Pool Reports of February 12, 2020

Pool Report #1 - Lunch Lid until 1:30 p.m.

Lunch Lid just called...enjoy!

Pool Report #2 — Moreno Arrival

Ecuadorean President Lenín Moreno and his wife Rocío González arrived at the South Portico at 2:29pm where they were greeted by POTUS and FLOTUS. POTUS said "great reputation" referring to Moreno.

Pool is now holding outside of Oval.

Pool Report #3 - POTUS on Roger Stone

Asked about his tweets, POTUS Denied his tweets on Roger Stone were political...

"They treated Roger Stone very badly..."

"no one even knows what he did...it's a disgrace...they ought to apologize to him"

Asked if he would pardon Stone:
"I don't want to say that yet..."

Said it was unfair that Stone was sentenced to 9-years "In the meantime Comey walks around making book deals."

Pool spray ongoing...notes from the top of meeting below >>

Pool was ushered into Oval Office at 2:42pm.

POTUS, sitting alongside Ecuadorian President Moreno, called Ecuador "One of the most beautiful countries in the world..."

Added: "we are working on trade deals... we're negotiating some very important pacts."

Moreno spoke, giving thanks to Trump, "both our people want to be governed with justice and equality."

Pool Report #4 Bernie, New Hampshire, Lesson learned

Ignored question on pulling Jesse Liu's nomination:

on New Hampshire results:
"i got more votes" than past incumbent presidents. Now we're off to some areas I like very much," Trump said of Nevada and South Carolina

Asked who he thought was Dem front runner, he said Bernie Sanders.

Asked why Sanders was surging:
"People like his message...but a lot of people don't like that particular message."

Asked what he learned from impeachment
"That the Democrats are crooked..."
took aim at NBC/MSNBC

POTUS on Ecuador: "Our relationship is very good"

Asked if he's willing to work on a trade deal with Ecuador, POTUS said:

"Yeah, sure..." Said they have good products. Touted USMCA as a model.

On speaking with Moreno about Venezuela:
"We'll take care of the Venezuelan people."

Pool Report #5 -- fuller quote on lesson learned from impeachment

Pool escorted out shortly after 3p.m after about 17 minutes in the Oval Office.

Asked what lessons he learned from impeachment Trump said: "That the Democrats are crooked. They got a lot of crooked things going. That they're vicious. That they shouldn't have brought impeachment..."

Pool Report 6 -- Follow-up feed on Roger Stone

On Roger Stone

Q from NBC's Peter Alexander: Isn't your tweet political interference?

"No, not at all. He was treated very badly. Nine years recommended by four people that perhaps they were Mueller people, prosecutors...I don't know what happen, they all hit the road pretty quickly."

Went on to rail against the Mueller investigation and James Comey.

"If you look at the Mueller investigation it was a scam…"

"Where's Comey?...What's happening to McCabe."

"What's happening to Lisa, and Peter Strozk…

"The fact is that Roger Stone was treated horribly and so were many other people, their lives were destroyed.

Twice cited this example: "a man leaks classified information, highly classified, they give him 2 months." POTUS was asked who he was referring to but did not respond.

Q from Reuters' Steve Holland: Are you considering a pardon?

"I don't want to say that yet but I tell you what, people were hurt viciously and badly by these corrupt people, and I want to thank...the Justice Department for seeing this horrible thing. I didn't speak to them by the way. Just so you understand. They saw the horribleness of a nine year sentence. You have murderers and drug addicts that don't get nine years. Nine years for doing something that no one can even define what he did. He put out a tweet."

"In the meantime Comey walks around making book deals."

Pool Report #7 -- Dinner Lid until 6 p.m.

Dinner lid just called until 6p.m.

Pool Report #8 — Departing WH

Pool vans loaded on this drizzly evening. Motorcade started rolling from WH to Trump International DC at 6:42pm

Pool Report 9 — Arrival/Pool Holding

Motorcade arrived at Trump International Hotel at 6:45pm. Pool is holding at the restaurant Elephant & Castle across the street.

Your pooler inquired earlier with Trump Campaign and RNC about details for tonight's fundraiser, but campaign said it's not a campaign or Trump Victory fundraiser.

Pool Report #11 — Back at WH

Motorcade arrived back at White House at after an uneventful ride at 10:22pm

Pool Report 12 — Lid

Travel/Photo lid was called upon our arrival to White House....

...and to all a good night.

Pool Report 13. - Post Lid details on tonight's event

From Deputy WH Press Sec Judd Deere:

Tonight President Donald J. Trump was a special guest at an event hosted by America First Action, a 527 organization not associated with any campaign or candidate.

Foreign pool report #1 - Ecuadorian President arrival and background

Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno arrived at the South Portico of the White House at around 2:25 pm, accompanied by his wife, Rocio Gonzalez.
President Trump and the First Lady were there to greet them.
"Great reputation", said Trump, pointing to Moreno.

They posed for pictures together before heading towards the Oval Office.
A note: Lenin Moreno uses a wheelchair to get around since 1998, when he became paraplegic after being shot in the back during a robbery. He has become an advocate for the disabled in his country.

Some background on President Moreno's visit:

This is the first visit to the White House by an Ecuadorian President in almost two decades. Exactly 17 years ago today, on February 12th, 2003, then-President Lucio Gutierrez met in the Oval Office with President George W. Bush.

The bilateral relationship soured after the leftist Rafael Correa came into power in Ecuador in 2007. Moreno was the Vice President under Correa, but as President he has rejected his predecessor's embrace of "21st century socialism" and opted for a more pragmatic foreign policy, including better relations with the US.

Moreno comes to Washington hoping to make progress towards some sort of a trade deal with the US, which is Ecuador's largest trading partner. He has pointed to the country's arrangement with the EU as a possible model.

He arrived in Washington yesterday and will return to Quito on Saturday, according to the Ecuadorian Embassy. Tomorrow, he plans to meet with members of the Senate and to participate in a conference at the Atlantic Council. On Friday, he will meet with the President of the World Bank and the OAS Secretary General.

His delegation includes the Foreign Minister, Jose Valencia; the Government Minister, Maria Paula Romo; the Economy Minister, Richard Martinez; and the Defense Minister, Oswaldo Jarrin, among others.

Foreign pool report #2 - Moreno at the Oval

President Moreno spoke in Spanish, through a translator, during the lengthy pool spray at the Oval, where he sat in his wheelchair in the place reserved for dignitaries next to President Trump.

He spoke very softly, so some quotes were hard to hear. But here are some parts I translated from the original Spanish:

He thanked President Trump for inviting him to the White House to talk about some "topics that are quite in the mutual" interest of both countries.

He thanked him for his "hospitality" and said that the "fraternity" between both countries is "longstanding"."We will talk about many topics, mainly those that are of mutual interest such as democracy, combating narcotics trafficking, combating organized crime" and the importance of trade and investment, he said.

Moreno also said that "Ecuador, after having gone through a very hard time in regards to international relations", has decided to "renew" ties with the international community, and the US in particular.

Also, a correction to my previous pool report: the last visit of an Ecuadorian President was on February 11th, 2003, not February 12th. Thanks to Alina Dieste of AFP for the heads up, and sorry for the mistake.