President elect trump

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday disbanded an investigation into alleged voter fraud in the 2016 election, but refused to back down on unsubstantiated allegations of massive wrongdoing at the ballot box. Facing opposition from US states and an uphill battle to prove something that almost all experts agree did not happen, Trump ditched his controversial panel of inquiry. But the president did not seem to completely abandon his unproven claim that between three million and five million people voted illegally in the 2016 presidential election. "Despite substantial evidence of voter fraud, many states have refused to provide the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity with basic information relevant to its inquiry," Trump said in a statement. "Rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense, today I signed an executive order to dissolve the Commission, and have asked the Department of Homeland Security to review these issues and … [Read more...] about Trumps scraps election ’fraud’ inquiry

More than 120 countries defied President Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor. A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, which is non-binding, nine voted against and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote. Trump's threat appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions. Nevertheless, Washington found itself isolated as many of its Western and Arab allies voted for the measure. Some of those allies, like Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, are major recipients of U.S. military or economic aid, although the U.S. threat to cut aid did not single out any country. A spokesman for Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the vote "a victory … [Read more...] about Defying Trump, over 120 countries at U.N. condemn Jerusalem decision

The criticism of Russia, laid out in a new national security strategy based on Trump’s “America First” vision, reflects a view long held by U.S. diplomats that Russia actively undermines American interests at home and abroad, despite Trump’s own bid for warmer ties with President Vladimir Putin. “Through modernized forms of subversive tactics, Russia interferes in the domestic political affairs of countries around the world,” said the document. It avoided directly citing what U.S. intelligence agencies say was Russian meddling in last year’s U.S. presidential election. “Russia uses information operations as part of its offensive cyber efforts to influence public opinion across the globe. Its influence campaigns blend covert intelligence operations and false online personas with state-funded media, third-party intermediaries, and paid social media users or ‘trolls,'” the document said. Trump has frequently spoken of wanting to … [Read more...] about Trump strategy document says Russia meddles in domestic affairs worldwide

President Donald Trump insisted Sunday he has no plans to fire special counsel Mueller, despite his team's recent attacks on the credibility of the probe into Russian meddling in the U.S. election. With the ex-FBI director's investigation making inroads into the president's inner circle in recent weeks, Republicans have sought to cast doubt on its impartiality and pressed for a new independent prosecutor to investigate anti-Trump bias. This in turn has led to speculation that the administration could be laying the groundwork for firing Mueller. But Trump shot down those rumors. Asked whether he was going to fire Mueller, the president told reporters: "No, I'm not." In a letter to congressional committees, Trump campaign lawyer Kory Langhofer alleged the General Services Administration (GSA) "unlawfully produced" private materials, including privileged communications that Mueller then used as part of his Russia probe. The GSA is the government agency that supports presidential … [Read more...] about Trump says he won’t fire Russia meddling probe chief

President Donald Trump will declare that China and Russia are competitors seeking to challenge U.S. power and erode its security and prosperity, in a national security strategy he will lay out in a speech on Monday. "They are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence," according to excerpts of Trump's strategy released by the White House. The strategy, a product of months of deliberations by the president and his top advisers, does not repeat former President Barack Obama's 2016 description of climate change as a U.S. national security threat, aides said. Trump has vowed to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord unless changes are made to it. "The United States will continue to advance an approach that balances energy security, economic development, and environmental protection," the document will say. Trump's national security posture … [Read more...] about Trump in strategy document to cite China, Russia as competitors

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday voiced support for Roy Moore during a rally that foreshadowed themes for next year’s midterm elections. Trump, speaking to a stadium of supporters in Pensacola, Florida, near the Alabama state line, touted his work to quit or renegotiate trade deals and called on Democrats to support a measure that would avert a government shutdown. Trump highlighted familiar themes from his political rallies: criticism of violence in Chicago, which he suggested was less safe than Afghanistan, as well as his commitment to improving U.S. border security and to crack down on immigration. But he made a point of using the rally to note his desire to get Moore elected. ”Get out and vote for Roy Moore,” Trump said ahead of Tuesday’s election. The race in the heavily Republican state heated up last month with accusations that Moore sexually assaulted or behaved inappropriately with several women when they were teenagers and he was in his … [Read more...] about Trump urges Alabama voters to back accused child molester Roy Moore