Amid firestorm, Trump appears to waver on Russia deal

In this March 2, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks to Navy and shipyard personnel aboard nuclear aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. Facing a new wave of questions about his ties to Russia, Trump is telling advisers and allies that he may abandon, at least temporarily, his plan to pursue a deal with Moscow on the Islamic State group and other national security matters, according to administration officials and a Western diplomat.

Sessions to respond in writing to questions over Russia contacts – DOJ

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will reply in writing to Senate Democrats' questions about his meetings with Russia's ambassador last year, the Justice Department said on Friday after a top Republican denied Democrats' request for a public hearing. Nine Democratic senators sent a letter earlier Friday asking Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to call Sessions before his panel to explain his failure until this week to disclose his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump for investigating ‘hypocrite’ Senator Chuck Schumer’s Russia ties

New Delhi , Mar. 3 : Posting a photo of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer with Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump called Schumer a 'hypocrite' and suggested an immediate investigation against him. "We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) and Lukoil President Vagit…

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov listen as U.S. Senator Charles Schumer gestures as he speaks about U.S.-Russian relations during the opening of Lukoil's gasoline station September 26, 2003 in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. Lukoil, a Russian oil company, acquired Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc. and its 1, 300 stations in November 2000.

Trump, hitting back, uses 2003 photo to accuse Schumer of Putin ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov listen as U.S. Senator Charles Schumer gestures as he speaks about U.S.-Russian relations during the opening of Lukoil's gasoline station September 26, 2003 in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. Lukoil, a Russian oil company, acquired Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc. and its 1, 300 stations in November 2000.

Timeline: What we know about the Trump campaign, his White House and Russia

Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn and other former aides are in the hot seat for their interactions with Russia over the course of the presidential campaign, transition and new administration. So what do we know happened when? July 27: As the Republican nominee for president, Trump publicly calls on Russia to hack Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's private emails.

The most important word Trump didn’t say in his speech

Trump uttered some 5,000 words and spoke for 60 minutes, but not one of those words was "Russia," and not one of those minutes was devoted to the so-far successful effort by our geopolitical adversary to undermine American democracy. The FBI and intelligence community have unanimously charged that Vladimir Putin's government interfered in the U.S. elections in its successful attempt to get Trump elected.

Attorney General Sessions may have to recuse himself from the…

The White House on Sunday did not rule out that Attorney General Jeff Sessions may recuse himself from Justice Department investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a deputy White House press secretary, said congressional investigations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election would have to run their course before Sessions, who was a top campaign adviser to Trump, needed to decide whether to step aside from the FBI investigations.

If History Has Taught Us Anything, It’s That Clinton Scandals…

I decided to invest some time in Keith Gessen's widely discussed Putin essay , some of which is useful and some of which is strawman burning But it's hard for me to get beyond the argument boldfaced below, and I'm equally amazed to see other people parroting it: There is no reason at this point to dispute the consensus view of most intelligence analysts that Russian agents hacked the DNC and then leaked the emails to Julian Assange; it is also a well-known fact that Putin hated Hillary Clinton. Furthermore, it is true that the election was very close, and it did not take much to tip the result to one side.

Trump’s Russia reset halted as White House adds anti-Moscow hawks: AFP

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Donald Trump came to the White House promising a radical reset of US-Russia relations after years of rising tensions under his predecessor. But barely one month into office, that plan appears to be on hold, and Trump's White House team has taken on an increasingly Russophobic face, AFP said.

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus asked FBI to dispute Russia reports

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus asked a top FBI official to dispute media reports that President Donald Trump 's campaign advisers were frequently in touch with Russian intelligence agents during the election, a White House official said late Thursday. The official said Priebus' request came after the FBI told the White House it believed a New York Times report last week describing those contacts was not accurate.

Colleagues mourn sudden death of Russian ambassador to UN

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations who died suddenly after falling ill at his office at Russia's U.N. mission is being remembered by his diplomatic colleagues as a powerful and passionate voice for his nation. Vitaly Churkin was taken to a hospital, where he died Monday, according to Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov.