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U.S. NEWS Saturday 3 auguSt 2019

National security adviser John Bolton speaks to media at the
White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 31, 2019.
Associated Press
Bolton to attend

Aug. 6 meeting in

Peru about Venezuela President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before departing the White House in Washington,
Friday, Aug. 2, 2019, for the short trip to Andrews Air Force Base and onto his Bedminster, N.J., golf
club.
Associated Press
By LUIS ALONSO LUGO Maduro about reaching an
WASHINGTON (AP) — The agreement in current talks In a tweet Friday, Trump repeatedly clashed with deepened questions about
U.S. national security ad- with the opposition. Repre- said Ratcliffe had decided Trump and announced his the White House's seem-
viser and commerce secre- sentatives of the two sides to stay in Congress so as to resignation a week ago. ingly haphazard vetting
tary will lead the American met for several days earlier avoid "months of slander The White House in recent process, but Trump brushed
delegation at an initial con- this month in Barbados. and libel." days fielded a number aside those concerns, even
ference of nations that rec- The opposition is pushing for Trump didn't cite specific of calls from Republicans crediting the media for its
ognize Venezuelan oppo- an early presidential elec- media reports, though mul- wary of Ratlciffe's confir- role in the process.
sition leader Juan Guaidó tion. Maduro has resisted tiple stories in the last week mation chances and un- "You vet for me. I like when
as his country's president, calls to step down and has have questioned Ratcliffe's comfortable with his quali- you vet ... I think the White
a senior administration of- accused his opponents of qualifications and suggest- fications, according to two House has a great vetting
ficial said Friday. stirring up violence in once ed that he had misrepre- administration officials not process.
The official said security prosperous Venezuela. sented his experience as a authorized to speak pub- You vet for me," Trump said.
adviser John Bolton will talk The official said that if federal prosecutor in Texas. licly about private conver- "When I give a name, I give
about the next steps for U.S. Maduro does not accept Ratcliffe is a frequent Trump sations. it out to the press and you
policy regarding Venezu- an exit plan within the next defender who fiercely Several news stories in vet for me. A lot of times
ela's political and econom- two weeks, the United questioned former special recent days called into you do a very good job.
ic crisis, while Commerce States will mount an "insur- counsel Robert Mueller dur- question aspects of Rat- Not always."
Secretary Wilbur Ross will mountable" pressure on ing a House Judiciary Com- cliffe's resume and career, North Carolina Sen. Richard
share a plan focused on him to give up power, but mittee hearing last week. alarming some in the GOP, Burr, the chairman of the
reconstruction in the South declined to provide any Even as Mueller laid bare while a few key Republican Senate intelligence com-
American country once specific details. concerns that Russia was senators already greeted mittee, said in a statement
President Nicolás Maduro is The Trump administration working to interfere with his nomination with a luke- that he respects Ratcliffe's
no longer in power. has already included Mad- U.S. elections again, Rat- warm response. decision and he is commit-
The official insisted on uro and more than 100 cliffe remained focused Taking their cue from the ted to moving the official
speaking anonymously Venezuelan officials and on the possibility that U.S. president's instinct to push nomination through com-
because he was not au- insiders on its sanctions list. intelligence agencies had back against the media mittee. "There is no substi-
thorized to talk to reporters It has also moved to choke overly relied on unverified and fight for problematic tute for having a Senate-
about the U.S. effort. off revenue from the sale opposition research in in- nominees, White House of- confirmed director in place
The Aug. 6 meeting in of oil by Venezuela, which vestigating the Trump cam- ficials initially planned to to lead our Intelligence
Peru's capital will include is home to world's largest paign's ties to Russia. rally around the choice. But Community," Burr said.
representatives from over crude reserves. In his own statement, Rat- Ratcliffe himself expressed Until then, lawmakers
50 nations which hold that Foreign ministers of coun- cliffe said he remained concern to the West Wing have privately and pub-
Maduro's re-election last tries that make up part of a convinced that he could about the scrutiny, the ad- licly urged Trump to put
year was fraudulent. Russia, so-called Lima Group have have done the job "with ministration officials said. Sue Gordon, Coats' No.
Cuba and Turkey, which met periodically since 2017 the objectivity, fairness They said that though the 2, in charge once Coats
back Venezuela's socialist to discuss Venezuela's crisis, and integrity that our intelli- president long admired steps down. But it's unclear
government, declined an but next week's gathering gence agencies need and Ratcliffe's interviews in whether he will. Trump told
invitation to attend. will be its first International deserve." which he defended the reporters Friday that "cer-
The official expressed skep- Conference for Democra- "However," he added, "I do White House, as well as his tainly she will be consid-
performance in the Mueller ered" for the acting direc-
not wish for a national se-
ticism about the sincerity of cy in Venezuela.q
curity and intelligence de- hearings, Trump grew con- tor position.
bate surrounding my con- vinced that the nomination For Coats' permanent re-
firmation, however untrue, battle would become a placement, Trump told re-
to become a purely politi- distraction - and was quick, porters that he has a list of
cal and partisan issue." as he often is, to blame the three people he's working
Ratcliffe would have re- media for treating his ad- on over the weekend, and
placed former intelligence ministration unfairly. "probably Monday I'll give
director Dan Coats, who The scuttled nomination you an answer."q