Trump hits Russia probe, Amazon in tweet barrage
President Trump launched a barrage of tweets on Monday morning, taking aim at a series of familiar targets ranging from the news media to Amazon to the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
In the string of tweets, Trump first targeted special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s election meddling, claiming that recently released documents related to a surveillance warrant on Carter Page, a former campaign adviser to Trump, proved that FBI officials acted improperly during the 2016 presidential race.
He called Mueller’s investigation “totally conflicted and discredited” and demanded the probe be brought to an end immediately.
{mosads}
“So we now find out that it was indeed the unverified and Fake Dirty Dossier, that was paid for by Crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC, that was knowingly & falsely submitted to FISA and which was responsible for starting the totally conflicted and discredited Mueller Witch Hunt!” Trump tweeted.
So we now find out that it was indeed the unverified and Fake Dirty Dossier, that was paid for by Crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC, that was knowingly & falsely submitted to FISA and which was responsible for starting the totally conflicted and discredited Mueller Witch Hunt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2018
But that was only the start of Trump’s attacks.
He also expressed outrage at the media coverage of his summit last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, insisting that he ceded no ground to Moscow during the talks and that getting along with the Russian leader is “a good thing.”
“When you hear the Fake News talking negatively about my meeting with President Putin, and all that I gave up, remember, I gave up NOTHING, we merely talked about future benefits for both countries,” he tweeted. “Also, we got along very well, which is a good thing, except for the Corrupt Media!”
When you hear the Fake News talking negatively about my meeting with President Putin, and all that I gave up, remember, I gave up NOTHING, we merely talked about future benefits for both countries. Also, we got along very well, which is a good thing, except for the Corrupt Media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2018
Trump faced a flurry of bipartisan criticism following the summit after suggesting during a joint news conference with Putin that he did not believe the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
The president later walked back those remarks, saying that he misspoke when he said that he saw no reason why Russia “would” interfere in U.S. affairs. Instead, he claimed he meant to say that he saw no reason why Moscow “wouldn’t” seek to meddle in American elections.
Trump’s ire on Monday then turned toward the media coverage of his efforts to negotiate an end to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. He boasted that Pyongyang had gone months without testing a ballistic missile or nuclear weapon, noting that he was “very happy” with how the efforts were going.
“A Rocket has not been launched by North Korea in 9 months,” Trump tweeted. “Likewise, no Nuclear Tests. Japan is happy, all of Asia is happy. But the Fake News is saying, without ever asking me (always anonymous sources), that I am angry because it is not going fast enough. Wrong, very happy!”
A Rocket has not been launched by North Korea in 9 months. Likewise, no Nuclear Tests. Japan is happy, all of Asia is happy. But the Fake News is saying, without ever asking me (always anonymous sources), that I am angry because it is not going fast enough. Wrong, very happy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2018
The tweet appeared to be in response to a Washington Post article published Sunday reporting that Trump has privately expressed frustration with the lack of progress on North Korea denuclearization.
Trump then turned to a frequent target, online retail giant Amazon, whose CEO, Jeff Bezos, owns the Post.
Trump called the newspaper an “expensive” lobbying tool for Amazon and accused the tech company of taking advantage of the U.S. Postal Service.
“The Amazon Washington Post has gone crazy against me ever since they lost the Internet Tax Case in the U.S. Supreme Court two months ago,” Trump tweeted. “Next up is the U.S. Post Office which they use, at a fraction of real cost, as their ‘delivery boy’ for a BIG percentage of their packages.”
“In my opinion the Washington Post is nothing more than an expensive (the paper loses a fortune) lobbyist for Amazon. Is it used as protection against antitrust claims which many feel should be brought?” he added.
The Amazon Washington Post has gone crazy against me ever since they lost the Internet Tax Case in the U.S. Supreme Court two months ago. Next up is the U.S. Post Office which they use, at a fraction of real cost, as their “delivery boy” for a BIG percentage of their packages….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2018
….In my opinion the Washington Post is nothing more than an expensive (the paper loses a fortune) lobbyist for Amazon. Is it used as protection against antitrust claims which many feel should be brought?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2018
Trump’s tweet referenced the decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., which the Supreme Court handed down last month. That ruling holds that online retailers can be forced to collect sales taxes even in states where they have no physical presence.
The president has previously accused Amazon of failing to collect sales taxes in certain states. In fact, the retail giant already collects taxes on items purchased directly from Amazon. And while third-party vendors aren’t required to collect those taxes, Amazon has backed legislation that would allow states to require online sellers to collect those taxes.
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