Page 9 - ARUBA TODAY

A9
WORLD NEWS Monday 13 noveMber 2017

Putin manipulating Trump with flattery, ex-director suggests

By JONATHAN LEMIRE and Trump defeat Democrat election-year hacking of
JILL COLVIN Hillary Clinton. Democrats that roiled the
Associated Press Former CIA director John White House race.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) Brennan, appearing Sun- A special counsel’s exami-
— A day after being criti- day on CNN’s “State of nation of potential collu-
cized by President Donald the Union” with former na- sion between Moscow and
Trump, a former CIA direc- tional intelligence director Trump campaign aides so
tor questioned whether James Clapper, said Trump far has led to indictments
Russian President Vladimir was deriding them in an at- against Trump’s former
Putin was manipulating tempt to “delegitimize” the campaign chairman and
Trump with flattery during intelligence community’s another top aide for crimes
the president’s lengthy trip assessment. unrelated to the cam-
to Asia. Trump’s trip was “I think Mr. Putin is very clev- paign, and a guilty plea
meant to be centered on er in terms of playing to Mr. from a Trump foreign policy
trade and North Korea, Trump’s interest in being adviser for lying to the FBI.
and on Monday, he will talk flattered. And also I think Multiple congressional
with Philippine President Mr. Trump is, for whatever committees are also inves- U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir
Rodrigo Duterte, who has reason, either intimidated tigating. Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in
overseen a bloody drug by Mr. Putin, afraid of what Trump told reporters trav- Danang, Vietnam, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017.
war that has featured ex- he could do or what might eling with him to Hanoi on Associated Press
trajudicial killings. But Trump come out as a result of Saturday that Putin had help the U.S. on North Ko- added a day to the sched-
remains dogged by things these investigations,” Bren- again vehemently denied rea, Syria and other issues. ule amid criticism that he
he has said, and not said, nan said. the allegations. The two In Hanoi on Sunday, Trump would have missed the final
about Russia. Clapper called the threat spoke during an econom- also pointed to sanctions summit.
He tried to have it both from Russia “manifest and ic conference in Danang, the U.S. has imposed on In addition to meeting with
ways Sunday on the is- obvious.” Vietnam. Trump danced Russia as punishment for Duterte, Trump is expected
sue of Russian interference “To try to paint it in any oth- around questions about election meddling. “They to attend the Association
in last year’s presidential er way is, I think, astounding whether he believed Putin were sanctioned at a very for Southeast Asian Nations
race, saying he believes and, in fact, poses a peril but stressed Putin’s denials. high level, and that took conference on Monday to
both the U.S. intelligence to this country,” he said on “Every time he sees me, he place very recently,” he urge allies to pressure North
agencies when they say CNN. says: ‘I didn’t do that.’ And said. “It’s now time to get Korea to give up its nuclear
Russia meddled and Putin’s Brennan said Trump’s am- I believe — I really believe back to healing a world weapons program. And he
sincerity in claiming that his biguity on Russia’s involve- — that when he tells me that is shattered and bro- is expected, in meetings
country did not. ment was “very, very worri- that, he means it,” Trump ken.” with other leaders, to push
“I believe that he feels that some from a national secu- said, arguing that it makes Trump was originally slated his agenda for bilateral,
he and Russia did not med- rity standpoint.” no sense for him to belabor to depart Manila for Wash- rather than multinational,
dle in the election,” Trump “I think he’s giving Putin a the issue when Russia could ington on Monday. He trade agreements.q
said in Hanoi, Vietnam. pass and I think it demon-
“As to whether I believe strates to Putin that Donald
it, I’m with our agencies,” Trump can be played by
Trump said. “As currently foreign leaders who are
led by fine people, I be- going to appeal to his ego
lieve very much in our intel- and play upon his securi-
ligence agencies.” ties,” Brennan said.
But just a day earlier, he Questions about whether
had lashed out at the for- Trump believes the as-
mer heads of the U.S. intelli- sessment about Russian
gence agencies, dismissing election-meddling have
them as “political hacks” trailed him since January,
and claiming there were when he said for the first
plenty of reasons to be sus- time, shortly before taking
picious of their findings that office, that he accepted
Russia meddled to help that Russia was behind the