In a press conference at the White House yesterday, the official voice of the White House, Sean Spicer, announced an unexpected change to America’s international policy in regards to America’s relationship with Russia.
From the transcript:
…work with allies, including Russia, in committing to ensuring that there are places that are free from violence…
There’s some confusion over whether he said “Russia” or “Russian” but the general interpretation is that, either way, Spicer was calling Russia an ally. Yet, given that confusion, it’s verging on malpractice that not a single member of the press corps questioned Spicer on his statement nor asked him to clarify. Twitter certainly noticed but the MSM did not.
However, before going into the implications of Spicer’s statement, there was another puzzling event some three hours after Spicer’s press conference.
Just prior to 6pm EST, the Associated Press broke the news that a senior US official, “who wasn't authorized to speak publicly on intelligence matters and demanded anonymity”, explained how the US came to believe that Russia knew of Assad's chemical weapons attack in advance.
The official said that a drone operated by Russians was flying over a hospital as victims of the attack were rushing to get treatment. Hours after the drone left, a Russian-made fighter jet bombed the hospital in what American officials believe was an attempt to cover up the usage of chemical weapons.
The U.S. official said the presence of the surveillance drone over the hospital couldn't have been a coincidence, and that Russia must have known the chemical weapons attack was coming and that victims were seeking treatment.
A former White House correspondent, Tommy Christopher noted in Shareblue:
The revelation casts an especially poor light on the already-disturbing fact that Donald Trump immediately jumped to defend Russia in the wake of the attack.
Christopher then noted that, fast on heels of the AP report, came what he described as a “baffling” pool report:
From: Joseph, Cameron
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2017 6:06 PM
Subject: Pool report 5: Briefing made off-record
The White House had promised a background briefing on Russia. It was changed when it began to an off-the-record, un-reportable briefing. Michael Anton offered to answer any questions about what was discussed.
Cameron Joseph
Washington Bureau Chief
New York Daily News
Note the time on the email: 6:06pm, three hours after Spicer’s press conference but just minutes after the AP report. Christopher explains why he found the sudden change from background briefing to off-the-record (OTR) so baffling.
Background briefings are fairly common, off-the-record briefings less so, and canceling one or the other happens occasionally. But, as someone who worked as a White House reporter for seven years, beginning a briefing on background and changing it to an off-the-record is something I have never heard of.
...
Whatever the reason for the change, its occurrence, after yet another blow to Trump’s Syria airstrike mythology, hardly seems coincidental, but because the White House is forbidding journalists to report on it, we may never know.
Why is the White House forbidding reporters to speak or write about this background briefing? And does this relate to America’s political relationship with Russia?
That brings us back to Spicer calling Russia an ally. There are wide-ranging implications here, not least of which are those that may affect the Kremlingate investigations.
Just let this sink in.
It’s particularly notable that the White House has not made any correction to Sean Spicer’s press statements which leaves no other conclusion than that Spicer was accurately articulating White House policy.
The implications?
By changing America’s official stance on Russia from foe to ally, the White House is expediting the termination of all sanctions against Russia and supporting Russia publicly. We should know more about that by the end of the week, or the end of Tillerson’s Russia visit.
It is also facilitating a way to nullify charges of Russian collaboration because any communication with Russian businesses and the Russian government then becomes simply that: communication. Terms like collusion and sedition do not apply to allies.
It’s a very clever switch, something a sharp lawyer might come up with to stifle investigations, like those undertaken by congressional committees. We won’t know for some time if it does provide an excuse for these committees to back out of their investigations because Congress is on a two-week Easter break (followed by another week’s break, presumably to get over the two-week break).
Though it may stop one or both congressional probes, it won’t affect those being conducted by various Intelligence Agencies. Their investigations are based on American political stances and laws in effect prior to the election and immediately after it.
Nevertheless, it’s an extraordinary and very dangerous decision, and one which strongly suggests there’s panic in the White House. It also emphasizes the urgency for answers to these questions:
Why did no-one in the press corps question Spicer on this extraordinary assertion of Russia being an American ally?
What was the White House hiding when they suddenly changed a background briefing on Russia to an off-the-record briefing, thereby forbidding reporters to speak or write about it? (And why tell them anything they cannot write or speak about?)
How does this affect America’s standing with her traditional allies?
If the White House will not hesitate to go as far as bombing a foreign air base, move the Third Fleet closer to North Korea and make changes in international policy just to deflect attention from Kremlingate while making up with Putin, is there anything they won’t do? Is there any line they won’t cross to save themselves?
I sense fear and desperation, and neither is a good mindset for making decisions that affect the Republic and the world. Buckle up — this ride’s about to get even wilder.