- Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations ...
...Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations with Putin that Trump went to great lengths to conceal
As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did not say whether it had reviewed these memos yet. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. […]
www.businessinsider.com.au
1 day ago · As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did ... - Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to ...
...
2 days ago · Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them. What was said between the two leaders is a great mystery, one that advisers to the current president say is imperative to find out. Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them.
By Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman 1 day ago
http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=sf
https://twitter.com/share?url=http:...er=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st
Few Trump-era mysteries are as intriguing as what the 45th president said to Vladimir Putin in at least a dozen rambling, off-the-cuff calls and meetings over four years. Understanding what was said between the two could help illuminate whether Trump ever revealed sensitive information or struck any deals with the Kremlin leader that could take the new administration by surprise.
© Susan Walsh/AP Photo Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019.
Now that President Joe Biden is in the White House, he can see for himself.
“They don’t need our approval to see those [records],” a former Trump White House official said, referring to the new Biden national security team. “Biden owns all the call materials. There is only one president at a time.”
The Biden White House did not comment on whether it had seen the content of the calls. But so far, at least, the National Security Council has not registered any complaints with their ability to access relevant call records from the previous administration.
“It is a national security priority to find out what Trump said to Putin” over his four years in office, said one former national security official who is close to the new president. “Some things, like what happened in some face-to-face meetings where no American translator or note-taker was present, may never be fully known. But I would be very surprised if the new national security team were not trying to access” the call records.
Trump closely guarded his private conversations with foreign leaders while in office, going as far as to have some hidden in the NSC’s top-secret codeword system to limit staffers’ and even cabinet members’ access and prevent leaks. Readouts of their calls would often come from the Kremlin first, or through Trump’s Twitter feed. But while the calls were not recorded, aides were typically still on the line and taking notes of what was said. The resulting loose transcripts are known as “memcons,” or memorandums of conversation.
Trump went to particularly great lengths to keep his in-person conversations with the Russian leader private, from confiscating his interpreter’s notes to forgoing American translators and notetakers altogether in their meetings. That desire for secrecy has extended even past his time in office. One former Trump official argued last week that records of Trump’s conversations with Putin, which often lasted an hour or more, should not be made available to his successor.
“There are certain things a president and his immediate staff should be able to hold privileged to do the work of government, without being subject to constant partisan gamesmanship,” said a second former Trump White House official.
Memcons, including Trump’s calls with Putin, are considered presidential records, and were not expunged before the 45th president left office, one former Trump White House official said. They were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration at the end of Trump’s term, as is customary.
“Of course we didn’t delete anything and they would be in NARA and accessible,” the official said.
Kel McClanahan, executive director of the law firm National Security Counselors, agreed as a legal matter: “The only person who can claim executive privilege anywhere is the sitting president,” he said. “So there is literally no situation, nor could there be, where a former president could keep a sitting president from seeing something.”
Trump’s interactions with Putin and other Russian officials were certainly far from the normally carefully choreographed talks between world leaders — Trump early on in his tenure went as far as to disclose classified information to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office.
But former senior Trump advisers said it was rare that Trump would say anything to the Russian leader that he had not already said publicly (or would simply blurt out later while complaining about “the Russia hoax”). Marina Gross, who interpreted many of Trump’s calls and meetings with Putin, told associates that listening to their conversations often felt like eavesdropping on two friends chatting in a bar, according to one former official.
Still, the shadow diplomatic campaigns that flourished during the Trump administration are also top of mind for the Biden team as it works to understand the often disjointed policies of the last four years. Trump’s ill-fated call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment, was also hidden in the NSC codeword system, as were Trump’s calls with the Saudi royal family.
“This is much bigger than just Russia and Putin,” said another former Trump administration official. “It’s a problem across the board for the new team — basically, trying to find out, what did [Trump] promise people left right and center?”
John Eisenberg, the former top lawyer on Trump’s NSC who was involved in placing the president’s calls in the top-secret server, will now be one of Trump’s representatives handling records requests from the Biden White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Biden NSC’s Russia review is being led in part by the council’s acting senior director for Russia and Central Asia, Eric Green, a veteran foreign service officer who for years specialized in Russia at the State Department. Green recently replaced Andrea Kendall-Taylor who left for personal reasons.
The Biden and Trump NSC staff consulted on a range of issues, including Russia, during the transition. And officials said it was generally thorough. In the days and weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s outgoing NSC staff turned over binders full of material — including intelligence reports, strategy documents and information about ongoing operations — to facilitate a smooth transition.
The incoming national security team likewise grilled their predecessors on the obligations and commitments the Trump administration had made to both allies and adversaries, including to Russia. Some Trump staffers — primarily detailees from other federal agencies — remained on the NSC after Jan. 20 for the sake of continuity of government and have been helpful in answering the new NSC’s questions.
“We really tried hard to do it well,” said the second former Trump official, who participated in the process.
continued
Biden Has Access to ALL Trump's Phone Calls to Putin.
- Thread starter surada
- Start date
Weird....Biden talked on the phone to the Chinese PM this week.....and he's hiding it from us.
- Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations ...
...
Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations with Putin that Trump went to great lengths to conceal
As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did not say whether it had reviewed these memos yet. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. […]
1 day ago · As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did ...- Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to ...
...
2 days ago · Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them. What was said between the two leaders is a great mystery, one that advisers to the current president say is imperative to find out.
By Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman 1 day ago
Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them.
https://twitter.com/share?url=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st&text=Trump+hid+his+calls+with+Putin.+Now,+Biden+has+access+to+them.&original_referer=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st
Few Trump-era mysteries are as intriguing as what the 45th president said to Vladimir Putin in at least a dozen rambling, off-the-cuff calls and meetings over four years. Understanding what was said between the two could help illuminate whether Trump ever revealed sensitive information or struck any deals with the Kremlin leader that could take the new administration by surprise.
© Susan Walsh/AP Photo Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019.
Now that President Joe Biden is in the White House, he can see for himself.
“They don’t need our approval to see those [records],” a former Trump White House official said, referring to the new Biden national security team. “Biden owns all the call materials. There is only one president at a time.”
The Biden White House did not comment on whether it had seen the content of the calls. But so far, at least, the National Security Council has not registered any complaints with their ability to access relevant call records from the previous administration.
“It is a national security priority to find out what Trump said to Putin” over his four years in office, said one former national security official who is close to the new president. “Some things, like what happened in some face-to-face meetings where no American translator or note-taker was present, may never be fully known. But I would be very surprised if the new national security team were not trying to access” the call records.
Trump closely guarded his private conversations with foreign leaders while in office, going as far as to have some hidden in the NSC’s top-secret codeword system to limit staffers’ and even cabinet members’ access and prevent leaks. Readouts of their calls would often come from the Kremlin first, or through Trump’s Twitter feed. But while the calls were not recorded, aides were typically still on the line and taking notes of what was said. The resulting loose transcripts are known as “memcons,” or memorandums of conversation.
Trump went to particularly great lengths to keep his in-person conversations with the Russian leader private, from confiscating his interpreter’s notes to forgoing American translators and notetakers altogether in their meetings. That desire for secrecy has extended even past his time in office. One former Trump official argued last week that records of Trump’s conversations with Putin, which often lasted an hour or more, should not be made available to his successor.
“There are certain things a president and his immediate staff should be able to hold privileged to do the work of government, without being subject to constant partisan gamesmanship,” said a second former Trump White House official.
Memcons, including Trump’s calls with Putin, are considered presidential records, and were not expunged before the 45th president left office, one former Trump White House official said. They were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration at the end of Trump’s term, as is customary.
“Of course we didn’t delete anything and they would be in NARA and accessible,” the official said.
Kel McClanahan, executive director of the law firm National Security Counselors, agreed as a legal matter: “The only person who can claim executive privilege anywhere is the sitting president,” he said. “So there is literally no situation, nor could there be, where a former president could keep a sitting president from seeing something.”
Trump’s interactions with Putin and other Russian officials were certainly far from the normally carefully choreographed talks between world leaders — Trump early on in his tenure went as far as to disclose classified information to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office.
But former senior Trump advisers said it was rare that Trump would say anything to the Russian leader that he had not already said publicly (or would simply blurt out later while complaining about “the Russia hoax”). Marina Gross, who interpreted many of Trump’s calls and meetings with Putin, told associates that listening to their conversations often felt like eavesdropping on two friends chatting in a bar, according to one former official.
Still, the shadow diplomatic campaigns that flourished during the Trump administration are also top of mind for the Biden team as it works to understand the often disjointed policies of the last four years. Trump’s ill-fated call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment, was also hidden in the NSC codeword system, as were Trump’s calls with the Saudi royal family.
“This is much bigger than just Russia and Putin,” said another former Trump administration official. “It’s a problem across the board for the new team — basically, trying to find out, what did [Trump] promise people left right and center?”
John Eisenberg, the former top lawyer on Trump’s NSC who was involved in placing the president’s calls in the top-secret server, will now be one of Trump’s representatives handling records requests from the Biden White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Biden NSC’s Russia review is being led in part by the council’s acting senior director for Russia and Central Asia, Eric Green, a veteran foreign service officer who for years specialized in Russia at the State Department. Green recently replaced Andrea Kendall-Taylor who left for personal reasons.
The Biden and Trump NSC staff consulted on a range of issues, including Russia, during the transition. And officials said it was generally thorough. In the days and weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s outgoing NSC staff turned over binders full of material — including intelligence reports, strategy documents and information about ongoing operations — to facilitate a smooth transition.
The incoming national security team likewise grilled their predecessors on the obligations and commitments the Trump administration had made to both allies and adversaries, including to Russia. Some Trump staffers — primarily detailees from other federal agencies — remained on the NSC after Jan. 20 for the sake of continuity of government and have been helpful in answering the new NSC’s questions.
“We really tried hard to do it well,” said the second former Trump official, who participated in the process.
continued
OK, impeach him again. LOL.
- Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations ...
...Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations with Putin that Trump went to great lengths to conceal
As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did not say whether it had reviewed these memos yet. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. […]
1 day ago · As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did ...- Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to ...
...
2 days ago · Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them. What was said between the two leaders is a great mystery, one that advisers to the current president say is imperative to find out.
By Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman 1 day ago
Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them.
https://twitter.com/share?url=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st&text=Trump+hid+his+calls+with+Putin.+Now,+Biden+has+access+to+them.&original_referer=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st
Few Trump-era mysteries are as intriguing as what the 45th president said to Vladimir Putin in at least a dozen rambling, off-the-cuff calls and meetings over four years. Understanding what was said between the two could help illuminate whether Trump ever revealed sensitive information or struck any deals with the Kremlin leader that could take the new administration by surprise.
© Susan Walsh/AP Photo Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019.
Now that President Joe Biden is in the White House, he can see for himself.
“They don’t need our approval to see those [records],” a former Trump White House official said, referring to the new Biden national security team. “Biden owns all the call materials. There is only one president at a time.”
The Biden White House did not comment on whether it had seen the content of the calls. But so far, at least, the National Security Council has not registered any complaints with their ability to access relevant call records from the previous administration.
“It is a national security priority to find out what Trump said to Putin” over his four years in office, said one former national security official who is close to the new president. “Some things, like what happened in some face-to-face meetings where no American translator or note-taker was present, may never be fully known. But I would be very surprised if the new national security team were not trying to access” the call records.
Trump closely guarded his private conversations with foreign leaders while in office, going as far as to have some hidden in the NSC’s top-secret codeword system to limit staffers’ and even cabinet members’ access and prevent leaks. Readouts of their calls would often come from the Kremlin first, or through Trump’s Twitter feed. But while the calls were not recorded, aides were typically still on the line and taking notes of what was said. The resulting loose transcripts are known as “memcons,” or memorandums of conversation.
Trump went to particularly great lengths to keep his in-person conversations with the Russian leader private, from confiscating his interpreter’s notes to forgoing American translators and notetakers altogether in their meetings. That desire for secrecy has extended even past his time in office. One former Trump official argued last week that records of Trump’s conversations with Putin, which often lasted an hour or more, should not be made available to his successor.
“There are certain things a president and his immediate staff should be able to hold privileged to do the work of government, without being subject to constant partisan gamesmanship,” said a second former Trump White House official.
Memcons, including Trump’s calls with Putin, are considered presidential records, and were not expunged before the 45th president left office, one former Trump White House official said. They were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration at the end of Trump’s term, as is customary.
“Of course we didn’t delete anything and they would be in NARA and accessible,” the official said.
Kel McClanahan, executive director of the law firm National Security Counselors, agreed as a legal matter: “The only person who can claim executive privilege anywhere is the sitting president,” he said. “So there is literally no situation, nor could there be, where a former president could keep a sitting president from seeing something.”
Trump’s interactions with Putin and other Russian officials were certainly far from the normally carefully choreographed talks between world leaders — Trump early on in his tenure went as far as to disclose classified information to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office.
But former senior Trump advisers said it was rare that Trump would say anything to the Russian leader that he had not already said publicly (or would simply blurt out later while complaining about “the Russia hoax”). Marina Gross, who interpreted many of Trump’s calls and meetings with Putin, told associates that listening to their conversations often felt like eavesdropping on two friends chatting in a bar, according to one former official.
Still, the shadow diplomatic campaigns that flourished during the Trump administration are also top of mind for the Biden team as it works to understand the often disjointed policies of the last four years. Trump’s ill-fated call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment, was also hidden in the NSC codeword system, as were Trump’s calls with the Saudi royal family.
“This is much bigger than just Russia and Putin,” said another former Trump administration official. “It’s a problem across the board for the new team — basically, trying to find out, what did [Trump] promise people left right and center?”
John Eisenberg, the former top lawyer on Trump’s NSC who was involved in placing the president’s calls in the top-secret server, will now be one of Trump’s representatives handling records requests from the Biden White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Biden NSC’s Russia review is being led in part by the council’s acting senior director for Russia and Central Asia, Eric Green, a veteran foreign service officer who for years specialized in Russia at the State Department. Green recently replaced Andrea Kendall-Taylor who left for personal reasons.
The Biden and Trump NSC staff consulted on a range of issues, including Russia, during the transition. And officials said it was generally thorough. In the days and weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s outgoing NSC staff turned over binders full of material — including intelligence reports, strategy documents and information about ongoing operations — to facilitate a smooth transition.
The incoming national security team likewise grilled their predecessors on the obligations and commitments the Trump administration had made to both allies and adversaries, including to Russia. Some Trump staffers — primarily detailees from other federal agencies — remained on the NSC after Jan. 20 for the sake of continuity of government and have been helpful in answering the new NSC’s questions.
“We really tried hard to do it well,” said the second former Trump official, who participated in the process.
continued
- Thread starter
- #6
Weird....Biden talked on the phone to the Chinese PM this week.....and he's hiding it from us.
- Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations ...
...Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations with Putin that Trump went to great lengths to conceal
As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did not say whether it had reviewed these memos yet. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. […]
1 day ago · As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did ...- Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to ...
...
2 days ago · Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them. What was said between the two leaders is a great mystery, one that advisers to the current president say is imperative to find out.
By Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman 1 day ago
Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them.
https://twitter.com/share?url=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st&text=Trump+hid+his+calls+with+Putin.+Now,+Biden+has+access+to+them.&original_referer=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st
Few Trump-era mysteries are as intriguing as what the 45th president said to Vladimir Putin in at least a dozen rambling, off-the-cuff calls and meetings over four years. Understanding what was said between the two could help illuminate whether Trump ever revealed sensitive information or struck any deals with the Kremlin leader that could take the new administration by surprise.
© Susan Walsh/AP Photo Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019.
Now that President Joe Biden is in the White House, he can see for himself.
“They don’t need our approval to see those [records],” a former Trump White House official said, referring to the new Biden national security team. “Biden owns all the call materials. There is only one president at a time.”
The Biden White House did not comment on whether it had seen the content of the calls. But so far, at least, the National Security Council has not registered any complaints with their ability to access relevant call records from the previous administration.
“It is a national security priority to find out what Trump said to Putin” over his four years in office, said one former national security official who is close to the new president. “Some things, like what happened in some face-to-face meetings where no American translator or note-taker was present, may never be fully known. But I would be very surprised if the new national security team were not trying to access” the call records.
Trump closely guarded his private conversations with foreign leaders while in office, going as far as to have some hidden in the NSC’s top-secret codeword system to limit staffers’ and even cabinet members’ access and prevent leaks. Readouts of their calls would often come from the Kremlin first, or through Trump’s Twitter feed. But while the calls were not recorded, aides were typically still on the line and taking notes of what was said. The resulting loose transcripts are known as “memcons,” or memorandums of conversation.
Trump went to particularly great lengths to keep his in-person conversations with the Russian leader private, from confiscating his interpreter’s notes to forgoing American translators and notetakers altogether in their meetings. That desire for secrecy has extended even past his time in office. One former Trump official argued last week that records of Trump’s conversations with Putin, which often lasted an hour or more, should not be made available to his successor.
“There are certain things a president and his immediate staff should be able to hold privileged to do the work of government, without being subject to constant partisan gamesmanship,” said a second former Trump White House official.
Memcons, including Trump’s calls with Putin, are considered presidential records, and were not expunged before the 45th president left office, one former Trump White House official said. They were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration at the end of Trump’s term, as is customary.
“Of course we didn’t delete anything and they would be in NARA and accessible,” the official said.
Kel McClanahan, executive director of the law firm National Security Counselors, agreed as a legal matter: “The only person who can claim executive privilege anywhere is the sitting president,” he said. “So there is literally no situation, nor could there be, where a former president could keep a sitting president from seeing something.”
Trump’s interactions with Putin and other Russian officials were certainly far from the normally carefully choreographed talks between world leaders — Trump early on in his tenure went as far as to disclose classified information to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office.
But former senior Trump advisers said it was rare that Trump would say anything to the Russian leader that he had not already said publicly (or would simply blurt out later while complaining about “the Russia hoax”). Marina Gross, who interpreted many of Trump’s calls and meetings with Putin, told associates that listening to their conversations often felt like eavesdropping on two friends chatting in a bar, according to one former official.
Still, the shadow diplomatic campaigns that flourished during the Trump administration are also top of mind for the Biden team as it works to understand the often disjointed policies of the last four years. Trump’s ill-fated call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment, was also hidden in the NSC codeword system, as were Trump’s calls with the Saudi royal family.
“This is much bigger than just Russia and Putin,” said another former Trump administration official. “It’s a problem across the board for the new team — basically, trying to find out, what did [Trump] promise people left right and center?”
John Eisenberg, the former top lawyer on Trump’s NSC who was involved in placing the president’s calls in the top-secret server, will now be one of Trump’s representatives handling records requests from the Biden White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Biden NSC’s Russia review is being led in part by the council’s acting senior director for Russia and Central Asia, Eric Green, a veteran foreign service officer who for years specialized in Russia at the State Department. Green recently replaced Andrea Kendall-Taylor who left for personal reasons.
The Biden and Trump NSC staff consulted on a range of issues, including Russia, during the transition. And officials said it was generally thorough. In the days and weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s outgoing NSC staff turned over binders full of material — including intelligence reports, strategy documents and information about ongoing operations — to facilitate a smooth transition.
The incoming national security team likewise grilled their predecessors on the obligations and commitments the Trump administration had made to both allies and adversaries, including to Russia. Some Trump staffers — primarily detailees from other federal agencies — remained on the NSC after Jan. 20 for the sake of continuity of government and have been helpful in answering the new NSC’s questions.
“We really tried hard to do it well,” said the second former Trump official, who participated in the process.
continued
Nope.. The transcript of the conversation is available.
Leo123
Diamond Member
- Aug 26, 2017
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Post it then.
Jimmy_Chitwood
Platinum Member
- Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations ...
...Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations with Putin that Trump went to great lengths to conceal
As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did not say whether it had reviewed these memos yet. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. […]
1 day ago · As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did ...- Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to ...
...
2 days ago · Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them. What was said between the two leaders is a great mystery, one that advisers to the current president say is imperative to find out.
By Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman 1 day ago
http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=sf
https://twitter.com/share?url=http:...er=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st
Few Trump-era mysteries are as intriguing as what the 45th president said to Vladimir Putin in at least a dozen rambling, off-the-cuff calls and meetings over four years. Understanding what was said between the two could help illuminate whether Trump ever revealed sensitive information or struck any deals with the Kremlin leader that could take the new administration by surprise.
© Susan Walsh/AP Photo Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019.
Now that President Joe Biden is in the White House, he can see for himself.
“They don’t need our approval to see those [records],” a former Trump White House official said, referring to the new Biden national security team. “Biden owns all the call materials. There is only one president at a time.”
The Biden White House did not comment on whether it had seen the content of the calls. But so far, at least, the National Security Council has not registered any complaints with their ability to access relevant call records from the previous administration.
“It is a national security priority to find out what Trump said to Putin” over his four years in office, said one former national security official who is close to the new president. “Some things, like what happened in some face-to-face meetings where no American translator or note-taker was present, may never be fully known. But I would be very surprised if the new national security team were not trying to access” the call records.
Trump closely guarded his private conversations with foreign leaders while in office, going as far as to have some hidden in the NSC’s top-secret codeword system to limit staffers’ and even cabinet members’ access and prevent leaks. Readouts of their calls would often come from the Kremlin first, or through Trump’s Twitter feed. But while the calls were not recorded, aides were typically still on the line and taking notes of what was said. The resulting loose transcripts are known as “memcons,” or memorandums of conversation.
Trump went to particularly great lengths to keep his in-person conversations with the Russian leader private, from confiscating his interpreter’s notes to forgoing American translators and notetakers altogether in their meetings. That desire for secrecy has extended even past his time in office. One former Trump official argued last week that records of Trump’s conversations with Putin, which often lasted an hour or more, should not be made available to his successor.
“There are certain things a president and his immediate staff should be able to hold privileged to do the work of government, without being subject to constant partisan gamesmanship,” said a second former Trump White House official.
Memcons, including Trump’s calls with Putin, are considered presidential records, and were not expunged before the 45th president left office, one former Trump White House official said. They were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration at the end of Trump’s term, as is customary.
“Of course we didn’t delete anything and they would be in NARA and accessible,” the official said.
Kel McClanahan, executive director of the law firm National Security Counselors, agreed as a legal matter: “The only person who can claim executive privilege anywhere is the sitting president,” he said. “So there is literally no situation, nor could there be, where a former president could keep a sitting president from seeing something.”
Trump’s interactions with Putin and other Russian officials were certainly far from the normally carefully choreographed talks between world leaders — Trump early on in his tenure went as far as to disclose classified information to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office.
But former senior Trump advisers said it was rare that Trump would say anything to the Russian leader that he had not already said publicly (or would simply blurt out later while complaining about “the Russia hoax”). Marina Gross, who interpreted many of Trump’s calls and meetings with Putin, told associates that listening to their conversations often felt like eavesdropping on two friends chatting in a bar, according to one former official.
Still, the shadow diplomatic campaigns that flourished during the Trump administration are also top of mind for the Biden team as it works to understand the often disjointed policies of the last four years. Trump’s ill-fated call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment, was also hidden in the NSC codeword system, as were Trump’s calls with the Saudi royal family.
“This is much bigger than just Russia and Putin,” said another former Trump administration official. “It’s a problem across the board for the new team — basically, trying to find out, what did [Trump] promise people left right and center?”
John Eisenberg, the former top lawyer on Trump’s NSC who was involved in placing the president’s calls in the top-secret server, will now be one of Trump’s representatives handling records requests from the Biden White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Biden NSC’s Russia review is being led in part by the council’s acting senior director for Russia and Central Asia, Eric Green, a veteran foreign service officer who for years specialized in Russia at the State Department. Green recently replaced Andrea Kendall-Taylor who left for personal reasons.
The Biden and Trump NSC staff consulted on a range of issues, including Russia, during the transition. And officials said it was generally thorough. In the days and weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s outgoing NSC staff turned over binders full of material — including intelligence reports, strategy documents and information about ongoing operations — to facilitate a smooth transition.
The incoming national security team likewise grilled their predecessors on the obligations and commitments the Trump administration had made to both allies and adversaries, including to Russia. Some Trump staffers — primarily detailees from other federal agencies — remained on the NSC after Jan. 20 for the sake of continuity of government and have been helpful in answering the new NSC’s questions.
“We really tried hard to do it well,” said the second former Trump official, who participated in the process.
continued
TDS / Trump OCD Driven Thread Number: 14, 319
Trending data shows an accelerating rate.
Sad really.
- Thread starter
- #9
Biden Holds 1st Call As President With China's Xi As Trade ...
'They're Going To Eat Our Lunch,' Biden Warns After Call With China's Xi
After a two-hour phone call with his Chinese counterpart, President Biden made his case for domestic investment in infrastructure, clean energy and other sectors.
www.npr.org
Excerpt:
"China-U.S. confrontation will definitely be a disaster for both countries and the world," Xi was quoted as saying. "The two countries should work together, meet each other half way... focus on cooperation, manage differences, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations."
Xi told Biden the two sides would have different views sometimes, but "the key is to respect each other, treat each other as equals, and properly manage and handle them in a constructive manner." He said Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang were internal matters, and the U.S. should "respect China's core interests and act cautiously."
WORLD
Timeline: The Unraveling Of U.S.-China Relations
Some merit in Trump approach
The Biden administration doesn't plan to reverse all of Trump's China policy, senior U.S. officials told reporters ahead of the leaders' call.
"We looked at what the Trump administration did over four years and found merit in the basic proposition of an intense strategic competition with China and the need for us to engage in that vigorously, systematically across every instrument of our government and every instrument of our power," one official said.
But Biden's team took issue with "the way in which the Trump administration went about that competition" particularly by eschewing traditional alliances and the traditional U.S. foreign policy focus on human rights and democracy.
- Jan 19, 2010
- 67,232
- 61,399
- 3,605
If I ever run for office I will run as a democrat...look how easy it is to manipulate the democrat voter....plus you have the media and entertainment sectors on your side to cover for your mistakes and crimes....
Uncensored2008
Libertarian Radical
I'd like to see Quid Pro's call with Putin.
No doubt much or most of Beijing Biden's responses were "yassa massa."
No doubt much or most of Beijing Biden's responses were "yassa massa."
Maybe Biden can learn some negotiation skills. This is fantastic. Thank you for posting.
- Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations ...
...Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations with Putin that Trump went to great lengths to conceal
As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did not say whether it had reviewed these memos yet. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. […]
1 day ago · As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did ...- Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to ...
...
2 days ago · Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them. What was said between the two leaders is a great mystery, one that advisers to the current president say is imperative to find out.
By Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman 1 day ago
Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them.
https://twitter.com/share?url=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st&text=Trump+hid+his+calls+with+Putin.+Now,+Biden+has+access+to+them.&original_referer=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st
Few Trump-era mysteries are as intriguing as what the 45th president said to Vladimir Putin in at least a dozen rambling, off-the-cuff calls and meetings over four years. Understanding what was said between the two could help illuminate whether Trump ever revealed sensitive information or struck any deals with the Kremlin leader that could take the new administration by surprise.
© Susan Walsh/AP Photo Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019.
Now that President Joe Biden is in the White House, he can see for himself.
“They don’t need our approval to see those [records],” a former Trump White House official said, referring to the new Biden national security team. “Biden owns all the call materials. There is only one president at a time.”
The Biden White House did not comment on whether it had seen the content of the calls. But so far, at least, the National Security Council has not registered any complaints with their ability to access relevant call records from the previous administration.
“It is a national security priority to find out what Trump said to Putin” over his four years in office, said one former national security official who is close to the new president. “Some things, like what happened in some face-to-face meetings where no American translator or note-taker was present, may never be fully known. But I would be very surprised if the new national security team were not trying to access” the call records.
Trump closely guarded his private conversations with foreign leaders while in office, going as far as to have some hidden in the NSC’s top-secret codeword system to limit staffers’ and even cabinet members’ access and prevent leaks. Readouts of their calls would often come from the Kremlin first, or through Trump’s Twitter feed. But while the calls were not recorded, aides were typically still on the line and taking notes of what was said. The resulting loose transcripts are known as “memcons,” or memorandums of conversation.
Trump went to particularly great lengths to keep his in-person conversations with the Russian leader private, from confiscating his interpreter’s notes to forgoing American translators and notetakers altogether in their meetings. That desire for secrecy has extended even past his time in office. One former Trump official argued last week that records of Trump’s conversations with Putin, which often lasted an hour or more, should not be made available to his successor.
“There are certain things a president and his immediate staff should be able to hold privileged to do the work of government, without being subject to constant partisan gamesmanship,” said a second former Trump White House official.
Memcons, including Trump’s calls with Putin, are considered presidential records, and were not expunged before the 45th president left office, one former Trump White House official said. They were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration at the end of Trump’s term, as is customary.
“Of course we didn’t delete anything and they would be in NARA and accessible,” the official said.
Kel McClanahan, executive director of the law firm National Security Counselors, agreed as a legal matter: “The only person who can claim executive privilege anywhere is the sitting president,” he said. “So there is literally no situation, nor could there be, where a former president could keep a sitting president from seeing something.”
Trump’s interactions with Putin and other Russian officials were certainly far from the normally carefully choreographed talks between world leaders — Trump early on in his tenure went as far as to disclose classified information to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office.
But former senior Trump advisers said it was rare that Trump would say anything to the Russian leader that he had not already said publicly (or would simply blurt out later while complaining about “the Russia hoax”). Marina Gross, who interpreted many of Trump’s calls and meetings with Putin, told associates that listening to their conversations often felt like eavesdropping on two friends chatting in a bar, according to one former official.
Still, the shadow diplomatic campaigns that flourished during the Trump administration are also top of mind for the Biden team as it works to understand the often disjointed policies of the last four years. Trump’s ill-fated call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment, was also hidden in the NSC codeword system, as were Trump’s calls with the Saudi royal family.
“This is much bigger than just Russia and Putin,” said another former Trump administration official. “It’s a problem across the board for the new team — basically, trying to find out, what did [Trump] promise people left right and center?”
John Eisenberg, the former top lawyer on Trump’s NSC who was involved in placing the president’s calls in the top-secret server, will now be one of Trump’s representatives handling records requests from the Biden White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Biden NSC’s Russia review is being led in part by the council’s acting senior director for Russia and Central Asia, Eric Green, a veteran foreign service officer who for years specialized in Russia at the State Department. Green recently replaced Andrea Kendall-Taylor who left for personal reasons.
The Biden and Trump NSC staff consulted on a range of issues, including Russia, during the transition. And officials said it was generally thorough. In the days and weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s outgoing NSC staff turned over binders full of material — including intelligence reports, strategy documents and information about ongoing operations — to facilitate a smooth transition.
The incoming national security team likewise grilled their predecessors on the obligations and commitments the Trump administration had made to both allies and adversaries, including to Russia. Some Trump staffers — primarily detailees from other federal agencies — remained on the NSC after Jan. 20 for the sake of continuity of government and have been helpful in answering the new NSC’s questions.
“We really tried hard to do it well,” said the second former Trump official, who participated in the process.
continued
Uncensored2008
Libertarian Radical
He is a Trumplican.
- Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations ...
...Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations with Putin that Trump went to great lengths to conceal
As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did not say whether it had reviewed these memos yet. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. […]
1 day ago · As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did ...- Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to ...
...
2 days ago · Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them. What was said between the two leaders is a great mystery, one that advisers to the current president say is imperative to find out.
By Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman 1 day ago
Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them.
https://twitter.com/share?url=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st&text=Trump+hid+his+calls+with+Putin.+Now,+Biden+has+access+to+them.&original_referer=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st
Few Trump-era mysteries are as intriguing as what the 45th president said to Vladimir Putin in at least a dozen rambling, off-the-cuff calls and meetings over four years. Understanding what was said between the two could help illuminate whether Trump ever revealed sensitive information or struck any deals with the Kremlin leader that could take the new administration by surprise.
© Susan Walsh/AP Photo Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019.
Now that President Joe Biden is in the White House, he can see for himself.
“They don’t need our approval to see those [records],” a former Trump White House official said, referring to the new Biden national security team. “Biden owns all the call materials. There is only one president at a time.”
The Biden White House did not comment on whether it had seen the content of the calls. But so far, at least, the National Security Council has not registered any complaints with their ability to access relevant call records from the previous administration.
“It is a national security priority to find out what Trump said to Putin” over his four years in office, said one former national security official who is close to the new president. “Some things, like what happened in some face-to-face meetings where no American translator or note-taker was present, may never be fully known. But I would be very surprised if the new national security team were not trying to access” the call records.
Trump closely guarded his private conversations with foreign leaders while in office, going as far as to have some hidden in the NSC’s top-secret codeword system to limit staffers’ and even cabinet members’ access and prevent leaks. Readouts of their calls would often come from the Kremlin first, or through Trump’s Twitter feed. But while the calls were not recorded, aides were typically still on the line and taking notes of what was said. The resulting loose transcripts are known as “memcons,” or memorandums of conversation.
Trump went to particularly great lengths to keep his in-person conversations with the Russian leader private, from confiscating his interpreter’s notes to forgoing American translators and notetakers altogether in their meetings. That desire for secrecy has extended even past his time in office. One former Trump official argued last week that records of Trump’s conversations with Putin, which often lasted an hour or more, should not be made available to his successor.
“There are certain things a president and his immediate staff should be able to hold privileged to do the work of government, without being subject to constant partisan gamesmanship,” said a second former Trump White House official.
Memcons, including Trump’s calls with Putin, are considered presidential records, and were not expunged before the 45th president left office, one former Trump White House official said. They were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration at the end of Trump’s term, as is customary.
“Of course we didn’t delete anything and they would be in NARA and accessible,” the official said.
Kel McClanahan, executive director of the law firm National Security Counselors, agreed as a legal matter: “The only person who can claim executive privilege anywhere is the sitting president,” he said. “So there is literally no situation, nor could there be, where a former president could keep a sitting president from seeing something.”
Trump’s interactions with Putin and other Russian officials were certainly far from the normally carefully choreographed talks between world leaders — Trump early on in his tenure went as far as to disclose classified information to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office.
But former senior Trump advisers said it was rare that Trump would say anything to the Russian leader that he had not already said publicly (or would simply blurt out later while complaining about “the Russia hoax”). Marina Gross, who interpreted many of Trump’s calls and meetings with Putin, told associates that listening to their conversations often felt like eavesdropping on two friends chatting in a bar, according to one former official.
Still, the shadow diplomatic campaigns that flourished during the Trump administration are also top of mind for the Biden team as it works to understand the often disjointed policies of the last four years. Trump’s ill-fated call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment, was also hidden in the NSC codeword system, as were Trump’s calls with the Saudi royal family.
“This is much bigger than just Russia and Putin,” said another former Trump administration official. “It’s a problem across the board for the new team — basically, trying to find out, what did [Trump] promise people left right and center?”
John Eisenberg, the former top lawyer on Trump’s NSC who was involved in placing the president’s calls in the top-secret server, will now be one of Trump’s representatives handling records requests from the Biden White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Biden NSC’s Russia review is being led in part by the council’s acting senior director for Russia and Central Asia, Eric Green, a veteran foreign service officer who for years specialized in Russia at the State Department. Green recently replaced Andrea Kendall-Taylor who left for personal reasons.
The Biden and Trump NSC staff consulted on a range of issues, including Russia, during the transition. And officials said it was generally thorough. In the days and weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s outgoing NSC staff turned over binders full of material — including intelligence reports, strategy documents and information about ongoing operations — to facilitate a smooth transition.
The incoming national security team likewise grilled their predecessors on the obligations and commitments the Trump administration had made to both allies and adversaries, including to Russia. Some Trump staffers — primarily detailees from other federal agencies — remained on the NSC after Jan. 20 for the sake of continuity of government and have been helpful in answering the new NSC’s questions.
“We really tried hard to do it well,” said the second former Trump official, who participated in the process.
continued
Well, let’s hear all the treasonous things President Trump said.
Why haven’t they been leaked yet?
.
.
Well?
Leo123
Diamond Member
- Aug 26, 2017
- 29,929
- 22,788
- 2,415
Does it bother you at all that Biden is taking advice from our Enemy, Xi? Just how unpatriotic and screwed up in the head are you anyway?
Biden Holds 1st Call As President With China's Xi As Trade ...
17 hours ago · Biden Holds 1st Call As President With China's Xi As Trade, Defense Issues Loom President Biden talked with his Chinese counterpart after announcing a new Pentagon task force on China-related matters.'They're Going To Eat Our Lunch,' Biden Warns After Call With China's Xi
After a two-hour phone call with his Chinese counterpart, President Biden made his case for domestic investment in infrastructure, clean energy and other sectors.
Excerpt:
"China-U.S. confrontation will definitely be a disaster for both countries and the world," Xi was quoted as saying. "The two countries should work together, meet each other half way... focus on cooperation, manage differences, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations."
Xi told Biden the two sides would have different views sometimes, but "the key is to respect each other, treat each other as equals, and properly manage and handle them in a constructive manner." He said Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang were internal matters, and the U.S. should "respect China's core interests and act cautiously."
WORLD
Timeline: The Unraveling Of U.S.-China Relations
Some merit in Trump approach
The Biden administration doesn't plan to reverse all of Trump's China policy, senior U.S. officials told reporters ahead of the leaders' call.
"We looked at what the Trump administration did over four years and found merit in the basic proposition of an intense strategic competition with China and the need for us to engage in that vigorously, systematically across every instrument of our government and every instrument of our power," one official said.
But Biden's team took issue with "the way in which the Trump administration went about that competition" particularly by eschewing traditional alliances and the traditional U.S. foreign policy focus on human rights and democracy.
Leo123
Diamond Member
- Aug 26, 2017
- 29,929
- 22,788
- 2,415
That question has been asked over and over and none of these rabid TDSers has been able to provide one quote that proves Trump instigated violence. These poor TDS fuckwads live in a DNC/MSM fantasy, la la land.
Leo123
Diamond Member
- Aug 26, 2017
- 29,929
- 22,788
- 2,415
Biden Holds 1st Call As President With China's Xi As Trade ...
'They're Going To Eat Our Lunch,' Biden Warns After Call With China's Xi
After a two-hour phone call with his Chinese counterpart, President Biden made his case for domestic investment in infrastructure, clean energy and other sectors.
Well....That's great but the thread is about Trump's calls to Putin and how Biden has access to them which I have already told you is a story based nothing but assumptions. BTW I already replied to this Biden/Xi call. You're just deflecting and obfuscating at this point.
Whodatsaywhodat.
Diamond Member
- Apr 28, 2020
- 6,816
- 6,972
- 1,938
Wow, funny I can't remember in all my years hearing the context of any other president in us history phone conversations with other leaders until Trump became president . Seems all the norms are off. Sure wish we could hear some of the conversations of the Kenyan that got his start with the weather underground leader Billy Ayers. One thing is for sure. Trump was right over his target of anti American Democrat scum , and they are making sure we never again have a president that looks out. For we the people .... the crimes committed against the 45th POTUS are unprecedented . If we had a fair justice system in this country these Democrat traitors would be in GITMO .
- Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations ...
...Biden now has access to all of the phone conversations with Putin that Trump went to great lengths to conceal
As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did not say whether it had reviewed these memos yet. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. […]
1 day ago · As president, Joe Biden now has access to notes from Donald Trump’s calls with Vladimir Putin. A former Trump official told Politico that Biden “owns” the notes. The Biden White House did ...- Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to ...
...
2 days ago · Trump hid his calls with Putin. Now, Biden has access to them. What was said between the two leaders is a great mystery, one that advisers to the current president say is imperative to find out.
By Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman 1 day ago
http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=sf
https://twitter.com/share?url=http:...er=http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1dxV3i?ocid=st
Few Trump-era mysteries are as intriguing as what the 45th president said to Vladimir Putin in at least a dozen rambling, off-the-cuff calls and meetings over four years. Understanding what was said between the two could help illuminate whether Trump ever revealed sensitive information or struck any deals with the Kremlin leader that could take the new administration by surprise.
© Susan Walsh/AP Photo Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019.
Now that President Joe Biden is in the White House, he can see for himself.
“They don’t need our approval to see those [records],” a former Trump White House official said, referring to the new Biden national security team. “Biden owns all the call materials. There is only one president at a time.”
The Biden White House did not comment on whether it had seen the content of the calls. But so far, at least, the National Security Council has not registered any complaints with their ability to access relevant call records from the previous administration.
“It is a national security priority to find out what Trump said to Putin” over his four years in office, said one former national security official who is close to the new president. “Some things, like what happened in some face-to-face meetings where no American translator or note-taker was present, may never be fully known. But I would be very surprised if the new national security team were not trying to access” the call records.
Trump closely guarded his private conversations with foreign leaders while in office, going as far as to have some hidden in the NSC’s top-secret codeword system to limit staffers’ and even cabinet members’ access and prevent leaks. Readouts of their calls would often come from the Kremlin first, or through Trump’s Twitter feed. But while the calls were not recorded, aides were typically still on the line and taking notes of what was said. The resulting loose transcripts are known as “memcons,” or memorandums of conversation.
Trump went to particularly great lengths to keep his in-person conversations with the Russian leader private, from confiscating his interpreter’s notes to forgoing American translators and notetakers altogether in their meetings. That desire for secrecy has extended even past his time in office. One former Trump official argued last week that records of Trump’s conversations with Putin, which often lasted an hour or more, should not be made available to his successor.
“There are certain things a president and his immediate staff should be able to hold privileged to do the work of government, without being subject to constant partisan gamesmanship,” said a second former Trump White House official.
Memcons, including Trump’s calls with Putin, are considered presidential records, and were not expunged before the 45th president left office, one former Trump White House official said. They were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration at the end of Trump’s term, as is customary.
“Of course we didn’t delete anything and they would be in NARA and accessible,” the official said.
Kel McClanahan, executive director of the law firm National Security Counselors, agreed as a legal matter: “The only person who can claim executive privilege anywhere is the sitting president,” he said. “So there is literally no situation, nor could there be, where a former president could keep a sitting president from seeing something.”
Trump’s interactions with Putin and other Russian officials were certainly far from the normally carefully choreographed talks between world leaders — Trump early on in his tenure went as far as to disclose classified information to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office.
But former senior Trump advisers said it was rare that Trump would say anything to the Russian leader that he had not already said publicly (or would simply blurt out later while complaining about “the Russia hoax”). Marina Gross, who interpreted many of Trump’s calls and meetings with Putin, told associates that listening to their conversations often felt like eavesdropping on two friends chatting in a bar, according to one former official.
Still, the shadow diplomatic campaigns that flourished during the Trump administration are also top of mind for the Biden team as it works to understand the often disjointed policies of the last four years. Trump’s ill-fated call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment, was also hidden in the NSC codeword system, as were Trump’s calls with the Saudi royal family.
“This is much bigger than just Russia and Putin,” said another former Trump administration official. “It’s a problem across the board for the new team — basically, trying to find out, what did [Trump] promise people left right and center?”
John Eisenberg, the former top lawyer on Trump’s NSC who was involved in placing the president’s calls in the top-secret server, will now be one of Trump’s representatives handling records requests from the Biden White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Biden NSC’s Russia review is being led in part by the council’s acting senior director for Russia and Central Asia, Eric Green, a veteran foreign service officer who for years specialized in Russia at the State Department. Green recently replaced Andrea Kendall-Taylor who left for personal reasons.
The Biden and Trump NSC staff consulted on a range of issues, including Russia, during the transition. And officials said it was generally thorough. In the days and weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s outgoing NSC staff turned over binders full of material — including intelligence reports, strategy documents and information about ongoing operations — to facilitate a smooth transition.
The incoming national security team likewise grilled their predecessors on the obligations and commitments the Trump administration had made to both allies and adversaries, including to Russia. Some Trump staffers — primarily detailees from other federal agencies — remained on the NSC after Jan. 20 for the sake of continuity of government and have been helpful in answering the new NSC’s questions.
“We really tried hard to do it well,” said the second former Trump official, who participated in the process.
continued
Similar threads
