Pool Reports of January 7, 2020

pool report #1/statement on Puerto Rico earthquakes

From Judd Deere:

The President has been briefed on the earthquakes that Puerto Rico has experienced over the past month, including the earthquake early this morning. Administration officials, including FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor, have been in touch with the Governor and her team today, and we will continue to monitor the effects and coordinate with Puerto Rico officials.

pool report #2/lunch lid

Lunch lid until 1 p.m.

The sky is now overcast. The Office of Personnel Management has dismissed federal workers in the D.C. area at 1 p.m. due to snow expected in the region this afternoon. The Greek prime minister is scheduled to arrive after 2 p.m., and the pool will brave the weather to be there.

pool report #3/awaiting arrival of Greek PM

Pool is assembled on the South Lawn awaiting the arrival of the prime minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and his wife, Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, a former Deutsche Bank executive and entrepreneur. They met as students at Harvard Business School, where both earned MBAs. The PM also has his AB from Harvard, plus a masters from Stanford, so we can safely assume no translator will be needed.

There is no sign of snow. Just a steady cold rain. Many umbrellas in the pool area. Military honor guard lining the driveway and two uniformed personnel flanking the red carpet are stoic in the wet chill.

pool report #4/Greek prime minister arrives

POTUS strode from the Oval at 2:06 and emerged with FLOTUS on the red carpet at 2:09.

The SUV carrying Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife, Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, pulled to a stop a moment later.

The two couples posed for photos after the car drove off, under umbrellas. The rain is still cold and steady.

The leaders will walk the Colonnade before meeting in the Oval Office.

pool report #5/Oval

The president and Greek PM walked the Colonnade followed by their wives. The four stopped for photos. Greek PM's wife remarked sympathetically of the pool: "They're all getting so wet."

Pool, dripping a bit, entered the Oval Office at 2:19.

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was seated to the right of President Trump. They are each flanked by their wives.

PM calls Greece "a reliable and predictable ally in a complicated part of the world."

Q1:what evidence did you have for killing Iran general. "No 1 knew his past.

His past was horrible."

"We did ourselves and a lot of countries a big favor."

Pompeo talking too.

More tk

Pool report #6/Oval remarks

"In our case it was retaliation...He was a monster. And he's no longer a monster. He's dead."

"We are totally prepared" for any Iranian attack and to attack in response to any attack. Repeatedly cast the killing of the general as retaliatory.

Asked about F35s Trump says we'll be negotiating. PM chimes in reiterating Greek interest.

Q Iran wants US out of Iraq did your action play into their agenda

A. " At some point we want to get out but this isnt the right point." Says US would want to be reimbursed for cost of US embassy in Baghdad and other costs related to fighting ISIS.

"It's the worst thing that could happen to Iraq " for US to pull out now.

Separate issue

Greek PM says Turkey's deal to put troops in Libya is "provocative."

Pompeo calls the translated letter a "mistake"

Impeach "hoax"

More tk

Pool report #7/more Oval

More of the usual "witch hunt" stuff on impeachment.

Q are you OK with John Bolton testifying?

"It'll be up to the Senate. He would know nothing about what we're talking about" because Ukraine president has said no pressure whatsoever.

Kellyanne against the wall beneath Ben Franklin portrait. Near the door to the Rose Garden, Stephanie Grisham and Jared Kushner. Robert O'Brien on the sofa to left of Pompeo, who was next to FLOTUS.

Press ushered out at 2:39.

More quotes to follow.

pool report #7a/expanded quote on Bolton

Q: "Will you be OK if John Bolton testifies? He indicated yesterday that he would if he is subpoenaed."

Trump: "That's going to be up to the lawyers. It'll be up to the Senate, and we'll see how they feel. He would know nothing about what we're talking about, because as you know the Ukrainian government came out with a very strong statement no pressure no anything and this from the boss. That's from the President of Ukraine. The Foreign Minister came out with a statement that was equally as strong."

No change in meaning from the original, just adds some missing words. From pool report #7:

Q are you OK with John Bolton testifying?

"It'll be up to the Senate. He would know nothing about what we're talking about" because Ukraine president has said no pressure whatsoever.

pool report #7b/expanded Ukraine quote re aid sent ""ahead of schedule"""

This is a yet more expanded version of the president's comments on Ukraine, including the part where he asserted that military aid that had been frozen was ultimately delivered "two or three weeks ahead of schedule."

Q: "Will you be OK if John Bolton testifies? He indicated yesterday that he would if he is subpoenaed."

Trump: "That's going to be up to the lawyers. It'll be up to the Senate, and we'll see how they feel. He would know nothing about what we're talking about, because as you know the Ukrainian government came out with a very strong statement no pressure no anything and this from the boss. That's from the President of Ukraine. The Foreign Minister came out with a statement that was equally as strong. And frankly, if you look at it and you look at everything, all they have to do is read the transcripts. Take a look, not just at one, you take a look at two transcripts. They were absolutely perfect. There was absolutely nothing done wrong. There was no false statement, and it's crazy that it's gotten to a point where you -- look, Ukraine, the President of Ukraine said there was no pressure whatsoever. There was no pressure on his country whatsoever. And by the way, in terms of the money, it got there two or three weeks ahead of schedule, long before it was supposed to be there. There was

absolutely nothing done wrong."

Also, as pool was heading out of the Oval, Fox's John Roberts asked about the prosecution's recommendation of 6 months in prison for former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. POTUS said he was learning about it from the question and had nothing of substance to say on it.

pool report #8/More saber rattling on Iran

Asked if he has backed away from the threat to destroy Iranian cultural sites:

"They're allowed to kill our people, they're allowed to maim our people. They're allowed to blow up everything that we have and there's nothing that stops them. And we are, according to various laws, supposed to be very careful with their cultural heritage. And you know what, if that's what the law is, I like to obey the law. But think of it: They kill our people, they blow up our people and then we have to be very gentle with their cultural institutions. But I'm OK with it. It's OK with me. I will say this, if Iran does anything that they shouldn't be doing, they're going to be suffering the consequences and very strongly."

Asked what evidence he had to justify the killing of the Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani:

"Well, number one, I knew the past. His past was horrible. He was a terrorist. He was so designated by President Obama, as you know, and he wasn't even supposed to be outside of his own country … He had an attack recently that he was in charge of where we had people horribly wounded. One dead. In fact, the number now as of this morning I believe is two dead. And that was his. He was traveling with the head of Hezbollah. They weren't there to discuss a vacation. They weren't there to go to a nice resort in Baghdad. They were there to discuss their business. And we saved a lot of lives by terminating his life, a lot of lives were saved. They were planning something and you're going to be hearing about it or at least various people in Congress are going to be hearing about it tomorrow."

"Look at what he was planning... Right now it's classified."

Casting the Soleimani killing as both retaliation and preventative, Trump also jabbed at Democratic presidential candidates: "Ours was an attack based on what they did. We weren't the first one out. He killed an American. Now two people are dead from the same attack and some people very badly wounded. And that was one of his smaller endeavors. You look over his past --he's been called a monster. And he was a monster. And he's no longer a monster. He's dead. And that's a good thing for a lot of countries. And he was planning a very big attack and a very bad attack for us and other people and we stopped it, and I don't think anybody can complain about it. I don't hear too many people other than politicians who are trying to win the presidency, those are the ones that are complaining, but I don't hear anybody else complaining."

pool report #9/more on US troops in Iraq

This will be the last burst now that the president's Oval spray is airing.

More on whether and when US troops should leave Iraq:

"At some point we want to get out. But this isn't the right point. The other thing is, if we do get out, we've spent a tremendous amount of money on building airports and building one of the largest embassies we have in the world. And we want to be reimbursed to the various costs that we have had. They're very significant....We don't want to be there forever.... I didn't want to be there in the first place to be honest and everybody knows that. That was when I was a civilian I said it, but we were there and they made a decision and I disagreed with that decision very strongly. But we're there now we've done a great job. We've gotten rid of the caliphate. 100% of the caliphate is gone, which is ISIS."

If Iraq kicks out US troops now, he said, "I think it's the worst thing that can happen to Iraq. If we leave that would mean that Iran would have a much bigger foothold, and the people in Iraq do not want to see Iran running the country."

Pool report #10/lid

We have a travel/photo lid.

"Be safe out there, and good evening."

Pool report #11/post-lid readout on Greek PM meeting

From Judd Deere:

"Today, President Donald J. Trump met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece at the White House. The two leaders discussed their nations' joint efforts as key North Atlantic Treaty Organization Allies to promote security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. They also discussed Greece's efforts to improve its business climate for American investors and opportunities to expand trade in energy. Additionally, President Trump and Prime Minister Mitsotakis discussed their nations' common approach on 5G security."

Pool report #11/post-lid statement on attacks in Iraq

We are aware of the reports of attacks on US facilities in Iraq. The President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team. –Stephanie Grisham

Pool report #12/post-lid readout- Qatar

From Judd Deere

Today, President Donald J. Trump spoke with His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar. The President thanked the Amir for Qatar's strong partnership with the United States. The President and the Amir discussed the situation in Iraq and Iran, as well as critical bilateral and regional issues.

Pool report #13/post-lid Merkel readout

From Judd Deere

President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. The two leaders discussed the security situation in the Middle East and Libya and agreed to continue close coordination moving forward.