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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Wednesday, November 28, 2018 7:59 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Wednesday, November 28, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=001-a54&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Wednesday, November 28, 2018 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Biden Makes Surprise Visit to Athenagoras Human Rights Award Banquet.
<#S1>

• Political Consultant: Biden Presidential Run Decision Could Influence
Others. <#S2>

• McDowell: Biden Has Had Difficulty Fundraising. <#S3>

• Colbert: Biden Appearance Helped Him Grow Into The Late Show. <#S4>

• Continuing Coverage Of Biden’s Support For Espy. <#S5>

• Continuing Coverage Of Biden’s San Francisco-Area Speaking Engagements.
<#S6>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Trump Threatens GM’s Electric Vehicle Subsidies Following Cutbacks. <#S7>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Trump Threatens To Cancel Putin Meeting Over Ukraine Ship Seizures. <#S8>

• Trump To Have “Packed” Schedule Of Bilateral Meetings At G20. <#S9>

• Trump Again Questions CIA’s Assessment Of MBS’ Role In Khashoggi’s Murder.
<#S10>

• Kudlow: Xi Has A Chance To Make A Deal With Trump At G20. <#S11>

• Kim Reportedly Open To Inspectors Verifying Shutdown Of North Korea’s
Main Nuclear Complex. <#S12>

• Three US Soldiers Killed, Three Others Wounded In Taliban Attack. <#S13>

• Coats: US Continues To Consult Allies On Possible INF Withdrawal. <#S14>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Trump: Mueller A “Conflicted Prosecutor Gone Rogue.” <#S15>

• Administration Defends Use Of Tear Gas At Border. <#S16>

• Trump Says He’s “Not Even a Little Bit Happy” With Fed Chairman. <#S17>

• Trump Again Dismisses Government Climate Report. <#S18>

• GOP Weighs Decision On Criminal Justice Bill After Visit From Pence,
Kushner. <#S19>

• Nadler To Probe Hate Crimes, Surveillance Of Minorities As Head Of
Judiciary Committee. <#S20>

• Hyde-Smith Defeats Espy By Eight Points In Mississippi Senate Runoff.
<#S21>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• NCI Grants $13.5M To Support Research On Racial Disparities In Cancer
Diagnosis, Treatment. <#S22>

• Second Small-Cell Trial Failure Endangers Nivolumab Lung Cancer Approval.
<#S23>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S24>

• Washington Post. <#S25>
Biden in the News
Biden Makes Surprise Visit to Athenagoras Human Rights Award Banquet.

The Hellenic News of America
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=002-ef4&t=c>
(11/27) reports former Vice President Joe Biden had “a surprise appearance
at this year’s Athenagoras Human Rights Award Banquet.” He “said it was a
special honor to be at the banquet” and “singled out His All-Holiness
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for particular praise, noting that ‘one of
my greatest honors of my life’ was meeting the Ecumenical Patriarch several
times including in America, Greece and Turkey.” Biden also expressed
support for the Bartholomew’s decision to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox
Church of Ukraine, saying that “people in every part of the world should be
free to worship as they choose, and it falls to us to protect that
freedom.” Additionally, Biden “emphasized that the holiest Orthodox sites
in Turkey need to be protected, as well as Muslim communities in Greece,
adding that ‘protecting freedom of religion and universal rights never
ends.’”
Political Consultant: Biden Presidential Run Decision Could Influence
Others.

iHeartRadio
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=003-19b&t=c>
(11/27, Danielson) reports Iowa Democratic political consultant Jeff Link
told WHO Radio’s Simon Conway “there will likely be at least a half dozen
U.S. Senators who may run for president, plus former lawmakers and
political figures, and possibly former Vice President Joe Biden.” Link
added, in iHeartRadio’s words, that with Biden’s “high popularity among the
party faithful” means “his decision to run or not to run could influence
others’ decisions.”
McDowell: Biden Has Had Difficulty Fundraising.

Anchor Dagen McDowell said on Fox News Outnumbered[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=004-490&t=c>
(11/27) that former Vice President Joe Biden “has always had trouble
fund-raising.” She added, “I know a fundraiser he met back when he was
thinking about going against Hillary Clinton, and the money wasn’t there.”
Colbert: Biden Appearance Helped Him Grow Into The Late Show.

With Jon Stewart guest hosting CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=005-ffd&t=c>
(11/27), in an interview host Stephen Colbert, when asked about when he was
able to step into what he thought hosting should be, said that when he
interviewed former Vice President Joe Biden, “really only I, my real self,
could have received what Mr. Biden was willing to share with me and the
audience.” He added, “When he left, I turned to Tom over there and I said,
‘That nice old man just gave me my show.’” The Hollywood Reporter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=006-7e7&t=c>
(11/27, Shanley), reporting on the show, also mentions Colbert’s comment
about Biden, as does the Daily Beast
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=007-b13&t=c>
(11/28).
Continuing Coverage Of Biden’s Support For Espy.

In continuing coverage, WATN-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=008-639&t=c>
Memphis, TN (11/27, 11:03 a.m. CST) broadcast that former Vice President
Joe Biden recorded a message endorsing Senate candidate Mike Espy in
Mississippi. A second segment also ran on WATN-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=009-b8a&t=c>
Memphis, TN (11/27, 6:33 a.m. CST).
Continuing Coverage Of Biden’s San Francisco-Area Speaking Engagements.

In continuing coverage, KNTV-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=00a-03c&t=c>
San Francisco (11/27, 5:45 a.m. PST) broadcast that former Vice President
Joe Biden is in the San Francisco Bay area for speaking engagements, which
are already sold out.
Leading the News
Trump Threatens GM’s Electric Vehicle Subsidies Following Cutbacks.

In a pair of tweets yesterday, the President again expressed his
displeasure GM’s announcement Monday that it is closing several plants in
the US and laying off thousands of American workers. Trump wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=00b-4ce&t=c>,
“Very disappointed with General Motors and their CEO, Mary Barra, for
closing plants in Ohio, Michigan and Maryland. Nothing being closed in
Mexico & China. The U.S. saved General Motors, and this is the THANKS we
get! We are now looking at cutting all @GM subsidies, including ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=00c-0f3&t=c>
for electric cars. General Motors made a big China bet years ago when they
built plants there (and in Mexico) – don’t think that bet is going to pay
off. I am here to protect America’s Workers!”

Media reports cast the President as acting out of anger, saying he
lacks the authority to cut off the federal government’s aid to the
company. Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=00d-7ae&t=c>
(11/27, Sink, Beene, Natter), for example, reports under the headline
“Trump Threatens to End GM Electric-Car Subsidies, Without Saying How” that
“Trump wasn’t specific about the subsidies he was referring to, but
consumers are eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit toward the purchase
of electric vehicles including the Chevrolet Bolt.” The Detroit Free Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=00e-e9d&t=c>
(11/27, Spangler) likewise says it was “unclear what steps Trump could take
to punish GM – and whether he could unilaterally reduce subsidies, which
are largely limited to those for electric cars, since those are set by law
– though the federal government has hundreds of millions of dollars in
contracts and other arrangements with GM.”

Two of the three network broadcasts last night reported on the
President’s reaction. ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=00f-16c&t=c>
(11/27, story 3, 2:35, Muir) said “the President is now threatening to
withdraw subsidies if GM doesn’t change course, but does he have the power
to do that?” ABC (Pilgrim) added, “The President cannot act on this issue
without Congress, and the idea that Congress would pass legislation
targeting a specific company is highly unlikely.”

To the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=010-016&t=c>
(11/27, story 4, 2:15, Glor), “The presidential tweet sounded very much
like a threat,” but “what he meant by cutting all GM subsidies was not
clear. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow hedged.” Kudlow: “We are
going to be looking at certain subsidies regarding electric cars and
others, whether they should apply or not. I can’t say anything final about,
that but we’re looking into it.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=011-dbf&t=c>
(11/27, Lambert) quotes Kudlow as saying, “You may find additional
announcements coming on that topic,” and the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=012-b0b&t=c>
(11/27, Boyer) reports Kudlow said the Administration is “going to be
looking at certain subsidies for electric cars.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=013-df6&t=c>
(11/27) and Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=014-a99&t=c>
(11/27, Mohsin) both say Kudlow also expressed “great disappointment” in
General Motors.

Another AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=015-b19&t=c>
(11/27, Lemire, Miller) report says “it’s not clear precisely what, or
when, action may be taken.” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders later
“said that she did not have any additional information on the president’s
threat.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=016-6b5&t=c>
(11/27, Paletta) reports that while “Trump said he had spoken with GM chief
executive Mary Barra about the layoffs, telling reporters he said the
company should keep the factories open,” GM responded in a statement, “GM
is committed to maintaining a strong manufacturing presence in the US, as
evidenced by our more than $22 billion investments in US operations since
2009. Yesterday’s announcements support our ability to invest for future
growth and position the company for long-term success and maintain and grow
American jobs.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=017-c32&t=c>
(11/27, Boudette) says that “as the White House pique became increasingly
evident, the automaker put out a statement Tuesday on its ‘commitment to US
manufacturing.’”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=018-a56&t=c>
(11/27, Ballhaus, Colias) notes that during an interview with the paper on
Monday, Trump said he told Barra that GM should stop making cars in China
and open a new plant in Ohio. To the Detroit News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=019-fd3&t=c>
(11/27, Laing, Naughton), “Trump’s tone echoes similar criticism from the
United Auto Workers.” In a statement Monday, President Gary Jones said: “We
must step away from the anti-worker thinking of seeking simply the lowest
labor cost on the planet. The practice of circumventing American labor in
favor of moving production to nations that tolerate wages less than half of
what our American brothers and sisters make, must stop.”

To CNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=01a-86e&t=c>
(11/27, DiChristopher), Trump “threatened to strip General Motors of a tax
credit that makes its electric vehicles more affordable for car buyers,
escalating a dispute with the automaker.” It adds, “There’s just one
problem with the threat: GM is on the verge of losing the tax credit
anyhow.” The IRS offers car buyers a tax credit, but “after an automaker
sells 200,000 electric vehicles, that manufacturer gets phased out of the
program over the course of about a year. GM expects to hit the
200,000-vehicle threshold by the end of this year.”

Matthew DeBord, writing for Business Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=01b-883&t=c>
(11/27) in a piece titled “Trump’s Threat To Cut GM’s Electric-car
Subsidies Is Completely Meaningless,” similarly notes that the credit
“phases out after a carmaker sells 200,000 vehicles,” and GM “doesn’t want
its future EV portfolio to rely on the government to induce demand or drive
profits.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=01c-320&t=c>
(11/27), meanwhile, argues in an editorial that if Trump intervenes to make
GM less competitive, it will hurt more American workers.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=01d-a85&t=c>
(11/27, Shepardson) says Trump “has made boosting auto jobs a key priority
during his almost two years in office and has often attacked automakers on
Twitter for not doing enough to boost US employment.” A Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=01e-e36&t=c>
(11/27) editorial says “GM’s downsizing has to be embarrassing to Mr.
Trump, because it debunks the promises of abundant new auto jobs that
helped him get elected and that he has continued to make since taking
office.” But while “his language was the crudest, Mr. Trump was hardly the
only politician bashing GM for the layoffs. Ohio’s two senators, Sherrod
Brown (D) and Rob Portman (R), did so, too, as did Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau, whose country will also see a plant close.”

CNN senior political reporter Nia Malika Henderson said on CNN’s
The Lead[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=01f-a0c&t=c>
(11/27), “This is really treacherous territory for this President because
he went to those states and said, all of these jobs are coming back, you
don’t have to move.” CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins
said on CNN’s
The Lead[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=020-0db&t=c>
(11/27) that Trump “did make this a problem for himself because he went
there, he promised that these jobs were coming back, manufacturing jobs. He
promised that they should not sell their house. You shouldn’t say things
like that because you’re not going to be able to back it up.” The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=021-1c6&t=c>
(11/27, Boyer), among other outlets, similarly reports Trump’s tweets.

Katie Pavlich of Townhall.com said on Fox News’ Special Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=022-f39&t=c>
(11/27), “It is inappropriate for the federal government to go after any
singular company for not doing what they want specifically, but there is a
huge case to be made generally about how certain subsidies have been given
to electric car makers for cars that people aren’t buying. So, we can make
the argument that we shouldn’t have bailed out GM and the first place. That
is coming home to roost in a way that conservatives, Republicans and other
economic factors predicted back when this happened and here we are moving
forward with the jobs going away in the US which is something that
President trump obviously doesn’t like because he campaigned on keeping
them here.”

*Trump Speaks With Trudeau About GM Cutbacks. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=023-013&t=c>
(11/27, Samuels) reports Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said
Tuesday that he spoke with President Trump about GM’s plans to shutter
factories in the US and Canada. Trudeau tweeted, “President
@RealDonaldTrump and I had a good call today to discuss GM, the auto
industry and how best to support people affected on both sides of the
border. We’re going to keep working to address continued trade barriers as
we head into the @G20org summit this week.” The White House did not comment
on the call.

*BMW Considering Opening Second US Plant. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=024-977&t=c>
(11/28, Sage) reports BMW is considering a second US manufacturing plant
“that could produce engines and transmissions, Chief Executive Harald
Krueger said on Tuesday, shortly after a report that US President Donald
Trump would impose tariffs on imported cars from next week.” In an
interview at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Krueger said, “We’re at the range
where you could think about a second location” in the US.
Foreign Policy
Trump Threatens To Cancel Putin Meeting Over Ukraine Ship Seizures.

In a wide-ranging interview Tuesday with the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=025-13a&t=c>
(11/27, Dawsey), President Trump “threatened to cancel his scheduled
meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin” at the G20 summit in Buenos
Aires “because of Russia’s maritime clash with Ukraine” on Sunday. Trump
said he was awaiting a “full report” from his national security team
Tuesday evening about the incident. Said the President, “That will be very
determinative. Maybe I won’t have the meeting. Maybe I won’t even have the
meeting. ... I don’t like that aggression. I don’t want that aggression at
all.”

A Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=026-19f&t=c>
(11/27) editorial calls on Trump to cancel his meeting with Putin at the
G20 summit in the wake of Russia’s action against Ukraine this week and
urges Congress to pass additional sanctions against Moscow.

*Poroshenko Warns Of Possible War With Russia. *NBC Nightly News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=027-662&t=c>
(11/27, story 7, 1:30, Holt) reported Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
“is sounding the alarm after Russia attacked and seized” the Ukrainian
ships, “and he has a message that he wants President Trump to deliver
personally to...Putin.” NBC’s Richard Engel interviewed Poroshenko, saying
he “didn’t mince words, warning of a possible wider war with Russia.”
Poroshenko: “We will fight for our democracy, and we will fight for our
soil. Russia will pay a huge price if they attack us.” Engel: “In 2014,
Russian forces took over Crimea. Are we seeing a repeat of the same thing,
but instead of taking land, they’re trying to take the sea?” Poroshenko:
“You are absolutely right. Now they want to put control on the whole of the
sea. This is the real purpose of Russia, occupation of the sea.” When asked
what he wants Trump to say to Putin if they meet at the G20 summit,
Poroshenko said, “Please, get out from Ukraine, Mr. Putin.”

*European Officials Call For New Sanctions As Russia Puts Captured
Ukrainians On Trial. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=028-093&t=c>
(11/27, Osborn, Zverev) reports that “several senior European politicians
on Tuesday raised the possibility of new sanctions against Russia to punish
it for capturing three Ukrainian vessels at sea, an incident the West fears
could ignite a wider conflict.” A Russian minister, however, “said further
sanctions would solve nothing and that the incident should not be used to
derail the Minsk accord, which aims to end fighting in eastern Ukraine
between Kiev’s forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=029-e1e&t=c>
(11/27, Jennen, Delfs) reports EU members are “discussing sanctions on
Russia...though no action is likely until the facts are fully established,
a German official said.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=02a-c8a&t=c>
(11/27, Ferris-Rotman) reports Russia has “shrugged off Western
condemnation of its capture of three Ukrainian naval ships and their crews,
moving ahead Tuesday with court proceedings against some of the 24 detained
sailors.” Ukraine, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=02b-8e7&t=c>
(11/27, Vasilyeva) reports, “demanded that Russia stop using ‘psychological
and physical pressure’ on the sailors,” with Kiev’s “top diplomat” calling
the men “prisoners of war” and saying that “displaying them on TV was a
crime.”
Trump To Have “Packed” Schedule Of Bilateral Meetings At G20.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=02c-4cc&t=c>
(11/27, Rampton) reports President Trump will have a “packed schedule of
bilateral meetings” in Buenos Aires later this week on the sidelines of a
G20 summit, the White House said Tuesday. According to Reuters, Trump’s
talks on the sidelines “are the main focus for the White House” during the
summit, but it is “unclear whether officials will be able to reach
consensus on a final joint statement...for the conference.” While Trump
cast doubt on his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin
during interview Tuesday with the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=02d-213&t=c>,
Reuters notes he is expected to have meetings with Chinese President Xi
Jinping, as well as the leaders of Argentina, Germany, South Korea, Turkey,
Japan and India.

*Bolton: No Meeting Planned With Saudi Crown Prince. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=02e-9f3&t=c>
(11/27, Rampton) reports National Security Adviser Bolton also told
reporters Tuesday that Trump “has not planned to meet with Saudi Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman” at the summit. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=02f-6df&t=c>
(11/27, Miller) says the “snubbing...is the first sign that relations with
the crown prince are on the skids after he was potentially implicated in
the assassination of Saudi dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi.” White House
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday, “The President’s schedule is
pretty packed and has a number of sessions that he will be involved in with
the G20,” but didn’t rule out “interaction” with the crown prince. Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=030-27f&t=c>
(11/27, Morin), among other outlets, also reports the story.

*Diplomats Fear Trump’s Latin America Visit Will Showcase Region’s
Woes. *McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=031-f6a&t=c>
(11/27, Ordoñez) reports that after bypassing “several opportunities to
visit the region,” President Trump “will set foot in Buenos Aires – his
much-anticipated first visit to Latin America – for talks on the global
economy with the leaders of the world’s 20 major economies.” Yet, the
timing of President’s “long-sought visit” to Latin America “has left some
diplomats nervous about how Argentina’s worsening economy, corruption
around the continent and uncertainty about new leaders in Brazil and Mexico
will reflect on the rest of the region.” Diplomats also “said attention on
Latin America is likely to be overshadowed by more weighty issues of
international consequence, such as talks between Trump and Chinese
President Xi Jinping over trade and Trump’s scheduled meeting with Russian
President Vladimir Putin.”
Trump Again Questions CIA’s Assessment Of MBS’ Role In Khashoggi’s Murder.

In a wide-ranging interview Tuesday with the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=032-bbe&t=c>
(11/27, Dawsey), President Trump “again questioned the CIA’s assessment
that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince ordered the assassination of journalist
Jamal Khashoggi...and said he has considered Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman’s repeated denials in his decision to maintain a close alliance with
the oil-rich desert kingdom.” Said Trump, “Maybe he did and maybe he
didn’t. But he denies it. And people around him deny it. And the CIA did
not say affirmatively he did it, either, by the way. I’m not saying that
they’re saying he didn’t do it, but they didn’t say it affirmatively.”

*Pompeo: US-Saudi Partnership Is Vital To National Security. *In a Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=033-eac&t=c>
(11/27, Pompeo) op-ed, Secretary of State Pompeo acknowledges that the
Administration’s decision to rebuild the US-Saudi Arabia partnership has
not been popular among some US officials, especially in the wake of
Khashoggi’s killing. Pompeo warns, however, that degrading US-Saudi
relations would have repercussions for the security of the US and its
allies.

*Bolton Defends Decision Not To Listen To Recording Of Khashoggi
Killing. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=034-1b8&t=c>
(11/27, Press) reports National Security Adviser Bolton “on Tuesday
defended his decision not to listen to an audio recording of the killing”
of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, “saying he chose not to
listen because he doesn’t speak Arabic.” Bolton told journalists, “What am
I going to learn from – if they were speaking Korean, I wouldn’t learn any
more from it either.” He added, “People who speak Arabic have listened to
the tape and they have given us the substance of what’s in it.” When
pressed on the matter, “Bolton said he believed he has a full understanding
of what is on the audio recording.” He reiterated, “I’m very satisfied that
we know what the tape picked up and it was factored into the president’s
decision and he’s announced his position very clearly.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=035-b89&t=c>
(11/27, Rogers) reports that President Trump last week delivered “an
extraordinary statement in defense of the Saudis,” and Bolton “indicated
that the president’s views have remained unchanged since then.” Bolton’s
remarks “came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis were preparing to brief the Senate on Wednesday about the
circumstances surrounding Mr. Khashoggi’s death, which has prompted outrage
among members of Congress.”

Calling Bolton’s exchange with journalists a “contentious
back-and-forth,” the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=036-0c6&t=c>
(11/27, Sonmez) says Bolton “dismissed reports that the White House had
blocked [CIA Director] Haspel from attending” Wednesday’s Senate briefing.
Bolton’s comments “prompted criticism from some Democrats,” including Sen.
Sherrod Brown (OH). In an appearance on CNN, Brown criticized Bolton’s
decision not to listen to the tape, and “also took aim at what he described
as the Trump administration’s ‘arrogance,’ accusing the president of
‘throwing in with the world’s dictators.’”

“Senators are increasingly uneasy with President Donald Trump’s
handling of Saudi Arabia after the Oct. 2 killing of the U.S.-educated
journalist,” and they are “prepared to grill” Pompeo and Mattis at the
closed-door briefing on Wednesday, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=037-512&t=c>
(11/27, Mascaro) reports. Senate Majority Leader McConnell told reporters
that senators are “discussing what the appropriate response would be.”

As for Haspel’s expected absence from the briefing, “Senate
staffers said” that “it would be customary for a senior intelligence
official to take part” in a meeting over “a national security issue of such
importance,” The Guardian (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=038-39f&t=c>
(11/27, Borger) reports. To The Guardian, “the absence of the intelligence
community is all the more glaring” in this instance, “as Haspel travelled
to Istanbul to hear audio tapes of Khashoggi’s murder provided by Turkish
intelligence, and then briefed Donald Trump.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=039-2c2&t=c>
(11/27) editorializes, “President Trump’s craven abdication in the case of
murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi obligates other Americans,
including Congress and the business and nonprofit worlds, to defend the
country’s fundamental values.” The Post urges the Senate to attach “a
provision to a must-pass budget bill ending military aid to Saudi Arabia
until the Yemen war ends and all authors of the Khashoggi murder are
identified and sanctioned.” It also calls on American “businesses,
universities, think tanks and lobbying firms that have done business with
Saudi Arabia” to “rethink those ties.”

Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=03a-744&t=c>
(11/27) columnist David Ignatius argues that “a power struggle within the
Saudi royal family that helped feed the paranoia and recklessness of Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman” eventually “led to the death and dismemberment”
of Khashoggi. Ignatius explains that “this family feud” began “in January
2015 in a VIP hospital suite in Riyadh, as King Abdullah lay on his
deathbed.” Ignatius adds that the “fallout” from the “cutthroat scheming
within the House of Saud over the following years” has “extended to the
United States, China, Switzerland and other countries, as the two most
powerful clans of the royal family jockeyed for power.” He concludes in
writing that the US, “as the kingdom’s key ally, has an obligation to calm
this family feud before it does any more damage to Saudi Arabia and the
world.”

*DC Panel Weighs Renaming Street Outside Saudi Embassy After
Khashoggi. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=03b-4bc&t=c>
(11/27, Schwartzman) reports that Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A,
which “typically focuses on liquor license applications and other local
concerns,” is “inserting itself into the international furor prompted by
the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month at the Saudi Consulate
in Istanbul.” On Wednesday the panel is expected to vote on a proposal that
would change the name of “the street outside the Saudi Embassy” to “Jamal
Khashoggi Way.” ANC chair William Kennedy Smith “said that he expects the
commission to approve the resolution,” but “he also said that the Saudis
‘have a lot of friends and resources and there may be an effort to head it
off.’”

*Tunisians Protest Visit By MBS. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=03c-78e&t=c>
(11/27, Schemm) reports that in Tunisia, the “North African country that
overthrew longtime dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, freedom of assembly
and expression remains intact, and so people were able to say they aren’t
thrilled with a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on
Tuesday.” The Tunisian “Bar Association attempted to file a motion to block
the visit, while the Journalists’ Syndicate issued a statement describing
Mohammed as a ‘true enemy of free expression.’” Activists “also adorned the
villa that serves as a syndicate headquarters with a two-story banner
showing a robed Saudi figure carrying a massive chain saw – a reference to
the apparent dismemberment of Khashoggi.”
Kudlow: Xi Has A Chance To Make A Deal With Trump At G20.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=03d-f62&t=c>
(11/27, Lynch) reports National Economic Council Director Kudlow on Tuesday
“cast doubt...on hopes that” President Trump “will agree to a cease-fire in
the US-China trade war when he meets” President Xi Jinping later this week,
and “call[ed] Beijing’s response to administration demands ‘disappointing’
and ‘unsatisfactory.’” However, Kudlow said, “President Xi has an
opportunity to change the tone and the substance of these talks. It’s a big
opportunity. They have to do more.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=03e-7f3&t=c>
(11/27) quotes Kudlow as saying, “There is a good possibility that we can
make a deal and he is open to it.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=03f-bb2&t=c>
(11/27, Miller) reports Kudlow said Trump is “optimistic that a trade deal
is possible,” but “stressed...that Mr. Trump would not back off his demands
for major trade reforms from Beijing and was ready to impose more tariffs
on Chinese goods.” Along similar lines, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=040-d53&t=c>
(11/27, Miller) says Kudlow warned Xi “against trying to wait out...Trump
in the ongoing trade dispute between their countries.” Said Kudlow,
“Perhaps we can break through in Buenos Aires or not.” He added that if the
US doesn’t get “satisfactory” responses, Trump is “not going away. I hope
they understand that.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=041-62e&t=c>
(11/27, Fabian) reports that Kudlow “pointed to Trump’s comments to the Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=042-3f2&t=c>,
in which the president threatened to impose tariffs on all Chinese imports
if Xi does not agree to a deal, to underline the president’s desire to
‘keep his promise’ to change Beijing’s economic relationship with
Washington.” According to The Hill, Kudlow “suggested there is no formal
agenda for Trump and Xi and declined to outline what a successful deal
might look like.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=043-f2c&t=c>
(11/27, Restuccia, Palmer) reports that “privately, senior administration
officials told Politico that they don’t know what to expect. While
officials believe the Chinese are eager to engage on trade, Xi is a wild
card. And even officials close to the president acknowledged that Trump has
been unpredictable during meetings with foreign leaders.” In fact, Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=044-874&t=c>
(11/27, Mohsin) reports Trump “surprised his aides earlier this month with
a call to Xi to restart the stalled negotiations,” and Kudlow said that
“since then, communications have picked up between the two sides.”

To the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=045-e8a&t=c>
(11/27, Landler, Thrush, Bradsher), “Trump is projecting a steely facade as
he prepares for a critical meeting on trade this weekend with President Xi.
... But behind his tough talk and threats of higher tariffs is a creeping
anxiety about the costs of a prolonged trade war on the financial markets
and the broader economy.” That “could set the stage for a truce between the
United States and China, several American officials said, in the form of an
agreement that would delay new tariffs for several months while the world’s
two largest economies try to work out the issues dividing them.”

*Chinese Envoy Warns Of “Negative Impact” Of Trade War. *China’s
Ambassador in Washington, Cui Tiankai, told Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=046-7f4&t=c>
(11/27, Brunnstrom, Lawder, Spetalnick) on Tuesday that Beijing “is going
to this week’s G20 summit hoping for a deal to ease a damaging trade war
with the United States.” Asked whether he thought “hardliners in the White
House were seeking to separate the closely linked US and Chinese economies,
Cui said he did not think it was possible or helpful to do so.” Cui added,
“I don’t know if people really realize the possible consequences – the
impact, the negative impact – if there is such a decoupling.”

*Ivanka Trump Meeting With Apple’s Cook Amid Tariff Threats. *Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=047-edb&t=c>
(11/27, Sink) reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook is “spending Tuesday with
Ivanka Trump touring schools in Idaho, one day after President Donald Trump
threatened to slap tariffs on the iPhone and other mobile phones made in
China.” To Bloomberg News, the trip “provides Cook an opportunity for
extended conversation with the president’s daughter and senior adviser just
before Trump holds a key meeting with” Xi. Bloomberg News adds that “while
the iPhone has so far been spared in the US’s ongoing trade war with China,
Trump said Monday he may include it in another round of tariffs on Chinese
imports.”
Kim Reportedly Open To Inspectors Verifying Shutdown Of North Korea’s Main
Nuclear Complex.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=048-c20&t=c>
(11/27, Chiacu) says South Korean media is reporting that Kim Jong Un is
“willing to allow inspectors into” North Korea’s “main nuclear complex in
Yongbyon.” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted a “senior diplomatic
source” as saying, “I understand that Chairman Kim told (South Korean)
President Moon (Jae-in) during their summit in September that if the US
took corresponding steps he would not only be willing to shut down the
Yongbyon nuclear facilities but also allow verification.”

*WSJournal A1 Analysis Details How Illicit North Korea Trade
Continues Despite Sanctions. *On its front page, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=049-4a9&t=c>
(11/27, A1, Mandhana) says its analysis of confidential UN documents and
interviews with American officials revealed how North Korea continues to
trade with the outside world despite tough US and UN sanctions. The Journal
says changes in the behavior and ownership of vessels transporting fuel,
coal, and other prohibited items reveal how North Korea has managed to keep
its economy afloat through a shifting array of strategies.

*North Korean Ambassador Criticizes US For Calling For UN Meeting
On Human Rights. *In a letter obtained by the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=04a-d62&t=c>
(11/28, Lederer) on Tuesday, North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations
Kim Song accused the Administration “and some supporters of trying to
‘stoke confrontation’ instead of promoting peace efforts by calling for a
UN Security Council meeting to discuss human rights in the country.”
Calling the US move “a provocation,” Kim said North Korea’s “peace-loving
efforts” have helped settle “the atmosphere of peace and stability” on the
Korean Peninsula, but “to our deep surprise and regret, the Security
Council is about to swim against the current trend by way of seeking to
irritate a dialogue counterpart and stoke confrontation, instead of
encouraging and promoting the ongoing positive developments.” Kim sent
copies of the letter “to all council members except the United States
urging them to vote against” holding the meeting. He addressed “similar
letters to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and General Assembly
President Maria Espinosa Garces.”
Three US Soldiers Killed, Three Others Wounded In Taliban Attack.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=04b-c79&t=c>
(11/27, Mackenzie) reports that “a roadside bomb blast killed three US
service members and wounded three others near the central Afghan city of
Ghazni on Tuesday.” Taliban insurgents, “who control large parts of Ghazni
province, claimed responsibility for the attack.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=04c-e8d&t=c>
(11/27, Lamothe) reports that “three other US service members were wounded
along with a US military contractor.” In total, “the deaths bring the
number of US troops killed in combat in Afghanistan this year to 13. Five
of those deaths occurred this month.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=04d-dcc&t=c>
(11/27, story 5, 1:25, Muir) said it was “the deadliest day for American
forces this year.” ABC said the area where the troops died “has come under
increasing Taliban attack, showing just how dangerous Afghanistan remains
for US troops.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=04e-765&t=c>
(11/27, story 5, 1:55, Glor) reported that the Taliban have claimed
responsibility for the attack, “but they’re not the only enemy. While we
were there, we joined US troops in an operation to clear an area of ISIS
fighters and the soldier who died over the weekend was on a mission against
Al Qaeda militants.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=04f-842&t=c>
(11/27, Azadzoi, Nordland) reports that the attack, “the worst...on
American troops” in Afghanistan this year, “came only three days after
another American soldier was killed in the southwestern province of Nimroz
during a fight with militants linked to Al Qaeda.” According to the Times,
the Pentagon “said that the soldier, Sgt. Leandro A.S. Jasso, a 25-year-old
Army Ranger from Washington State, was shot accidentally by a soldier from
an Afghan ‘partner force,’” but “added, ‘There were no indications he was
shot intentionally.’” The three soldiers killed on Tuesday “were not
identified...but they were believed to be part of a Special Forces unit.”

Reporting on the deaths, NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=050-5df&t=c>
(11/27, story 4, 1:15, Holt) said President Trump has “escalated the war”
in Afghanistan that “he inherited, bringing the number of troops there to
14,000.” Trump: “A lot of progress has been made.” NBC (Nichols): “But his
own Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Taliban is holding their
ground.” Gen. Joseph Dunford, Joint Chiefs Of Staff Chairman: “They are not
losing right now.” Nichols: “Tonight, a deadly reminder that after 17 years
of fighting, the US is still at war in Afghanistan.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=051-18f&t=c>
(11/27, Amiri), among other outlets, also reports the story.
Coats: US Continues To Consult Allies On Possible INF Withdrawal.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=052-604&t=c>
(11/27, McBride) reports DNI Coats on Tuesday said the US remains on the
path to withdraw from the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF)
Treaty, but Administration officials “are still pursuing this issue” and
will continue to consult with US allies on the decision. Coats said that at
a NATO meeting this week in Brussels, he will brief European allies “in
terms of what the threat [from Russia] is and in terms of how we might
respond to it.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=053-3b4&t=c>
(11/27, Danilova) reports that on condition of anonymity, a “senior”
Administration official “says Russia is violating the landmark nuclear
missile treaty from which the White House is preparing to withdraw.” The
official claims Russia “has developed and deployed ‘multiple battalions’ of
a missile that is banned” under the INF. According to the AP, the official
“says the administration believes Russia ‘probably’ wants to be
‘unconstrained’ by the treaty as it modernizes its military.”
Domestic Policy
Trump: Mueller A “Conflicted Prosecutor Gone Rogue.”

In a series of tweets Tuesday morning, President Trump blasted special
counsel Robert Mueller, calling him “a conflicted prosecutor gone rogue,”
who is “doing TREMENDOUS damage to our Criminal Justice System.” Trump wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=054-ec5&t=c>,
“The Phony Witch Hunt continues, but Mueller and his gang of Angry Dems are
only looking at one side, not the other. Wait until it comes out how
horribly & viciously they are treating people, ruining lives for them
refusing to lie. Mueller is a conflicted prosecutor gone rogue ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=055-f89&t=c>
The Fake News Media builds Bob Mueller up as a Saint, when in actuality he
is the exact opposite. He is doing TREMENDOUS damage to our Criminal
Justice System, where he is only looking at one side and not the other.
Heroes will come of this, and it won’t be Mueller and his ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=056-854&t=c>
terrible Gang of Angry Democrats. Look at their past, and look where they
come from. The now $30,000,000 Witch Hunt continues and they’ve got nothing
but ruined lives. Where is the Server? Let these terrible people go back to
the Clinton Foundation and ‘Justice’ Department!”

Jonathan Karl said on ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=057-551&t=c>
(11/27, story 4, 2:30, Muir) that hours after Manafort’s plea deal “broke
down, the President offered some of his harshest attacks yet on the special
counsel.” Similarly, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=058-0ff&t=c>
(11/27, Sullivan) says Trump “lobbed familiar insults and accusations at
the special counsel investigation, a day after prosecutors said his former
campaign chairman repeatedly lied to investigators in breach of a previous
plea agreement,” while the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=059-a26&t=c>
(11/27, Wagner) says the President “employed some of his harshest language
to date in a continuing attempt to discredit Mueller,” and Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=05a-c73&t=c>
(11/27, Oprysko) says Trump is “attempting to sow doubt about the special
counsel and his team.”

In a wide-ranging interview Tuesday with the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=05b-6b4&t=c>
(11/27, Dawsey), Trump said he had “no intention” of taking action to stop
special counsel Mueller’s investigation. Said Trump, “The Mueller
investigation is what it is. It just goes on and on and on.” But when
“pressed on whether he would commit to letting the probe continue until its
conclusion, he stopped short of making an explicit pledge.” Said the
President, “This question has been asked about me now for almost two years.
... And, in the meantime, he’s still there. He wouldn’t have to be, but
he’s still there, so I have no intention of doing anything.”

Kaitlan Collins said on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=05c-9f4&t=c>
(11/27), “I think it’s clear the President is concerned. His tweets are a
window, essentially, into his mind and we’ve made that very clear over the
last two years that he’s been in office. So it’s clear the President is
concerned. He’s attacking Robert Mueller personally, saying that he’s
ruining the criminal justice system, though when Sarah Sanders was asked
about that today, she couldn’t list any reasons of how exactly he’s ruining
it.”

*McConnell Says He Will “Probably” Block Bill To Protect Mueller. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=05d-ce2&t=c>
(11/27, Cornwell) reports that as Trump “renewed his Twitter attacks on
Mueller and his long-running inquiry,” Senate Majority Leader McConnell
said Tuesday that he would “probably” block an effort to bring to a vote a
bill to Mueller’s investigation. McConnell told reporters, “I probably
would” oppose bringing up the bill, and called the effort to force a vote
“a solution in search of a problem.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=05e-ed3&t=c>
(11/27, Collins) says McConnell “vowed” to stop the legislation even after
Senate Majority Whip Cornyn “held open the possibility of bringing it up
for a vote.” Earlier Tuesday, Cornyn “signaled a potential change in the
position of Republican leaders who have previously rejected a push” by Sen.
Jeff Flake (R-AZ) “to allow a vote on the Mueller legislation on
conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt’s radio show. Flake has threatened to
oppose Trump’s judicial nominees unless the Senate holds a vote on the
Mueller bill.” Cornyn said, “We’ve got some judges on the calendar now that
we can pass even if we don’t have Sen. Flake’s support. But we can’t get
them out of the Judiciary Committee, so we’re going to be working with Sen.
Flake to see what he needs in order to lift his hold. ... There is a
possibility we will have a vote on the Mueller, so-called Mueller
protection bill.”

*Comey Says Whitaker “Not The Sharpest Knife” But Is Unlikely To
Derail Probe. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=05f-12f&t=c>
(11/27, Muñoz) reports former FBI Director James Comey said in an interview
with WGBH Monday that Acting Attorney General Whitaker “may not be the
sharpest knife in our drawer.” Asked if Whitaker could derail the Mueller
investigation, Comey said, “He may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer,
but he can see his future and knows that if he acted in an extralegal way,
he would go down in history for the wrong reasons and I’m sure he doesn’t
want that.” Comey “also suggested that Mr. Whitaker may not have the clout
in Washington to scuttle the Mueller probe.” Said Comey, “The institution
is too strong and he, frankly, is not strong enough to have that kind of
impact.”

*Draft Court Filing Shows Corsi Alerted Stone To WikiLeaks Release
In August 2016. *Wolf Blitzer reported on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=060-62b&t=c>
(11/27), “CNN has now obtained draft court documents which is may show the
special counsel, Robert Mueller, is getting closer and closer to making a
collusion case. The papers lay out moves allegedly made by longtime Trump
confidant Roger Stone in seeking information from WikiLeaks on Democratic
emails stolen by Russia.” CNN political correspondent Sara Murray added[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=061-0d7&t=c>
that the draft filings, which were provided to CNN by Jerome Corsi, give
insight “into this collusion investigation that we know the special
counsel’s team has been looking into.” Stone “insists that he never saw
anything before it was published by WikiLeaks,” and Corsi “insists he was
not directly in touch with Julian Assange, but you can see why
investigators are looking at these two men and saying, are these guys the
key to a collusion question?”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=062-b92&t=c>
(11/27, Roig-Franzia) reports the court filing shows Corsi alerted Stone
“in early August 2016 that WikiLeaks planned to release material damaging
to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, including documents related to her
campaign chairman John Podesta. Corsi emailed Stone about WikiLeaks’s plans
nearly 10 weeks before the group published Podesta’s hacked emails in
October, according to the document, which was prepared by special counsel
Robert S. Mueller III’s team as part of plea negotiations with Corsi that
have collapsed.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=063-e9d&t=c>
(11/27, Lim) reports that in an Aug. 2, 2016 email to stone that
“appear[ed] to refer” to Assange, Corsi wrote, “Word is friend in embassy
plans 2 more dumps. One shortly after I’m back. 2nd in Oct. Impact planned
to be very damaging.”

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=064-e20&t=c>
(11/27) that the draft filings are “more evidence of an ongoing conspiracy
or collusion between high-ranking Trump campaign officials and WikiLeaks
and Julian Assange and the stolen emails. .... This is more evidence of a
high-ranking official in the Trump campaign or an associate of President
Trump in conversations with individuals that have possession of the stolen
emails and discussions about their release. So I think this is very
disturbing, very explosive information.”

*Guardian Report: Manafort Met Secretly With Assange. *The Guardian
(UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=065-ac6&t=c>
(11/27, Harding) cites “sources” who say former Trump campaign manager Paul
Manafort “held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian
embassy in London, and visited around the time he joined Trump’s campaign.”
According to the sources, Manafort “went to see Assange in 2013, 2015 and
in spring 2016 – during the period when he was made a key figure in Trump’s
push for the White House.” According to “a well-placed source,” Manafort
“went to see Assange around March 2016. Months later WikiLeaks released a
stash of Democratic emails stolen by Russian intelligence officers.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=066-e6a&t=c>
(11/27, Tucker, Day) says the “explosive” report along with the breakdown
of Manafort’s plea deal “threw a new element of uncertainty into the
Trump-Russia investigation.”

Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=067-3f4&t=c>
(11/27, Re) reports on its website that Manafort released a statement in
which he called the story “totally false and deliberately libelous” and
said he might take legal action against the paper. The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=068-775&t=c>
(11/27, Cohen) says Manafort “slammed” The Guardian’s story, saying, “I
have never met Julian Assange or anyone connected to him. I have never been
contacted by anyone connected to WikiLeaks, either directly or indirectly.
I have never reached out to Assange or WikiLeaks on any matter. ... We are
considering all legal options against the Guardian who proceeded with this
story even after being notified by my representatives that it was false.”

Senate Minority Whip Durbin said on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=069-ce1&t=c>
(11/27), “I can tell you I don’t know about the authenticity of the
assertions by ‘The Guardian’ newspaper,” but “what an amazing coincidence,
a WikiLeaks dump just minutes or hours after the ‘Access Hollywood’ scandal
was unfolding here in the United States. For those of us who are observing
it from afar, it seemed like much more than a coincidence.”

*Sanders Says She Is Unaware Of Any Discussion Of Pardon For
Manafort. *Paula Reid reported on the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=06a-28b&t=c>
(11/27, story 3, 2:10, Glor) that since Mueller “has said Paul Manafort is
lying to federal investigators, the only thing that can keep the
69-year-old from spending the rest of his life in jail is pardon from
President Trump.” However, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=06b-d0e&t=c>
(11/27, Rampton) reports White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said
Tuesday that she is unaware of any discussions about a pardon for Manafort.
Sanders said, “I’m not aware of any conversations for anyone’s pardon
involving this process.”
Administration Defends Use Of Tear Gas At Border.

In a brief item, the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=06c-e25&t=c>
(11/27, story 6, 0:20, Glor) reported, “The Trump Administration today
issued a new statement defending its use of tear gas on migrants crossing
from Mexico into the US.” DHS “also denied rubber bullets were used.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=06d-44c&t=c>
(11/28, Long, Spagat) reports that the President “is strongly defending the
US use of tear gas at the Mexico border to repel a crowd of migrants that
included angry rock-throwers and barefoot, crying children,” citing his
remarks in Mississippi on Monday.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=06e-683&t=c>
(11/27, Miroff) reports that though “senior Border Patrol and Homeland
Security officials pushed back again Tuesday at accusations that
authorities used excessive force when they lobbed tear gas into Mexico,”
critics and Mexican officials “have questioned the use of tear gas in the
presence of children and the decision to fire canisters over the border
fence.” Former CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said, “It’s really a very
indiscriminate method, and if you’re firing into Mexico, where there are
young families and children, you can’t distinguish if anyone there might
have a breathing problem.”

Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=06f-5d1&t=c>,
“Seeking asylum in the United States is a right under our immigration laws.
Using tear gas on lawful asylum seekers is a violation of our laws, and
using tear gas on children and babies is an abhorrent human rights abuse.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=070-b5c&t=c>,
“People are fleeing unthinkable violence only to be met with more violence
when they reach the US border. We should meet those seeking asylum with
compassion and a pathway to citizenship, not tear gas. America is better
than this.” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=071-f00&t=c>,
“‘Huddled masses yearning to breathe free’ are trying to apply for asylum
at our southern border after escaping gang violence in Central America.
Instead, they are left breathing tear gas shot at them.”

*Administration Contests Judge’s Ruling On Border Asylum Denial
Policy. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=072-edb&t=c>
(11/27, Giaritelli) reports that the Trump Administration is contesting US
District Judge Jon Tigar’s “restraining order that halted a new policy
which would force migrants to apply for asylum at border checkpoints.”
Attorneys filed a motion Tuesday requesting that the order be suspended,
and “the Justice Department will also file an appeal against the
restraining order in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=073-5fe&t=c>
(11/28, Merchant) reports, “In its request for a stay Tuesday, the Justice
Department said Tigar’s order ‘immediately harms the government and
jeopardizes important national interests.’”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=074-95e&t=c>
(11/27, Samuels) reports that the DOJ also argued “that the court’s
temporary restraining order, which lasts for 30 days, undermines the
president’s determination that an immediate temporary suspension of entry
between ports of entry is necessary to address the ongoing and increasing
crisis facing our immigration system.”

*UNHCR Reiterates View That Asylum-Seekers Have Right To Seek
Sanctuary In US. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018112801biden&r=email-5b04&l=075-43e&t=c>
(11/27, Nebehay) reports that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on
Tuesday reiterated its stance that asylum seekers “are entitled to lodge
claims in the United States to obtain sanctuary.” UNHCR spokesman Babar
Baloch said, “We have been repeating our call on the US authorities to
grant access to the territory and to asylum procedure to those who are
fleeing persecution and violence.” Baloch also said UNHCR