Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Holds a Press Conference


Posted originally on CTH on August 12, 2025 | Sundance

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press conference from the Brady room of the White House.

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Kash Patel Sends John Solomon a Prior Whistleblower Report to Highlight on Sean Hannity


FBI Director Kash Patel sends John Solomon a declassified whistleblower report, showing how a prior House Intelligence Committee staffer blew the whistle on then HPSCI ranking member Adam Schiff, who was giving the staff instructions to leak fabricated intelligence reports on Trump-Russia to smear President Donald Trump in 2017 and 2018.

According to the release {SEE HERE}, the FBI eventually received and investigated the whistleblower claims; then in 2023, sent the information to the Merrick Garland/Lisa Monaco DOJ, who took no action because the claim was now beyond the statute of limitations.

Read those dates carefully, because what this report from Kash Patel and John Solomon actually outlines is something we have all been very frustrated with.

As Solomon now notes, … “The alleged leaks fall outside the statute of limitations for prosecution on most legal theories, but the revelations nevertheless come at a sensitive time for Schiff“..  At the time of the Whistleblower report, the information to the FBI and DOJ would have been evidence that could have prosecuted Adam Schiff.  However, now the information is limited to just providing I-told-you-so’s.

There are a couple of really frustrating aspects to this, and the pattern is transparently obvious.

The FBI and DOJ from 2017 to 2023, under both Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s administration, played the silo game of control of evidence.  They did nothing with the evidence until the statute of limitations had tolled, which then provides Main Justice with the justification for doing nothing.

In 2025, understanding the public is insanely frustrated with the lack of accountability, the pretending game is now deployed by the FBI under Kash Patel, through John Solomon, to the broadcast venue of Sean Hannity.  At the end of this clickbait circle-jerk is nothing.  Again, no accountability, but a bunch of controlled information operatives saying, “Well, let’s see what the DOJ does with this now.”

A pox on all their houses.

There is no doubt in my mind this is a clear example of why the DC system uses special counsels (Mueller, Durham, et al) purposefully to create “ongoing investigations” as capture nets for information/evidence control.

“It’s under investigation, and we don’t speak about ongoing investigations.”

In real time, from 2019 to 2020, I was providing this type of evidence from within the silo system to John Durham and Bill Aldenberg who were designated information managers.

In my naiveté’, as I initially opened these doors, I thought some form of accountability would be possible, because the evidence was direct, irrefutable and without denial.  However, once Aldenberg and Durham clearly said they could only act on evidence they ‘discovered’ themselves, and they could not act on evidence provided by “others” because that would make the “evidence political,” I quickly realized this was all going to amount to nothing.

Now, we are looking in hindsight at evidence from inside the system, provided to these investigators by participants inside the system, yet they also did nothing with it at the time it held value.

So, here’s the basic construct of how the DC game is played.

Evidence delivered from outside DC cannot be used by those who are charged with investigating corruption within DC. Evidence delivered from inside DC, goes into the system of “ongoing investigations” (special counsels) until its usefulness is exhausted by the clock-ticking.  If the risk of accountability remains, the special counsels are extended until that accountability clock has expired.

Once the accountability clock has expired, if another party comes along (Kash) and releases that evidence (Solomon), the value only exists insofar as it generates clickbait income (Just News), column inches and punditry talking points (Sean Hannity) for the DC proletariat.

The Patel’s, Bondi’s, Solomon’s and Hannity’s then play this game of pretend. Packaging the corruption evidence as accountability hopium and selling it to the addicted battered conservatives.

Insert vote. Pull lever. Get hopium pellet.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Who is continuing to buy this game?

FBI Director Kash Patel sends John Solomon a declassified whistleblower report, showing how a prior House Intelligence Committee staffer blew the whistle on then HPSCI ranking member Adam Schiff, who was giving the staff instructions to leak fabricated intelligence reports on Trump-Russia to smear President Donald Trump in 2017 and 2018.

According to the release {SEE HERE}, the FBI eventually received and investigated the whistleblower claims; then in 2023, sent the information to the Merrick Garland/Lisa Monaco DOJ, who took no action because the claim was now beyond the statute of limitations.

Read those dates carefully, because what this report from Kash Patel and John Solomon actually outlines is something we have all been very frustrated with.

As Solomon now notes, … “The alleged leaks fall outside the statute of limitations for prosecution on most legal theories, but the revelations nevertheless come at a sensitive time for Schiff“..  At the time of the Whistleblower report, the information to the FBI and DOJ would have been evidence that could have prosecuted Adam Schiff.  However, now the information is limited to just providing I-told-you-so’s.

There are a couple of really frustrating aspects to this, and the pattern is transparently obvious.

The FBI and DOJ from 2017 to 2023, under both Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s administration, played the silo game of control of evidence.  They did nothing with the evidence until the statute of limitations had tolled, which then provides Main Justice with the justification for doing nothing.

In 2025, understanding the public is insanely frustrated with the lack of accountability, the pretending game is now deployed by the FBI under Kash Patel, through John Solomon, to the broadcast venue of Sean Hannity.  At the end of this clickbait circle-jerk is nothing.  Again, no accountability, but a bunch of controlled information operatives saying, “Well, let’s see what the DOJ does with this now.”

A pox on all their houses.

There is no doubt in my mind this is a clear example of why the DC system uses special counsels (Mueller, Durham, et al) purposefully to create “ongoing investigations” as capture nets for information/evidence control.

“It’s under investigation, and we don’t speak about ongoing investigations.”

In real time, from 2019 to 2020, I was providing this type of evidence from within the silo system to John Durham and Bill Aldenberg who were designated information managers.

In my naiveté’, as I initially opened these doors, I thought some form of accountability would be possible, because the evidence was direct, irrefutable and without denial.  However, once Aldenberg and Durham clearly said they could only act on evidence they ‘discovered’ themselves, and they could not act on evidence provided by “others” because that would make the “evidence political,” I quickly realized this was all going to amount to nothing.

Now, we are looking in hindsight at evidence from inside the system, provided to these investigators by participants inside the system, yet they also did nothing with it at the time it held value.

So, here’s the basic construct of how the DC game is played.

Evidence delivered from outside DC cannot be used by those who are charged with investigating corruption within DC. Evidence delivered from inside DC, goes into the system of “ongoing investigations” (special counsels) until its usefulness is exhausted by the clock-ticking.  If the risk of accountability remains, the special counsels are extended until that accountability clock has expired.

Once the accountability clock has expired, if another party comes along (Kash) and releases that evidence (Solomon), the value only exists insofar as it generates clickbait income (Just News), column inches and punditry talking points (Sean Hannity) for the DC proletariat.

The Patel’s, Bondi’s, Solomon’s and Hannity’s then play this game of pretend. Packaging the corruption evidence as accountability hopium and selling it to the addicted battered conservatives.

Insert vote. Pull lever. Get hopium pellet.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Who is continuing to buy this game?

August 12, 2025 | Sundance

Consumer Inflation Remains Moderate, Below Expectations


Posted originally on CTH on August 12, 2025 | Sundance

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases the July inflation data today [RELEASE HERE].  Overall, inflation remains low and stable with a July outcome of 0.2 percent, 2.7 percent year over year.

The prices for highly consumable goods like food at home are declining, meanwhile the prices of long-term durable goods is ticking up.  Put another way, the prices of the stuff we export are lower, the prices of the imported durable goods are a little higher.  Put them together and the aggregate inflation is stable.  WATCH:

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We should anticipate these similar economic outcomes as the baseline tariffs and reciprocal tariff rates begin solidifying.  The largest portion of the tariff rates will be absorbed by the producers, the pass-through rate will be far less.

Additionally, highly consumable goods like food and energy products should remain stable with downward price pressure as the cost of production drops.

German Chancellor Merz Organizes Emergency EU Summit to Strategize How to Keep War Going if Putin/Trump Reach Peace Agreement


Posted originally on CTH on August 11, 2025 | Sundance

The intellectually honest political watcher knows that overall Ukraine represents the largest international money laundering operation to shift wealth from taxpayers to the politically connected institutions, since COVID-19.  The money is the motive to continue the conflict.

With President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin scheduled to meet in Alaska for a summit to negotiate a ceasefire, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz quickly organizes a meeting between EU leaders and the U.K to figure out how the keep the war going.

As the industrial capital of the EU, Germany has a lot at stake given the nature of their contracting economy. The EU military industrial complex is centered around the nation Merz represents. There are trillions at stake.

BERLIN — U.S. President Donald Trump will join European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an emergency virtual summit on Wednesday.

The call, organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, comes ahead of Friday’s summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine.

The virtual summit will focus on pressure options against Russia, questions about Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the sequencing of potential peace talks, a German government spokesperson told POLITICO.

Merz and other European leaders demand that Putin first agrees to a ceasefire before any peace talks or land swaps between Moscow and Kyiv can take place. They have also made clear that any potential territorial exchanges must be balanced and agreed with Kyiv, and that Ukraine should receive firm security guarantees to protect it against further aggression.

Three diplomats told POLITICO that Merz’s team had been in intensive discussions with other capitals in recent days to organize the virtual meeting. (read more)

President Trump Washington, DC, Press Conference – 10:00am Livestream


Posted originally on CTH on August 11, 2025 | Sundance

President Donald Trump is holding a press conference today to outline his approach to correcting the increased unlawful activity on the streets of Washington, DC, our nation’s capital.

“The Press Conference on Crime and ‘Beautification’ will be held tomorrow,” he posted on Truth Social, “at 10:00 A.M. EST, in the Press Briefing Room, and it will not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well maintained Capital.”

The announcement and press conference will begin at 10:00am EST, with livestream links below:

UPDATE: Video Added

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President Trump Gives Preview of Monday Announcement to Federalize DC Law Enforcement


Posted originally on CTH on August 10, 2025 | Sundance

President Trump continues to provide information about the White House announcement that will take place tomorrow at 10:00am ET.

TRUTH SOCIAL – “The Press Conference on Crime and “Beautification” will be held tomorrow, at 10:00 A.M. EST, in the Press Briefing Room, and it will not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well-maintained Capital.

We are not going to allow people to spend $3.1 Billion Dollars on fixing up a building, like the Federal Reserve, which could have been done in a far more elegant and time sensitive manner for $50 to $100 Million Dollars. The Renovation would have actually been better, and we would have saved $3 Billion Dollars, Traffic Jams, and never-ending Construction.

The Mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser, is a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive. The American Public is not going to put up with it any longer. Just like I took care of the Border, where you had ZERO Illegals coming across last month, from millions the year before, I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN!

Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again. Thank you for your attention to this matter — See you tomorrow at 10 A.M.!”

PREVIOUSLY:

“We’re having a News Conference tomorrow in the White House. I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before. The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.

It’s all going to happen very fast, just like the Border. We went from millions pouring in, to ZERO in the last few months. This will be easier — Be prepared! There will be no “MR. NICE GUY.” We want our Capital BACK. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” (source)

August 10, 2025 | Sundance

Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly Warns About Mamdani as NYC Mayor


Posted originally on CTH on August 10, 2025 | Sundance

Former New York City Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly, is warning about what will happen if Zohran Mamdani wins the mayor race in New York City.  However, at this point the Mamdani victory is almost assured.

Mamdani is supported by both the professional political left and the professional political right.  Essentially supported by establishment Democrats and establishment Republicans. Also, supported openly by the DNC and supported passively by the fundraising arm of the RNC.

Mamdani represents the opportunity for both parties to fundraise billions of dollars in support and opposition.  This is the UniParty at work.

Zohran Mamdani is essentially a shoo-in for Mayor. He hits a very unique niche spot, fulfilling the role needed for the left and the right. The left will promote the unaffordability of things and target the Gen-z audience for branding.  The DNC will do their social/econ experiments again and fundraise.

On the other side of the UniParty, the “conservatives” within the traditional GOPe will have their new foil. Conservatives will have the opportunity for thousands of hours of punditry, lots of column inches and, of course, fundraising.

An argument can be made that Andrew Cuomo, financed by those who construct political distractions, entered the NYC race to ensure a Mamdani victory. Republicans, Democrats, communists, leftists, controlled right media, Palestinian supporters and Israel-First strategists all prefer both a beacon and a foil to keep the coliseum crowd occupied.

Yeah, politics in the post-Obama era is about seeing the other hand in slow motion now, feeling that intuitive sense of history repeating, and noticing the same tripwires are being triggered.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

NEW YORK – Ex-NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly on Sunday warned it would be a “tragedy of major proportions” if city voters elect socialist mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, who is “totally unqualified” for the office.

Kelly — the longest-serving police commissioner in Big Apple history with stints under Democratic Mayors Mike Bloomberg and David Dinkins — said he is especially worried Mamdani will gut the Police Department while trying to usher in “a whole list of wacky things.”

“It’s a tragedy of major proportions if Mamdani is elected mayor of the greatest city in the world,” Kelly said on WABC 770 AM’s the “Cats Roundtable” program. (more)

The guy is straight from central casting for the UniParty.

A proud socialist, Muslim supporter of Hamas, progressive wealth spreader who hears and understands the voices of the Starbucks crowd.  A NYC version of Barry Soetero.  Professional Democrats and Republicans will benefit financially.

Sunday Talks – Vice President JD Vance Discusses Trump-Putin Summit and Russiagate Releases


Posted originally on CTH on August 10, 2025 | Sundance 

Vice President JD Vance appears on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo to discuss current geopolitical events around the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

In the second segment of the interview (11:00 point), Vice President Vance gives his opinion on the Russiagate documents. Vance notes that he supports indictments as the IC and Clinton campaign violated multiple laws. Vance then discusses the latest information about using tariffs as leverage for America-First policy.

Vance dodges the question about running for President with Marco Rubio in 2028 and notes the leaks about the administration officials meeting for a discussion on Epstein was ‘fake news’.  Then, in a remarkable moment, Vance begins to talk about Artificial Intelligence from the perspective of his worrying about “the surveillance state” and the “invasions of privacy” that come with AI. WATCH:

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Sunday Talks – NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, Discusses Upcoming Trump-Putin Summit


Posted originally on CTH on August 10, 2025 | Sundance

The ever-dramatic Margaret Brennan is in full pearl-clutching mode as she questions NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, about the upcoming meeting between horrible President Trump and even more horrible President Putin.  It is simply unfathomable to allow a U.S. President to create a strategic reset with a Russian President.

As Brennan acts out the role, she highlights how it is unimaginable, terrible, and just a no good bad thing. Horrid.

NATO Secretary Rutte is quite happy with the new funds flowing into the NATO alliance as organized by President Trump. Rutte sits atop a new cache of taxpayer funded treasure for the alliance to organize; from his perspective Trump is gold, and Brennan gnashes her teeth throughout.

Funnily, Brennan attempts to spin a Trump-Putin agreement for a ceasefire with Trump triggering World War III by getting the beginning of a peace deal over the finish line.  If Trump creates peace, the world will explode or something.  WATCH: 

Rutte missed the opportunity to ask Mrs Brennan if she can hear herself.  lol

[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who joins us from The Hague in the Netherlands. Welcome back to Face The Nation.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL MARK RUTTE: Margaret, it’s good to be back on the show. Good morning.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning. Well, Mr. Secretary General, big picture here; is Russia’s Vladimir Putin still a direct threat to the Western alliance, or is he showing some signs of dropping his aggression?

SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: He is still the main threat to the Western alliance, there’s no doubt. And I think it is very good that President Trump will test him, and we’ll see how far he can get on Friday, starting this process. He basically broke the deadlock, President Trump, in February, starting the dialogue with Putin. I think that was crucial. We had a great NATO Summit under his leadership, committing to 5% defense spending, so that there is a clear signal to our main threat, which is Russia, that we are serious. And then he opened the floodgates, three weeks ago, of American lethal weapons to be delivered into Ukraine, coordinated by NATO and, of course, the secondary sanctions. He started them with putting them on India, which is one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, that is certainly the groundwork being laid. The concern is, of course, as you know, among some critics, that in this conference room in Alaska, we’re going to see a 1938 moment. Where, in an attempt to immediately halt a war, the groundwork is laid for an even bigger conflict because of concessions that are made. Are you comfortable with Ukraine being excluded from these negotiations on Friday?

SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: What will happen on Friday is testing Putin by President Trump. And I commend him for the fact that he organized this meeting. I think it is important. And, obviously, when it comes to peace talks, the cease-fire and what happens after that on territories, on security guarantees for Ukraine, Ukraine will have to be, and will be, involved. But on Friday, it is important to see how serious Putin is. And the only one who can do that is President Trump. So, it’s really crucial that a meeting takes place. It will not be the final say on this. There will not be the final deal on this. Of course, Ukraine will have to be involved in Europe, but it is important to start the next phase of this process, putting pressure on the Russians exactly as President Trump has been doing over the last six months.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You’ve been on these calls with President Trump, and I know that he briefed you on what Envoy Witkoff discussed with Vladimir Putin this week. Can you tell us, is Russia still demanding that Ukraine drop its bid for NATO membership?

SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: Well, obviously, I cannot go into all the details, that would be strange. But let me assure you the following, that we are all on the same page; the Americans, the Europeans and Ukraine, that when it comes to the geo-strategic position of Ukraine in the future, when it comes to whatever is the size of the Ukrainian military when it comes to NATO’s posture on the eastern flank in countries like Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Poland, that Putin has absolutely no say on any of these issues.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you’ve said in the past there need to be strong security guarantees for Ukraine. Who is going to provide that if it’s not NATO?

SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: Obviously, this is a discussion which is going on for some months now. We all pray for the moment when the ceasefire is there, and hopefully a successful peace deal is done, but at least a ceasefire. And the Europeans, led by the French and the Brits and NATO, has been involved in those talks, but clearly led by Macron of France and Starmer, the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, in close cooperation with the US, are discussing, post-the-ceasefire, post-the-peace-deal, how do we make sure that the security guarantees are in place? And this will be important also post-next-Friday, if this would lead the Friday session to more serious peace talks, because when it comes to territory, it will always go hand in hand with the security guarantees for Ukraine.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, I understand that there were NATO representatives listening in that meeting with Vice President Vance and European national security advisors yesterday. NATO has been coordinating the delivery of weapons purchased by NATO members to help out Ukraine. About a billion in military aid, I understand, has been facilitated from the US to Ukraine. Are there plans that those weapons deliveries will continue, regardless of what happens on Friday?

SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: Absolutely, they will continue. So, we had the first two packages committed by the Dutch and then by the Scandinavians. I expect further announcements in the coming days and weeks. And this is crucial. Basically, President Trump, as I said, opening the floodgates of lethal military aid into Ukraine again. Paid by the Europeans and Canada, which I think is only logical and fair. And this process has started, of course, on top of what the Europeans are already doing, including investing in the defense industrial base in Ukraine. And, as you said, NATO is coordinating all of this through our commands in Wiesbaden, making sure that Ukraine has what it needs to stay in the fight and be in the best possible position when it comes to negotiations on a ceasefire, slash a peace deal.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And that’s not up for negotiation on Friday?

SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: My absolute conviction on Friday is that this is President Trump making sure that Putin is serious, and if he is not, then it will stop there. If he is serious, then from Friday onwards, the process will continue. Ukraine getting involved, the Europeans being involved. And the US is already coordinating, like you said, last night in London, with Foreign Minister Lammy of the United Kingdom, senior officials from NATO and European countries in the European Commission, with the Vice President, to make sure that we are all on the same page. Putin will never, ever be able to divide the alliance. The biggest foreign policy success of President Trump is the NATO Summit. A United NATO, a united alliance, and Putin will never get in between us.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we have to take President Trump at his word, and on Friday, when he spoke in front of the cameras, he said there will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both Ukraine and Russia. I mean, you know, Ukraine does not hold Russian land, and Russia has about 20% of Ukraine. What is he talking about?

SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: Clearly, what will be on the table when real peace talks, slash the ceasefire discussion, will take place is this issue of, on the one hand, security guarantees, on the other hand, how to deal with the factual situation that the Russians are holding, at this moment, Ukrainian territory. Crucially important here is that when it comes to this holding of Ukrainian territory, that there might be a factual situation that they are doing this, but that we can never accept that in a legal sense, in,, as this is called, a de jure sense, as you know, the US hosted embassies with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia between 1940 and 1991 acknowledging that the Soviet Union was controlling those territories, but never accepting, in a legal sense, in a de jure sense, that fact. So all these issues will be on the table, hopefully, post-Friday, if Putin is serious, and Putin then has to commit to sit down with Zelensky. He cannot do this through President Trump. In the end, it has to be, as President Trump has stated himself, a three-way conversation, at least, with the Europeans heavily involved.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, do I understand what you’re saying here correctly? When you are talking about legal recognition versus de facto, are you saying that, basically, the world is preparing to allow Russia to hold on to Crimea, the Donbas, the eastern part of Ukraine, but then just not legally recognize it?

SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: No. What I’m saying is that, in the end, the issue of the fact that the Russians are controlling, at this moment, factually, a part of Ukraine has to be on the table, that any discussion going forward from there will be with Ukrainians deciding on what they want to do in terms —

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, because that sounds like you’re saying they don’t have to withdraw their troops.

SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: Obviously, they have to, but factually, they are controlling a part of Ukraine at this moment, as you said. And as Ukrainians have said before, if a ceasefire discussion takes place as soon as possible, and hopefully negotiations on a peace deal, there will be the debate on how to take that forward, starting at the present line of contact. But it is crucial to know that when it comes to the future geopolitical situation of Ukraine, their sovereignty, there will be no infringement on that, and that it’s always Ukraine itself deciding on what they want to do or not want to do in terms of a peace deal.

MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, Secretary Rutte, thank you for your time.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

Sunday Talks – Ukrainian MP Slams ‘Nonsense’ Proposal To Swap Ukrainian Territory For Russian-Occupied Territory


Posted originally on CTH on August 10, 2025 | Sundance

According to CBS, President Trump is freezing out the CIA in advance of the meeting between himself and Vladimir Putin in Alaska next Friday.  The general auspices are that President Trump has instructed his intelligence team not to discuss the details of the meeting with the 5-eyes countries (U.K, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. CIA); however, the coded message is smartly for the administration to be careful with the CIA.

From this proactive move, we can infer that at least a few people around Trump (Witkoff, Rubio) understand how the USIC will work to throw a wrench in any geopolitical reset.  As the former Chair of the SSCI, Rubio holds a great deal of value in negotiating this issue.

The friction point becomes clear when you listen to Ukrainian MP Yehor Cherniev criticize a proposal to exchange Ukrainian territory that is currently occupied by Russian forces.  WATCH:

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