TASS reports on "secret" Trump meeting with Russians

[gabosaurus]

Trump barred American media from a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at the White House, but didn't check to see if any Russian media were present. Which they were.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332907-report-white-house-furious-over-russian-state-photos-of-oval-office

http://i.imgur.com/TdHleKq.jpg

[jimnyc]

All the top Dems have been involved and seen everything from the intelligence community. EVERY one of them has concluded there are no connections. Then add on top of that, the Dems themselves have called for Comey's firing in the past.

The timing is ALL I see "bad" in any of this. I still see NOTHING whatsoever that forms any bad connection. This is just another time for Dems, or Trump haters, to pounce on something that isn't even there. Even one of the leading nutters, Feinstein, had just come out and stated she saw no evidence of any collusion at all.

[jimnyc]

Also...

---

Acting FBI Chief: ‘No Effort to Impede Our Investigation’; 'Broad Support' for Comey at FBI

(CNSNews.com) – At a jam-packed hearing of the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) asked Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe: “Has the dismissal of Mr. Comey in any way impeded, interrupted, stopped or negatively impacted any of the work, any investigations or any ongoing project at the Federal Bureau of Investigation?”

McCabe said no:

"As you know, Senator, the work of the men and women of the FBI continues despite any changes in circumstance, any decisions. So there has been no effort to impede our investigation to date. Quite simply put, Sir, you cannot stop the men and women of the FBI from doing the right thing, protecting the American people, and upholding the Constitution."

McCabe was talking about the FBI's ongoing investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign or Trump associates and Russian operatives.

He also told Congress that yes, the FBI does have enough resources to conduct the investigation.

Earlier, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the committee’s ranking member, asked McCabe, “Do you commit to informing this committee of any effort to interfere with the FBI’s ongoing investigation into links between Russia and the Trump campaign?”

“I absolutely do,” McCabe said.

Warner said McCabe's assurance is “critically important” in light of Trump’s decision to fire Comey.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) pointed to the White House explanation that the FBI rank and file no longer supported Comey. He asked McCabe if that was “accurate.”

Rest here - http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/acting-fbi-chief-there-has-been-no-effort-impede-our-investigation

[gabosaurus]

Sorry Jim, that is not what I intended this thread to be about. I was wondering about the protocol on allowing Russian media into meetings at the White House. Is this normal practice? Are Russian photographers normally cleared for entry into the Oval Office? You guys would know this better than I do.

[jimnyc]

Sorry Jim, that is not what I intended this thread to be about. I was wondering about the protocol on allowing Russian media into meetings at the White House. Is this normal practice? Are Russian photographers normally cleared for entry into the Oval Office? You guys would know this better than I do.

Yeah, my bad, a bunch of Russian subjects this week, and as of old, so I thought it was a bandwagon thread about any supposed connections between Trump and the Russians.

Maybe because it's Lavrov in there, that's what the outrage is about, and that US media wasn't inside. But as to whether it's "normal"? Hell, WTF do I know? I would say NO at my first thinking, but this is Trump we're talking about.

There are going to be a few million photographs taken of Trump and the white house/ oval office. I don't think allowing them in there is an issue, whether reporting or taking photos. The issue is Lavrov. But any connection to him would get the same result, whether he met him in a park or the toilet.

[gabosaurus]

My point was not the meeting itself. Every U.S. government has held secret meetings with our adversaries. They are usually secret for a reason. So why allow an acknowledged Russian photographer into the Oval Office? I know there are DP members with knowledge of security clearances. Who oversees these things?

[jimnyc]

My point was not the meeting itself. Every U.S. government has held secret meetings with our adversaries. They are usually secret for a reason. So why allow an acknowledged Russian photographer into the Oval Office? I know there are DP members with knowledge of security clearances. Who oversees these things?

What makes you think this was some super secret meeting? The fact that they came to the oval office, it wasn't very secret then. I would assume that any photographer had some sort of clearance. Does sound like they were duped into which 'agency' the guy worked for. Perhaps if they were worried about pictures, they shouldn't have allowed any at all. I don't have an issue with the meeting - but the decision at all to allow for photos, especially when other media was banned, was just a dumb idea. Sounds like Lavrov, or Russia, want to take the picture and probably use it for some sort or propaganda. So yeah, with that said, I agree - sounds to me like they should have kept this to Lavrov, any other ranking officials, and left it at that.

[aboutime]

Think about it. IF it was such a "SECRET" meeting. How would anyone even know about it? SECRET meetings take place all the time throughout government by Democrats, Republicans, and even Civilians. So..IF TRUMP really wanted to have a SECRET meeting with the Russians....WHY WOULD ANY OF US KNOW ABOUT IT???

[Elessar]

Sorry Jim, that is not what I intended this thread to be about. I was wondering about the protocol on allowing Russian media into meetings at the White House. Is this normal practice? Are Russian photographers normally cleared for entry into the Oval Office? You guys would know this better than I do.

The venue would need 'sanitized' and the individual escorted if it was indeed a classified
and secure space.

I am sure that there would have been a lot of scrutiny on the subjects involved, and if one was questionable
would have been disallowed inside.

The fact they have been photographed and it released does not seem as if
there was much of a 'secret' there.

[aboutime]

The venue would need 'sanitized' and the individual escorted if it was indeed a classified
and secure space.

I am sure that there would have been a lot of scrutiny on the subjects involved, and if one was questionable
would have been disallowed inside.

The fact they have been photographed and it released does not seem as if
there was much of a 'secret' there.


Elessar. I honestly do believe; most people who hate Trump, really think he's dumber than they are. From the MSM, to common folks who must always find fault, or a reason for a conspiracy theory to become THEIR FACTS.
The safest room in the WHITE HOUSE IS....the OVAL OFFICE.
Those who think, or are convinced SECURITY isn't the number one process in the W/H need to grow up, and learn to educate themselves with things other than TV shows, and Movies that entertain, scare, and help make people STUPID, or DUMB AS ROCKS.

[gabosaurus]

The fact they have been photographed and it released does not seem as if
there was much of a 'secret' there.

My doubt came from the fact that no American media was allowed because the meeting was a "matter of national security." The White House released no record of the meeting and no photographs. The only photos that came out were from TASS. To which the White House expressed considerable consternation.
This thread is not a matter of me "hating on Trump" or anything of that sort. I was genuinely puzzled how a member of the Russian media was allowed into a meeting that was closed to everyone else.

[Kathianne]

I don't get who is advising Trump, whomever it is should be fired.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/11/politics/oval-office-photos-donald-trump-russians/index.html


White House furious after being trolled with Russia Oval Office photosBy Jim Acosta (http://www.cnn.com/profiles/jim-acosta-profile), CNN


Updated 7:31 PM ET, Thu May 11, 2017

<cite class="el-editorial-source" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: &quot;CNN Condensed&quot;, CNN, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; font-feature-settings: 'kern' 1; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);">Washington (CNN)</cite>The White House did not anticipate that the Russian government would allow its state news agency to post photographs of an Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russia's ambassador to the US, a White House official said.

...

"They tricked us," an angry White House official said.


"That's the problem with the Russians -- they lie," the official added.


The Russians used the photos to troll the White House in its social media posts Wednesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry posted a photo of a smiling US President shaking hands with Lavrov on Twitter, adding strange and ironic optics to the questions already swirling around the White House over Comey's firing.

...

[Elessar]

I dunno. It would appear that the posted photo is more of a social engagement, and not a meeting per se.

No offense to the OP, but it does not seem to be of great concern at face value.

Had the actual 'sitting down and discussion' been photographed and released, I could see cause
for questioning it.

[Kathianne]

I dunno. It would appear that the posted photo is more of a social engagement, and not a meeting per se.

No offense to the OP, but it does not seem to be of great concern at face value.

Had the actual 'sitting down and discussion' been photographed and released, I could see cause
for questioning it.


I agree with you, which why it would behoove the administration not to react the way they did.

[pete311]

It's embarrassing that US media was rejected but Russian media was allowed and ended up posting photos. Even more concerning when the WH was surprised the Russians posted the photos. Total amateurs.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

It's embarrassing that US media was rejected but Russian media was allowed and ended up posting photos. Even more concerning when the WH was surprised the Russians posted the photos. Total amateurs.


It's embarrassing that US media was rejected but Russian media was allowed and ended up posting photos.

^^^^^ No it is not.. BECAUSE THE DAMN LIBERAL U.S. MEDIA IS OFTEN A BIGGER ENEMY OF THIS NATION THAN ARE WELL KNOWN OPPOSING FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS..


Even more concerning when the WH was surprised the Russians posted the photos. Total amateurs.

THEY LET THEM IN--THUS THEY WERE NOT SURPRISED..
Picture shown is a meet and greet-it portends nothing secret, sinister or amateurish.
Do us all a favor and perhaps pull that liberal stick from your anus and try to post a bit of truth instead of your usual leftist stupidity.-Tyr

[pete311]

^^^^^ No it is not.. BECAUSE THE DAMN LIBERAL U.S. MEDIA IS OFTEN A BIGGER ENEMY OF THIS NATION THAN ARE WELL KNOWN OPPOSING FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS..

THEY LET THEM IN--THUS THEY WERE NOT SURPRISED..
Picture shown is a meet and greet-it portends nothing secret, sinister or amateurish.
Do us all a favor and perhaps pull that liberal stick from your anus and try to post a bit of truth instead of your usual leftist stupidity.-Tyr

This is a conservative source you fuck head.

"According to some reports, the White House was outraged (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/white-house-official-on-russias-release-of-oval-office-photos-they-tricked-us/article/2622784) after Tass released the photos of Trump with Lavrov, and also with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, whose meeting with Trump had not been announced by the White House. Trump fired his then-national security adviser Mike Flynn for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Kislyak before the inauguration."They tricked us," an unnamed White House official told CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/11/politics/oval-office-photos-donald-trump-russians/index.html). "That's the problem with the Russians — they lie.""

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/russian-photographer-hits-back-over-white-house-photo-flap/article/2622848

[jimnyc]

What matter of national security was this about? What was the agenda, anyone know? I mean, I know they won't release specifics, but was it about terrorism in the states, in Syria? Did Russia release, or the photographer, anything "confidential"?

Outside of appearances, and stupidity and looking like asses when Russia prints a photo - where is the "fuck up" that someone had access to some information that they shouldn't have? I'm trying to separate the 2 - the stupidity - and the problem at hand.

[NightTrain]

What's the problem here? A Russian photographer AND a White House photographer both took pictures before the meeting.


Photos taken by a Russian state news media photographer were posted online shortly after of Wednesday's meeting in the Oval Office



The White House did not allow U.S. press into the room, but there was an official White House photographer present.



The White House has since released official photos of the meeting with Lavrov

So we've got 2 photographers, one Russian and one American, taking pictures before the meeting. None were allowed in the meeting.

Then as moonbats everywhere pretended to be outraged... somehow... the puzzled Russian photographer posted this :



"The photoshoot was usual, with the delegations exchanging handshakes, a verbal exchange, and then the meeting began. We worked for just a minute and that's all. I left the Oval Office and returned to the room where I was staying. When the meeting was over, we went to the Russian embassy for a news conference. And then we took off."

Sounds pretty nefarious. Lots of evildoing with those newfangled cameras before the meeting!


This is a conservative source you fuck head.

"According to some reports, the White House was outraged after Tass released the photos of Trump with Lavrov, and also with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, whose meeting with Trump had not been announced by the White House. Trump fired his then-national security adviser Mike Flynn for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Kislyak before the inauguration."They tricked us," an unnamed White House official told CNN. "That's the problem with the Russians — they lie."
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/russian-photographer-hits-back-over-white-house-photo-flap/article/2622848

"According to SOME reports, the White House was outraged..."

"They tricked us," an unnamed White House official told CNN. "That's the problem with the Russians — they lie."


Yes, indeedy. That's some Ace reporting right there.

Is there anything else CNN would like us to know? What's Soros' take on this? Did anyone get Maxine Waters' blessing prior? What about Schumer, was he consulted, too? These are the burning questions in my mind.

And why exactly is it nefarious for photographers to take pictures before a meeting occurs between heads of state?

[aboutime]

It's embarrassing that US media was rejected but Russian media was allowed and ended up posting photos. Even more concerning when the WH was surprised the Russians posted the photos. Total amateurs.


petey. Once again. You make us all wonder whether you even have a brain. You are so hooked on FAKE NEWS sources..whether they are conservative, or liberal. Your lack of knowledge, and common sense outweigh your attempts to sound the least bit intelligent.
There was NO embarrassment, except to those who WHINE, CRY, NEED SAFETY PINS, AND SAFE ZONES to deal with their Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Get some sleep, stop reminding yourself that CONSPIRACY theories are TRUE.

[Gunny]

I still think this is another one of those "thing" ... Gee, the President of the US is having a meeting with Russian envoys. Who'd have ever thunk THAT?:rolleyes: