrated general"

According to multiple reports, President Trump lashed out at former secretary of defense Jim Mattis - a retired Marine Corps general.

Meanwhile, amidst reports on this “very serious meltdown”, President Trump tweets:

Here’s more from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on President Trump and his “very serious meltdown”:

Hey all, Vivian Ho with the west coast bureau here. Let’s see where the rest of today takes us.

That’s it from me today. The Guardian’s west coast team will take over the blog for the next couple of hours.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • The House overwhelmingly voted to condemn Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria, with about two-thirds of the chamber’s Republicans backing the resolution.
  • Nancy Pelosi said Trump had a “meltdown” during a White House meeting on Syria, and Chuck Schumer added that the president called the House speaker “a third-rate politician.”
  • Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell intends to wrap up a trial on whether to remove Trump from office by the end of the year if the House votes to impeach him.
  • Another associate of Rudy Giuliani’s was arrested for allegedly violating campaign-finance laws.
  • Tax documents from the president’s company include major discrepancies, according to ProPublica.

The Guardian team will have more on the news of the day, so stay tuned.

Trump to Erdogan: 'Don't be a fool!'

According to a letter obtained by a Fox Business reporter, Trump wrote a letter last week to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urging him to avoid a humanitarian disaster in Syria.

The letter, which is dated October 9, begins: “Let’s work out a good deal! You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy -- and I will.”

Trump concludes the letter: “Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool! I will call you later.”

The White House confirmed the letter’s authenticity to multiple reporters, and Trump referenced it earlier today when asked whether he was surprised by Erdogan’s actions. But one New York Times reporter expressed skepticism about when the letter was sent.

Updated

An ABC News reporter noted that the Syria meeting marked the first face-to-face interaction between Trump and Nancy Pelosi since the House speaker formally launched an impeachment inquiry against the president late last month.

Pelosi: Trump had a 'meltdown' in Syria meeting

Speaking to reporters after the White House meeting on Syria, Nancy Pelosi said senior lawmakers witnessed Trump having a “meltdown.”

The House speaker added that Trump was rattled after nearly two-thirds of the House GOP caucus voted to condemn his decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria.

Trump calls Pelosi 'third-rate politician,' Schumer says

Leaving a White House meeting on the situation in Syria, senator Chuck Schumer said that Trump was disrespectful to Nancy Pelosi and called the House speaker “a third-rate politician.”

The Senate minority leader also complained that Trump has no plan on how to contain ISIS now that he has withdrawn US troops from northern Syria.

Another poll has found that a narrow majority of Americans believe Trump should be removed from office.

According to the latest Gallup survey, 52 percent of Americans say Trump should be impeached and removed from office, while 46 percent say he should not.

Although public opinion remains very mixed on impeachment, it’s worth noting that this figure is significantly higher than the percentage of Americans who supported the impeachment of Bill Clinton and only slightly behind support for Richard Nixon’s removal prior to his resignation.

McConnell planning to wrap up impeachment trial by end of year

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is planning to keep the chamber in session six days a week to conclude an impeachment trial against Trump by the end of the year, the Kentucky Republican told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Politico has more:

McConnell told Senate Republicans on Wednesday that he expects Speaker Nancy Pelosi to approve articles of impeachment as early as Thanksgiving, according to five people familiar with Wednesday’s party lunch. McConnell then surmised that the Senate could deal with the trial by Christmas, concluding the impeachment proceedings before the Democratic presidential primaries begin.

While they said there’s no deal between Pelosi and McConnell, Republican senators believe it’s in both parties’ interest to move quickly. ...

McConnell’s comments and PowerPoint presentation on Wednesday were in part an acknowledgment that impeachment is exceedingly likely to come to the Senate, and much of the discussion centered on the ins and outs of Senate procedure.

McConnell told senators they would be unable to speak during the trial and that only the chief justice of the Supreme Court, the president’s defenders and the House managers could talk, said one person familiar with the meeting.

The blog is following news on multiple fronts right now. In addition to the House vote to condemn Trump’s withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria, there is impeachment-related news.

Michael McKinley, the former senior adviser to secretary of state Mike Pompeo, has concluded his closed-door testimony after speaking to House investigators for about five hours.

McKinley reportedly told lawmakers that he was disappointed in Pompeo’s silence as far-right commentators smeared the reputation of Maria Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine.

It’s worth noting, given how partisan congressional politics have become, that about two-thirds of House Republicans voted to condemn Trump’s withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria.

The Republicans who backed the president’s widely criticized decision largely come from some of the most conservative districts in the country.

Meanwhile, senator Lindsey Graham, who is usually closely aligned with the president, is pleading with Trump to listen to his national security team and reconsider his stance on Syria.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi is also complaining that the administration has canceled a classified briefing for lawmakers on the situation in Syria.

The House vote to condemn Trump’s troop withdrawal from northern Syria came just hours after the president called the widely criticized decision “strategically brilliant.”

Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, also opened his weekly press conference by thanking the Kurds shortly after Trump said the American allies were “no angels.”

The distinctly different messaging coming from Trump and congressional Republicans on this crucial matter of foreign policy could threaten the party unification that the president desperately needs in order to ward off impeachment.

House overwhelmingly votes to condemn Trump's troop withdrawal from Syria

In a rare showing of bipartisan agreement, the House has just overwhelmingly voted to condemn Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria.

The final vote was 354-60.

Representative Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House foreign affairs committee who introduced the resolution, said: “At President Trump’s hands, American leadership has been laid low, and American foreign policy has become nothing more than a tool to advance his own interests.

“Today we make clear that the Congress is a coequal branch of government and we want nothing to do with this disastrous policy.”

Federal authorities reportedly investigating Giuliani on counterintelligence concerns

Federal authorities investigating ties between Rudy Giuliani and allegedly corrupt Ukrainian figures are reportedly exploring whether those wealthy foreigners tried to exploit their connection to the president’s personal lawyer to gain political influence.

CNN reports:

Kenneth McCallion, a New York attorney, says that investigators first approached him earlier this year to ask about Giuliani’s ties to Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two Giuliani associates indicted last week on campaign-finance related charges.

McCallion says FBI counterintelligence agents in February or March asked questions about some of Giuliani’s Ukrainian business dealings.

The counterintelligence probe hinges in part on whether a foreign influence operation was trying to take advantage of Giuliani’s business ties in Ukraine and with wealthy foreigners to make inroads with the White House, according to one person briefed on the matter.


Bill Taylor, acting ambassador to Ukraine, has been asked to testify in front of Congress next week.
Bill Taylor, acting ambassador to Ukraine, has been asked to testify in front of Congress next week. Photograph: NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Bill Taylor asked to testify

House Democratic committee leaders have asked Bill Taylor, acting ambassador to Ukraine, to appear for a Congressional deposition next week.

Taylor, a career diplomat, will likely be a critical piece to the House’s impeachment investigation. “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign,” Taylor wrote in messages between US and Ukraine diplomatic officials that were released earlier this month.

Updated


Trump used a press conference with Italian president Sergio Mattarella as an opportunity to defend his decision to pull troops from Syria, ending support for the Kurds.
Trump used a press conference with Italian president Sergio Mattarella as an opportunity to defend his decision to pull troops from Syria, ending support for the Kurds. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Kurds are ‘no angels’

Trump laid out some bewildering talking points about Turkey at the White House press conference with Italian president Sergio Mattarella just moments ago.

Besides saying the Kurdish PKK is worse than Isis, the president was asked about whether he was concerned about the spread of Isis. He continued to defend his decision to pull troops by saying the Kurds are “no angels”.

Trump also hit back at his allies-turned-critics, particularly Lindsey Graham, who publicly criticized Trump’s decision.

Trump: PKK is ‘worse than Isis’

Donald Trump is speaking at a press conference at the White House now with Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

In remarks, Trump defended his decision to pull troops from northern Syria saying that the Kurdish PKK, which had been receiving US support, is “worse at terror and more of a terrorist threat, in many ways, than Isis”.

Updated

Trump tax docs show major discrepancies

ProPublica got their hands on documents that show Donald Trump’s company gave a lender and New York City tax authorities two different set of numbers for two of the company’s Manhattan buildings – 40 Wall Street and the Trump International Hotel and Tower.

The documents show questionable differences in some expense, profit and occupancy figures. For example, the company told lenders that 40 Wall Street was 58.9% leased in 2012 but then rose to 95% a few years later. It told tax officials the building was 81% leased in 2013.

Trump’s company technically doesn’t own 40 Wall Street, rather it pays the wealthy German family that owns it a sum of money to rent it out to tenants. In 2015, Trump’s company told tax authorities that it paid the family $1.65 million to use the building, while it told told lenders it paid $1.24 million the same year.

Trump International Hotel and Tower sign in Manhattan
Trump International Hotel and Tower sign in Manhattan
Photograph: David Butow/Corbis via Getty Images

Updated

Don Jr.’s girlfriend says he ‘likes it when I play nurse’

Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend, who joined Trump’s reelection campaign in April as a senior advisor, said at a Texas panel discussion support Trump’s reelection that Don Jr. “likes it when I play nurse,” according to a report from the Washington Examiner.

“I know Donald Trump Jr. a little better, let’s just get that out of the way right now,” she told the crowd.

Try to hold on to your lunch because ewww.

A visual aid probably doesn’t help the nausea.
A visual aid probably doesn’t help the nausea. Thursday, July 11, 2019, in Washington. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

Updated

Giuliani associate turned himself in

Back to our last post on the arrest of David Correia, an associate of Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Correia was arrested at a New York City airport this morning for breaking campaign finance laws, and reports said Correia flew into New York to turn himself in.

Correia joins two men, both associated with Giuliani, who were charged with making illegal contributions to a political action committee supporting Trump in hopes of getting support for a recreational marijuana business.

Giuliani has said he has no knowledge of illegal donations. The four defendants are expected to appear in federal court tomorrow.

Investigators gave Reuters a photo Correia posted on Facebook, which shows him smiling with the president.
Investigators gave Reuters a photo Correia posted on Facebook, which shows him smiling with the president. Photograph: Social Media/Reuters

Here is video of that exchange between Biden and Warren.

Biden: ‘I went on the floor and got you votes!’

Perhaps the most memorable moment of the debate was a split-second pause delivered by US senator and Democratic hopeful Elizabeth Warren.

Former vice president Joe Biden had just cut into Warren detailing her accomplishments, raising his voice and pointing a hand toward her: “I went on the floor and got you votes! I got votes for that bill!”

Biden’s interjection – his interruption of Warren to give credit to himself – was met with eyerolls on Twitter.

Turns out Biden’s role in the creation of the CFPB was negligible at best. Not worth the interjection that, for many, came off as mansplaining.

Updated

Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is on the attack following last night’s debate – a shift in position for the mayor who largely avoided attacking his rivals.

Just to add on to our earlier post – Trump said his troop withdrawal from northern Syria would leave the conflict between Syria and Turkey. What we didn’t catch earlier was his comment that the Kurds are “not angels”.

The Guardian’s podcast Today in Focus describes the fall-out from Trump’s decision. Listen here:

A third Giuliani associate is arrested in New York City

This just in from the Associated Press:

A Florida man wanted in a campaign finance case involving associates of Rudy Giuliani is in federal custody.

Federal authorities say they took David Correia into custody Wednesday at Kennedy Airport in New York City.

Correia is named in an indictment with two Giuliani associates arrested last week on charges they made illegal contributions to a congressman and a political action committee supporting President Donald Trump.

Giuliani is Trump’s personal lawyer. He says he had no knowledge of illegal donations.

Prosecutors say Correia conspired with other defendants to make political donations with the aim of trying to get support for a new recreational marijuana business.

Four defendants are expected to appear Thursday in federal court in Manhattan.

A lawyer for Correia is not yet listed in court records.

Federal prosecutor Geoffrey S. Berman speaks at a news conference in New York on the indictment of Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, David Correia and Andrew Kukushnin for various charges related to violations of U.S. federal election laws.
Federal prosecutor Geoffrey S. Berman speaks at a news conference in New York on the indictment of Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, David Correia and Andrew Kukushnin for various charges related to violations of U.S. federal election laws. Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

"There's a lot of sand they can play with."

Trump addressed his withdrawal of troops from Northern Syria in a photo-op with Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The withdrawal has caused formerly American-allied Syrian Kurds to flee the region, as Turkey mounts a military offensive.

This latest report out from the Associated Press:

President Donald Trump said US troops are “largely out” of a region of Syria where Turkish forces are attacking Kurdish fighters.

Turkey launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters allied with the US after Trump pulled troops from the region this month. As he met Wednesday with Italy’s president, Trump said: “If Syria wants to fight to take back their land, that’s up to them and Turkey.”

He added: “There’s a lot of sand that they can play with.”

But as Trump defends removing troops from northeastern Syria, he’s talking up his recent decision to send more troops to Saudi Arabia to help the kingdom defend against Iran.

Trump says the US is sending missiles and “great power” to the Saudis, and adds: “They’re paying for that.”

US President Donald Trump met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC.
US President Donald Trump met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Mulvaney’s key role in Ukraine crisis

New reports reveal Mick Mulvaney, acting White House chief of staff, was likely a key facilitator of pressure on Ukraine.

Mulvaney put three unlikely men – apparently nicknamed the “three amigos” – in charge of managing Ukraine’s aid account and kept experienced diplomats from the National Security Council and State Department out of discussions, according to the Washington Post.

New reports are shedding a light on what Acting White House Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Mick Mulvaney’s role might have been in Ukraine.
New reports are shedding a light on what Acting White House Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Mick Mulvaney’s role might have been in Ukraine. Photograph: Chris Kleponis/POOL/EPA

Mulvaney tapped diplomats Gordon Sondland and Kurt Volker and Department of Energy secretary Rick Perry to be in charge of the US-Ukraine account. The trio are emerging as key figures in the White House’s interaction with Ukraine that are now under Congressional investigation.

Officials say Mulvaney kept details of discussions with Sondland from former National Security Advisor John Bolton. Bolton’s former aide, Fiona Hill, testified to Congress on Monday, revealing Bolton’s deep concern with the back-channel efforts to pressure Ukraine.

More news is starting to surface about how career diplomats have been sidelined in the Trump administration, allegedly to make room for political concerns.

Here’s the latest from the Washington Post:

According to an anonymous source for the Post, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo senior advisor will testify:

The unwillingness of State Department leadership to defend Yovanovitch or interfere with an obviously partisan effort to intervene in our relationship with Ukraine for the political benefit of the president was too much for him.”

Kurt Volker, former US special envoy to Ukraine and a key figure in the Congress’ impeachment investigation, just made a surprise appearance on Capitol Hill.

Volker, who abruptly resigned late September at the beginning of Donald Trump’s impeachment crisis, privately testified before members of Congress Oct. 3.

Volker arranged a meeting between Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and a presidential aide. Volker maintains he was unaware of any desire to urge Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

Here’s a bit of news on the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, leaving the once American-allied Syrian Kurds to defend themselves against Turkish aggression.

From Reuters:

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said he and US Vice President Mike Pence expect to meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan when they travel to Turkey this week.

Pompeo, in an interview on Fox Business Network, said the US delegation was planning to leave later on Wednesday and that the goal was to find a resolution to situation in Syria, not break the US-Turkey relationship.

Kurdish Syrian civilians flee the town of Kobani on the Turkish border on October 16, 2019 as Turkey and its allies continue their assault on Kurdish-held border towns in northeastern Syria. Turkey rebuffed international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria.
Kurdish Syrian civilians flee the town of Kobani on the Turkish border on October 16, 2019 as Turkey and its allies continue their assault on Kurdish-held border towns in northeastern Syria. Turkey rebuffed international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria. Photograph: Bakr Alkasem/AFP via Getty Images

Another worry for former vice president Joe Biden – he has been burning through fundraising cash. His spending outpaced Democratic rivals in spending through September, the AP reported this morning.

Biden had $8.9m in the bank – a fraction of the $33.7m and $25.7m that Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, respectively. Mayor Pete Buttigieg followed the pack with savings of $23.3m.

A hefty bank account allows candidates to spend strategically leading up to spring primaries. The money will allow Sanders, Warren and Buttigieg to buy ads in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire.

While we’re looking at the new endorsement from AOC, we will let Washington governor and former Democratic presidential candidate Jay Inslee tell you about last night’s big omission...

US Senator Bernie Sanders speaks alongside Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose endorsement is sure to boost his campaign.
US Senator Bernie Sanders speaks alongside Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose endorsement is sure to boost his campaign. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Here is more on the endorsement the Sanders campaign picked up from progressive House Democrats, from our story this morning:

Ocasio-Cortez’s shock move ends months of speculation about the plans of the Bronx politician, who is hugely popular with the progressive wing of the party.

The endorsement is a major coup for Sanders, whose campaign has failed to move to the top of a broad Democratic field, and a blow to his fellow progressive senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who has emerged as the race’s new frontrunner.

Ocasio-Cortez is one of the four members of “the Squad”, a group of four freshman congresswomen of color whose liberal policies and pointed critiques of Donald Trump have earned them praise from many on the left and virulent attacks from many conservatives.

The other squad members are Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar and Massachusetts’ Ayanna Pressley. The Sanders campaign also announced on Tuesday night that Omar had endorsed the senator.

'Squad' members endorse Sanders

Good morning, US politics watchers, it’s the day after the Democratic debate in Ohio and there’s a lot going on, so stay tuned.

  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and fellow member of the self-named Squad of progressive first-term Democratic congresswomen, Ilhan Omar, endorsed Vermont Senator and 2020 candidate Bernie Sanders after the Democratic primary debate in Ohio last night. Rashida Tlaib is expected to follow suit. No word from the fourth member Ayanna Pressley yet.
  • Mike McKinley, a former US ambassador and, until he resigned last week, a senior adviser to secretary of state Mike Pompeo, is due to testify today behind closed doors to the Democratic-led House committees running the impeachment inquiry.
  • Donald Trump is meeting with Italian president Sergio Mattarella at the White House this morning and the pair will hold a noon Rose Garden press conference.
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