Trump's "Major talking point bit the dust"

[real Cannabis calm]

A major GOP talking point just bit the dust
Syria
Source: CNN
Is it a ceasefire or just a pause? Vice President Mike Pence called the deal he helped negotiate with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a ceasefire that halts Turkey's incursion into northern Syria. But Turkey insists it's just a pause, a five-day window to let the Kurds leave their safe zone in northern Syria. Mideast observers say the deal appears to give Turkey what it really wanted: to annex a piece of Syria and kick the Kurds out. President Trump hailed the agreement as "a great day for civilization." But critics, like GOP US Sen. Mitt Romney, slammed the deal, declaring that Trump's actions on Syria "will stand as a bloodstain" on US history.

Romney: This is being portrayed as a victory. It's not.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) delivers remarks from the Senate floor aimed at President Donald Trump following the announcement of a ceasefire in Syria, saying the announcement was "not a victory" and questioned the timing of the negotiations. https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/10/17/mitt-romney-to-trump-senate-floor-sot-vpx.cnn?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=ff0a871312-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_17_10_34&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-ff0a871312-104928233

[Vinca]

1. It's a stunt to negate the sanctions on Turkey.

Don needs to keep his dictator bromance happy.

[real Cannabis calm]

2. Another Trump "talking point" slammed

CNN

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney stunned Washington when he brashly admitted that the Trump administration froze nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine in part to pressure that country to investigate Trump's political rivals. This quid pro quo is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry that the Democrats are running, so Mulvaney's confirmation of it was shocking.

President Trump was reportedly miffed by Mulvaney's admission, and even the Justice Department distanced itself from Mulvaney's statement. So, of course, Mulvaney later tried to walk it all back, denying he ever said the words that he said. House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff said Mulvaney's acknowledgment means things are "much, much worse." It puts Republicans in a tight spot, too. "No quid pro quo" was a big GOP talking point -- which Mulvaney just destroyed.

And that wasn't the only news Mulvaney broke during his news briefing. He also announced that the 2020 G7 summit will be held at Trump National in Doral, Florida. Mulvaney said Doral was "far and away the best physical facility for this meeting." But critics immediately pounced, saying hosting the event at Doral is a conflict of interest because the President would financially profit from it. Taken together, all the day's events show that the guardrails are off the Trump presidency, CNN political analyst Stephen Collinson says.

Mulvaney brashly admits quid pro quo over Ukraine aid as key details emerge -- and then denies doing so
By Jeremy Diamond, Kevin Liptak and Katelyn Polantz, CNN

Washington (CNN) White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney made a stunning admission Thursday by confirming that President Donald Trump froze nearly $400 million in US security aid to Ukraine in part to pressure that country into investigating Democrats.

Hours later, Mulvaney then denied ever saying those words.
The dramatic admission came during an afternoon news conference where Mulvaney insisted that he knew only of a US request to investigate the handling of a Democratic National Committee server hacked in the 2016 election, but text messages between US diplomats show efforts to get Ukraine to commit to an investigation into Burisma, the company on whose board former Vice President Joe Biden's son sat. There is no evidence of wrongdoing in Ukraine by either Biden. https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/17/politics/mick-mulvaney-quid-pro-quo-donald-trump-ukraine-aid/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=ff0a871312-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_17_10_34&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-ff0a871312-104928233