Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Sunday.Last time I looked at this, the State Department, right up to Secretary Pompeo, has been saying that Russia has been involved in Venezuela. Two Tu-160s visited Venezuela and flew at least one patrol.
That the two would meet is not surprising — Russia, after all, is economically invested in Venezuela and is standing behind President Nicolás Maduro, who managed to remain in power last week after opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s attempt to stir a military uprising failed. Guaidó declared himself interim president of Venezuela in January and is recognized as the country’s legitimate leader by several nations, including the United States.
But the timing of the Lavrov-Arreaza meeting is, if not surprising, then at least conspicuous. On Friday, two days before the foreign ministers met, President Trump said at a news conference with Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone.
“I had a very good talk with President Putin — probably over an hour,” Trump said. “And we talked about many things. Venezuela was one of the topics. And he is not looking at all to get involved in Venezuela, other than he’d like to see something positive happen for Venezuela.”
But Putin both flatters Trump and gives him a line of shit and Trump just eats that shit up. Trump has this thing about cozying up to dictators and autocrats.
What is it with him? And why do all of those "principled conservatives" keep their mouths shut (or firmly glued to Trump's ass)?
Apropos of nothing:
Reporting now that Trump made the call, and it lasted 90+ minutes.
ReplyDeleteAll of these "principled conservatives" are hypocrites. They were all for 'transparency' when the black man was in office, demanding birth certificates, travel records, college transcripts, etc. But now, when the other side asks to see tax returns, my oh my how the excuses fly. A reasonable person has to wonder what is there to hide?
ReplyDeleteDale
DTWND,
ReplyDeleteA reasonable person has to wonder what is there to hide?
You sound like a reasonable person. Did you wonder what Obama had to hide?
As for tax returns, wouldn't the IRS be all over Trump is there was something nefarious? Has Trump ever been audited? Odds are he has, multiple times.
Jim in Monroe
Well, Jim,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, Your defense of Trump by using the “what-about” argument is very weak.
I don’t think Obama had to hide much. As the first black president, he was already under a ton of scrutiny so he wasn’t going to get away a ton of nefarious actions. That being said:
Obama did produce his tax returns, just as every president has done, ‘cept this one.
And after being hounded by, dare I say opponents of black people in the White House, Obama produced his Hawaiian birth certificate, but that still wasn’t enough for some people.
Thank you for being civil while debating.
Dale
Well, according to the NYT, he either lost a billion dollars between '85 and '94, or he told the IRS he lost that billion in order to avoid paying taxes, which he paid none of for eight of those ten years, so perhaps that's why he doesn't want anyone to see the rest of them?
ReplyDelete-Doug in Oakland
Dale,
ReplyDeleteI'll agree that the 'what about' may seem weak, but I don't think it's fair to criticize one, and not the other. As for Obama, his birth certificate that he released is fake. I doubt that can be disputed. Do you know why he won't release his school records? Lots of conjecture out there, but no one will ask him directly.
As for the Trump tax returns, he's under no obligation to provide them, no matter what 'precedent' has been set. There is no legal investigation underway that requires those documents.
He's been audited many times. Who cares if he paid no taxes....that's SOP for many people/companies. If he's not above board, the IRS would have been all over him...unlike Congress, who owe millions in back taxes (a topic for another time).
Don't like the IRS regulations. Someone should propose a new tax system.
Most people on this site are civil (the owner of this site demands it), so I come here to get the perspective from the other side and sometimes offer my opinion. Mostly, I just lurk.
Thank you EBM for letting me visit.
Jim in Monroe
What is your proof that Obama's birth certificate is fake?
ReplyDeleteAs for Trump, where are his school records? Where are his medical records that support his deferment for his alleged bone spurs?
There are as many sites available to disprove the birth certificate as there are to claim it is valid. Agree to disagree.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if anyone has requested his school records or his deferment papers.
But keep digging, there has to be dirt on DJT. There just has to be. Meanwhile, the economy grows, unemployment is down, trade policies are better, GDP is good, etc. And he's not some hawk looking to get into another war.
First off, any cursory look at the economic numbers will show that things have been on a steady rise since the end of the recession in 2010.
ReplyDeleteSecond, with John Bolton as the National Security Advisor, war is a near-inevitability.
Third, a long time back, I knew a few guys who were serious real estate developers. I individually asked each one if they would do a deal with Trump. Each one laughed or snorted and gave answers that were variations on "no way, the man is a fucking crook."
So yes, I believe there is shit to be unearthed. That Trump is stonewalling Congress suggests to me that Trump knows that there is shit to be unearthed. He acts like he's guilty. So I think he's dirty.