Pool Reports of January 6, 2020

In-town pool report #1

Good morning from the White House. President Trump is back from his two week stay in Florida, and I'll be your print pooler today. There are no events on the president's schedule currently open to the press, but I will advise if that changes.

Kellyanne Conway spent about 17 minutes taking questions from reporters in the briefing room this morning after a Fox News appearance. She addressed the latest developments in Iran and Iraq and fielded a few questions on impeachment. I will pass along relevant quotes shortly.

In town pool report #2: Kellyanne Conway gaggle

Transcript below from Kellyanne Conway's gaggle with reporters. Your pooler recommends monitoring CSPAN for video to check quotes.

Does POTUS favor a delay of the impeachment process to focus on Iran?

"It looks like Nancy Pelosi favors a delay in the impeachment process, because she hasn't bothered to send over the articles of impeachment from the House. Which is it? Is the president is an imminent threat to the republic, a clear and present danger who must be removed immediately? Or did she take a little mini sabbatical over the break and has decided when to send over the articles of impeachment?

"Why would he want to delay the trial? He knows the trial is going nowhere. He wants a full and fair trial, but that doesn't mean a lengthy one. Those articles of impeachment are very thin."

"They know their case is very weak. They know their case was very obtuse, was very weak, very specious, and she won’t send those over. So, delay a trial for what reason? I mean, let’s get on with it already."

Targeting cultural sites?

"Secretary Pompeo said yesterday that we will be within the law, and I think that Iran has many military, strategic military sites that you may cite are also cultural sites."

(She later clarified she was not saying Iran was camouflaging military targets within cultural sites.)

"So, I think the president's putting out the number 52 is significant for those numerologists in Iran who are listening to numbers. That's the number of hostages they took 40 years ago when — talk about a weak president — President Jimmy Carter. I wish him the best now, but he was a very weak president when it came to that. They took our hostages and they released them as soon as President Reagan took office, of course."

Cited commentary on the Soleimani strike from Jeh Johnson, Joe Lieberman and David Patraeus. "Those are significant voices and people who don't necessarily support the president and his party... They've said the president has been lawful and constitutional and strategic in what he’s done, and he’ll continue to."

Will POTUS declassify notification on attack?

She accused Sens. Schumer and Menendez of "chest thumping" with their letter this morning calling for POTUS to declassify the War Powers Act notification letter.

"They know that Congress will be briefed. It could start as recently as this week. But that's up to the Pentagon."

Why not declassify the intel and prove to Congress what the threat was from Soleimani?

"Prove to a Congress — you think that they’ll be satisfied? It sounds like they’re defending Soleimani and attacking this president, and that's on them. I'm a little tired of this hero worship of whoever the president has taken out."

"He's the commander in chief, and he did what a responsible, strong — not weak — commander in chief does when faced with the opportunity to take out one of the, if not the world's most wanted terrorist."

Will POTUS meet with members of Congress this week?

"It's possible, but he’s been talking to many of them over the course... but that's what he does. His door is open, his phone works."

"A lot of people just like to head straight to the cameras. Could you imagine telling the chairman of the Intel Committee, one Adam Schiff, that this was going to happen? Could you imagine? The man goes to bed with his earpiece and microphone on. So what would've happened?"

She suggested that if they invited Pelosi over for a briefing "she might leave in a fit," citing past meetings at the White House that ended abruptly.

Plans for White House to brief Congress this week on strategy moving forward?

"I know that they’ll be briefed in due course, and probably expeditiously. And they know that, too."

"Yes they will be briefed, but they also should calm down and celebrate, not denigrate, the fact that the world's greatest terrorist, who is single-handedly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans... they should celebrate not denigrate" that he was killed.

Does POTUS still believe it's possible to renegotiate a nuclear deal with Iran?

"He said he's open to meet. If Iran wants to start behaving like a normal country... sure. Absolutely."

How do you square that Pompeo and POTUS seem to be saying two different things on targeting cultural sites?

“They’re not.”

She went on to accuse reporters of “speaking in hypotheticals” when asked about whether the president is targeting cultural sites.

"He didn't say he's targeting cultural sites. He said that he was openly asking the question why in the world they're allowed to maim people, put out roadside bombs, kill our people, torture our people... he said that they identified 52 sites."

She later added: "And let me just clarify, the president has identified those dories and said it may happen if Iran retaliates in a certain way."

Anything in the works to declassify and make public information on the threat Soliemani had posed to US forces?

"It's possible. Well, are we going to do that or do we have to rush to Congress first? So, it’s possible."

In town pool report #3: Info on credentialing ceremony

The White House passes along the following information on today's credentialing ceremony, which remained closed to the press:

The President recognized Ambassadors today at a Diplomatic Credentialing Ceremony in the Oval Office. The following individuals were recognized: His Excellency Isilio Antonio De Fatima Coelho Da Silva, Ambassador of the Republic of Timor-Leste
His Excellency Lee Soo Hyuck, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea
His Excellency Thani Thongphakdi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand
His Excellency Martin Weiss, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria
His Excellency Volodymyr Yelchenko, Ambassador of Ukraine
His Excellency Mansour Kane, Ambassador of the Republic of Senegal

In town pool report #4: Lunch lid

White House called a lunch lid until 1:45 p.m.

In town pool report #5: POTUS calls into Limbaugh

President Trump called into Rush Limbaugh’s radio show this afternoon for about 20 minutes. The president addressed developments in Iran, railed against Democrats and impeachment and said he had dinner recently with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Your pooler missed the very beginning of the president’s comments, but here are some highlights:

On Soleimani:

The president was asked about the recent developments in Iran, and he defended the decision to target Gen. Soleimani. He said Soleimani should have been taken out years ago.

On Democrats:

He accused Democrats of being "anti-Israel" and of supporting "open borders" and sanctuary cities. "They don't want a strong military," he said.

"I think they've lost their minds, you want to know the truth," Trump said. "You look at the impeachment hoax, and they have nothing. They have nothing."

On Pelosi holding onto articles of impeachment:

"I think what they’re trying to do is affect the election illegally," Trump said. "They are a joke. They are not crimes. There is nothing there. They found nothing. We went through two years of a Mueller report…"

“I think I’m more frustrated by it than you are, Limbaugh interjected.

“It’s so sad for our country. I mean think of it, Trump said. “Our country is doing so good. But I have to spend, and my team has to spend time on this stuff. They found nothing.”

"[Pelosi] doesn’t want to get a vote because how could anybody possibly—it’s totally fraudulent. This is not what they had in mind,” he said, referring to the founders.On GOP unity:Trump complimented House Republicans on their unanimous vote opposing both articles of impeachment.I think the Senate will be the same way, because the senate knows it’s a hoax, Trump said.

On GOP unity:

Trump complimented House Republicans on their unanimous vote opposing both articles of impeachment.

"I think the Senate will be the same way, because the senate knows it’s a hoax," Trump said.

"I just think it’s a party of common sense. I’m conservative, but I think it’s common sense," he said. "It was like what we did two days ago with this horrible terrorist. He was a terrorist... Now the Democrats are trying to make him sound like he’s this wonderful human being."

On the media:

"You look at what they write, it’s so fake. It’s so phony, and now they’re trying to build [Soleimani], just like they did al-Baghdadi."

"That story disappeared very quickly, as you know. But they tried to build him up into a relatively wonderful man. He was a total bad guy."

The president credited Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin for getting the word out to his supporters.

On social media:

"Without Twitter I think we’d be lost. We wouldn't be able to get the truth out.”

"I wish I didn’t have to do it. I wish we had legitimate newspapers and legitimate media. We don’t. I call it corrupt. It’s the corrupt media.

"I don’t mind a bad story if it’s right, but I know. A person reading the story doesn't know if it’s false. So I’m able to tell them through social media. I don’t even call it Twitter, I call it social media."

Trump noted he’s up to nearly 70 million followers on Twitter.

The president said he had dinner the other day with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, though he did not specify the exact timing. He said Zuckerberg congratulated him for being "No. 1 on Facebook."

The president was interrupted at one point by a commercial break, which included Rush Limbaugh reading an advertisement for CBD products.

In town pool report #6: Lid

White House called a travel/photo lid at 5:12 p.m. Enjoy the rest of your evening.

In town pool report #7: Modi readout

The White House passed along the following readout of President Trump’s call with the prime minister of India:

Today, President Donald J. Trump spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to exchange New Year’s greetings. The leaders discussed ways to further strengthen the United States-India strategic partnership in 2020, and they also reviewed the regional security matters.

In town pool report #8: Morrison readout

The White House passed along the following readout of the president’s call with the prime minister of Australia:

Today, President Donald J. Trump spoke with Prime Minister Scott Morrison to address the recent bushfires in Australia. The President expressed deep concern for those affected and condolences for the firefighters and others who lost their lives. President Trump offered United States support to assist the Australian government as it battles these terrible fires.