Page 3 - aruba-today-20170603

A3
Does Trump believe in climate
change or not? Aides won’t say
By JILL COLVIN
JACK GILLUM
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Does he or doesn’t he? Believe
in climate change, that is.
You’d think that would be an easy enough question
the day after President Donald Trump announced
he was pulling the U.S. out of the landmark global
accord aimed at combatting global warming.
But don’t bother asking at the White House.
“I have not had an opportunity to have that discus-
sion” with the president, responded Press Secretary
Sean Spicer on Friday.
“You should ask him that,” offered White House
Counselor Kellyanne Conway.
Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt
dodged the question, too.
The president also ignored it during an unrelated bill-
signing.
It’s quite a reversal for Trump, who spent years pub-
licly bashing the idea of global warming as a “hoax”
and “total con job” in books, interviews and tweets.
He openly challenged the scientific consensus that
the climate is changing and man-made carbon
emissions are largely to blame.
“Global warming is an expensive hoax!” he tweeted
in 2014.
But Trump has been largely silent on the issue since
his election last fall. On Thursday, he made scarce
mention of it in his lengthy remarks announcing
America’s exit from the Paris accord. Instead, he
framed his decision as based on economics.
Here’s what he’s said before:
TRUMP’S TWEETS:
The president’s twitter feed once was filled with refer- campaign and Russia’s tion on the record because himself from any oversight
ences to “so-called” global warming being a “total
con job” based on “faulty science and manipulated
data.”
An Associated Press search of his twitter archives re- Trump campaign chair-
vealed at least 90 instances in which he has referred
to “global warming” and “climate change” since
2011. In nearly every instance, he expressed skepti-
cism or mockery.
“This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bulls--- has
got to stop,” he wrote in January 2014, spelling out
the vulgarity.
Often the president has pointed to cold weather as
evidence the climate scientists are wrong.
“It’s 46 (really cold) and snowing in New York on Me- Manafort, who was forced vestigating the Trump cam-
morial Day — tell the so-called “scientists” that we
want global warming right now!” he wrote in May
2013 — one of several instances in which he said that
warming would be welcome.
“Where the hell is global warming when you need
it?” he asked in January 2015.
The same message was echoed in the president’s
books.
In “Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America,”
Trump made a reference to “the mistaken belief that
global climate change is being caused by carbon
emissions.”
“If you don’t buy that — and I don’t — then what
we have is really just an expensive way of making
the tree-huggers feel good about themselves,” he
wrote.q
U.S. NEWS Saturday 3 June 2017
Special counsel’s probe includes Manafort case
By SADIE GURMAN date in his new role running sible in the first instance
ERIC TUCKER the sensational investiga- for determining what he
JEFF HORWITZ tion. The expansiveness of believes falls into that man-
Associated Press Mueller’s investigation was date.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The described to the AP. No Rosenstein told the AP that
special counsel investigat- one familiar with the matter if he were to become a
ing possible ties between has been willing to discuss subject of Mueller’s inves-
President Donald Trump’s the scope of his investiga- tigation, he would recuse
Then-FBI director Robert Mueller speaks during an interview at FBI headquarters, in Washington.
Muller, the special counsel investigating possible ties between President Donald Trump’s cam-
paign and Russia’s government has taken over a separate criminal probe involving former Trump
campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and may expand his inquiry to investigate the roles of the
attorney general and deputy attorney general in the firing of FBI Director James Comey, The As-
sociated Press has learned.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
government has taken it is just getting underway of Mueller. Under Justice
over a separate criminal and because revealing de- Department rules, Mueller is
probe involving former tails could complicate its required to seek permission
progress. from Rosenstein to inves-
man Paul Manafort, and In an interview separately tigate additional matters
may expand his inquiry to Friday with the AP, Depu- other than ones already
investigate the roles of the ty Attorney General Rod specified in the paperwork
attorney general and dep- Rosenstein acknowledged formally appointing Muel-
uty attorney general in the that Mueller could expand ler.
firing of FBI Director James his inquiry to include At- “I’ve talked with Director
Comey, The Associated torney General Jeff Ses- Mueller about this,” Rosen-
Press has learned. sions’ and Rosenstein’s stein said. “He’s going to
The Justice Department’s own roles in the decision make the appropriate
criminal investigation into to fire Comey, who was in-
decisions, and if anything
that I did winds up being
to resign as Trump cam- paign. Rosenstein, who ap- relevant to his investigation
paign chairman in August pointed Mueller as special then, as Director Mueller
amid questions over his counsel to take over the and I discussed, if there’s
business dealings years investigation, wrote the a need from me to recuse
ago in Ukraine, predated memorandum intended to I will.” Peter Carr, a spokes-
the 2016 election and the justify Trump’s decision to man for Mueller, declined
counterintelligence probe fire Comey. The AP asked to comment on the scope
that in July began inves- Rosenstein specifically of the investigation.
tigating possible collusion whether Mueller’s investi- Mueller, who spent 12 years
between Moscow and as- gation could expand to in- as FBI director and served
sociates of Trump. clude examining Sessions’ under Republican and
The move to consolidate role. “The order is pretty Democratic presidents,
the matters, involving al- clear,” Rosenstein respond- was appointed as special
legations of kleptocracy ed. “It gives him authority counsel following the May
of Ukrainian government for the investigation and 9 firing of Comey, who is
funds, indicates that Spe- anything arising out of that expected to testify for the
cial Counsel Robert Mueller investigation, and so Direc- first time next week before
is assuming a broad man- tor Mueller will be respon- the Senate.q