Page 4 - AT

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 6 January 2020
Trump returns to Washington to face a pair of challenges

By JONATHAN LEMIRE Secretary of State Mike ceedings be fair.
WASHINGTON (AP) — His Pompeo, who appeared McConnell, who has been
17-day holiday stay at his on the full gamut of Wash- dismissive of the request,
Florida resort over, Presi- ington Sunday morning has begun negotiations
dent Donald Trump re- news shows, defended the with Senate Minority Lead-
turned to the White House strike, which killed Soleimani er Chuck Schumer of New
on Sunday night facing twin at the Baghdad airport, as York over the contours of
challenges: the fallout from part of a deterrence "strat- the trial, including whether
the strike he ordered to kill egy to convince the Irani- witnesses would be called.
an Iranian general and his an regime to behave like a The president had pushed
looming impeachment trial normal nation." to call witnesses to make
in the Senate. "The American people it a showy trial — including
The dueling images — one should know that we will Biden's son and the whistle-
of potential chaos in the not waver. We will be bold blower who first reported
Middle East, the other a in protecting American in- the pressure to Ukraine —
politicized ritual occurring terests and we will do so believing he can convince
for only the third time in in a way that is consistent the American public of his
the nation's history — will President Donald Trump speaks during an "Evangelicals for with the rule of law," Pom- innocence. But Graham
shape a defining month Trump Coalition Launch" at King Jesus International Ministry, Fri- peo told CNN. and others have implored
of Trump's presidency, one day, Jan. 3, 2020, in Miami. The conflict is rooted in him to let the Senate han-
that comes just before the Associated Press Trump pulling out of Iran's dle the matter as expedi-
first votes of the 2020 cam- atomic accord and impos- tiously as possible.
paign are cast. be facing an impeach- In the hours before Trump's ing sanctions that have Trump has fumed that im-
Even before Air Force One ment trial in the Senate. return, tensions simmered crippled Iran's economy. peachment will be a per-
touched down outside We know he's deeply up- half a world away as hun- But it was not at the fore- manent stain on his legacy
the divided nation's capi- set about that. And I think dreds of thousands flooded front of Trump's agenda but he has listened to ad-
tal, Trump faced growing people are reasonably ask- streets Sunday in Iran to when his vacation began. visers who believe it could
questions from Democrats ing, 'Why this moment?'" walk alongside a casket Trump departed for Mar- be a political opportunity,
fearful that the killing of Elizabeth Warren, a Demo- carrying the remains of So- a-Lago, nestled against pointing to polling that
Revolutionary Guard Gen. crat running for president, leimani while Iraq's parlia- the Atlantic Ocean in shows it playing poorly with
Qassem Soleimani endan- said on CNN's "State of the ment voted in favor of a tony Palm Beach on Dec. independents in a trio of
gered Americans in the re- Union." resolution calling for an end 20, just two days after the vital Rust Belt battleground
gion and may have been "Why does he pick now to of the foreign military pres- House of Representatives states. The president has
an effort to distract from take this highly inflamma- ence in their nation, an ef- voted largely on party lines also mused about holding
the president's political cri- tory, highly dangerous ac- fort aimed at expelling the to approve two articles of a series of rallies after the
sis back home. tion that moves us closer 5,000 U.S. troops stationed impeachment against him likely Senate acquittal.
"Next week, the president to war?" the Massachusetts there over the war against over his pressure of Ukraine But even as Trump held
of the United States could senator said. the Islamic State group. to investigate a potential meetings at Mar-a-Lago
political foe, former vice about the trial and his up-
president Joe Biden. coming re-election cam-
During his stay, the presi- paign, which will move into
dent visited his nearby golf a new phase when the
course nearly every day Iowa caucus is held in less
and kept his public ap- than a month, the Iran mat-
pearances to a minimum. ter moved to the forefront.
But behind the scenes, he Tensions between the na-
held a series of meetings tions erupted after an at-
and phone calls to prepare tack killed an American
for what lies ahead. contractor at a joint U.S.-
Trump spoke to some of his Iraqi base. And after days
closest Republican allies in of deliberations with his in-
the Senate, including Lind- ner circle of national secu-
sey Graham of South Caro- rity advisers, Trump opted
lina, about the upcoming for the most dramatic re-
trial. Though the details of sponse, the drone strike
the trial remain unclear, in- that killed Soleimani.
cluding when it will begin, Despite Tehran's call for
the outcome seems all but vengeance, Trump did not
certain, as the Republican- back away from his trade-
led Senate will almost surely mark bellicose bluster.
not remove Trump from of- "The United States just spent
fice. Two Trillion Dollars on Mili-
But House Speaker Nancy tary Equipment," Trump
Pelosi, D-Calif., has delayed tweeted early Sunday. "We
transmitting the articles of are the biggest and by far
impeachment to the upper the BEST in the World! If Iran
chamber, a necessary step attacks an American Base,
before the trial can begin, or any American, we will
because she has demand- be sending some of that
ed assurances from Senate brand new beautiful equip-
Majority Leader Mitch Mc- ment their way...and with-
Connell, R-Ky., that the pro- out hesitation!"q