April 26, 2017
By Anna Fifield
Seoul — The U.S. military (click here) started installing a controversial antimissile defense system in South Korea overnight Tuesday, triggering protests and sparking criticism that it was rushing to get the battery in place before the likely election of a president who opposes it.
The sudden and unannounced move came only six days after the U.S. military command in South Korea secured the land to deploy the system, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD.
Moon Jae-in, a liberal candidate who has a strong lead in polls ahead of a May 9 presidential election, has promised to review South Korea’s decision to host the antimissile battery.
If that is true and Trump is seeking to influence elections in South Korea, he beginning to sound like Russia. If there is any cooperation with Russia in influencing the South Korean elections the loop closes as to his involvement in sabotaging the 2016 elections. There is a motive.
The problem is that THAAD is viewed by China and Russia as aggression against them. It is looking more and more as though Trump is a Russian puppet to provide a reason to major nuclear war.
Nuclear engagement is Putin and not China. China only acts in defense of itself. The entire 'Nuclear North Korea' looks like a trap to me and Trump is falling right into it.
The problem is that THAAD is viewed by China and Russia as aggression against them. It is looking more and more as though Trump is a Russian puppet to provide a reason to major nuclear war.
Nuclear engagement is Putin and not China. China only acts in defense of itself. The entire 'Nuclear North Korea' looks like a trap to me and Trump is falling right into it.
“There’s a sense in Seoul that THAAD deployment has been rushed based on the timetable of South Korea’s presidential election rather than North Korea’s threats,” said John Delury, a professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul....
The comments alone by Congress tells me they are not voting on any type of action toward North Korea. Trump has already stated he is sending a US carrier fleet to the North Pacific. This is all optics and he plans to act alone. He considers North Korea a priority. He does not have the cooperation of China or Russia.
April 26, 2017
By Burgess Everett and Matthew Nussbaum
President Donald Trump spoke for a few minutes at the classified briefing, according to senators and aides. His comments, said an attendee, were “long at the 30,000 foot, short on the specifics.” Though the session was classified, everything said was already public, the person said.
“It’s a very serious situation. As I knew before I went there,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee. “I knew all about it. I didn’t hear anything new because I have been heavily briefed.”
Added Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.): “It’s good to get everyone together. I’m not sure I would have had it ... I knew what was discussed.”
The administration briefed House members afterward at the Capitol. No explicit explanation was given for why all 100 senators were hauled to the White House, though Trump's appearance was likely part of the reason. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) accepted an invitation from Trump to move the briefing from the Senate, where such briefings are typically held, to the White House, according to spokesmen for McConnell and the administration....
