AP Fact Check: President Trump on veteran's health care, the economy and the Mueller investigation.
June 3, 2019
“He was never able to get Choice. I got Choice,” Trump said Thursday to reporters. His jab at the late senator came as he defended a Trump administration order to keep a Navy ship named for McCain hidden from view during his recent trip to Japan as likely “well-meaning,” though Trump said he knew nothing about the request.Trump routinely takes full credit for enacting the Veterans Choice program, ignoring the fact that it was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2014.
It’s unclear, however, whether Trump’s use of “nasty” referred to the duchess herself or the negative things she said about him in 2016. Trump also spoke positively about Meghan in the interview. THE FACTS: Trump was not the first president in four decades to pass the Veterans Choice program. What Trump got done was an expansion of the Choice program achieved by McCain and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the main lawmakers who advanced the legislation signed by Obama.
Still, the VA says it does not expect a major increase in veterans seeking care outside the VA under Trump’s expanded program, partly because wait times in the private sector are typically longer than at VA. “The care in the private sector, nine times out of 10, is probably not as good as care in VA,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie told Congress in March.TRUMP: “There was no crime.” — remarks Thursday to reporters.
Mueller said his team declined to make a prosecutorial judgment on whether to charge Trump, partly because of a Justice Department legal opinion that said sitting presidents shouldn’t be indicted. It’s true the Mueller report did not find a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, saying it had not collected sufficient evidence “to establish” or sustain criminal charges. However, the report did not assess whether “collusion” occurred.TRUMP, on Mueller’s relationship with former FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by Trump: “He loves Comey. You look at the relationship with those two. So whether it’s love or deep like, but he was conflicted.
Bannon told Mueller’s investigators that while the White House had invited Mueller to speak to the president about the FBI and thought about asking him to become director again, Mueller did not come in looking for a job. Mueller was previously FBI director from 2001 to 2013.TRUMP: “They don’t talk about Russia anymore because it turned out to be a hoax. It was all a hoax.” — remarks Thursday to reporters.
According to Labor Department data, 60.6 percent of people in the United States 16 years and older were working in April. That’s below the all-time high of 64.7 percent in April 2000, though higher than the 59.9 percent when Trump was inaugurated in January 2017. The Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency said it has had no communication with North Korean authorities since the Vietnam summit between Trump and Kim last February. That meeting focused on the North’s nuclear weapons and followed a June 2018 summit where Kim committed to permitting a resumption of U.S. remains recovery; that effort had been suspended by the U.S. in 2005.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
White House Wanted USS John McCain ‘Out of Sight’ During Trump Japan VisitThe White House wanted the Navy to move a warship named for the late Sen. John McCain, a war hero who became a frequent target of President Trump’s ire, ahead of the president’s visit to Japan last week.
Read more »
Trump denies asking military to move USS John S. McCain 'out of sight'President Trump denied Wednesday night that he knew about a reported White House request that the military move the USS John S. McCain 'out of sight' during the president's state visit to Japan this week.
Read more »
Trump says he was not told of effort to move USS John McCain 'out of sight'U.S. President Donald Trump says he was not told of effort to move USS John McCain 'out of sight'
Read more »
USS McCain was hidden from Trump, putting spotlight on an old feud"Trump won’t let him RIP. So I have to stand up for him," McCain's daughter tweeted.
Read more »
Trump says he was not told of request to move USS John McCain 'out of sight'U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was unaware of any effort to move the USS John S. McCain that was stationed near the site of his recent speech in Japan. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Reuters that an initial request had been made to keep the John McCain
Read more »
Trump says attempt to hide USS John S. McCain was 'well meaning'President Trump said Thursday that the attempt by White House staffers to hide the USS John S. McCain during his trip to Japan was “well meaning” given his personal enmity for the late Arizona senator and former Republican presidential nominee.
Read more »
Meghan McCain calls out Trump on warship controversy, says troops 'afraid' to show her father's nameMeghan McCain blasted Donald Trump for his ongoing criticism of her father, the late Sen. John McCain, amid reports a Navy ship bearing his name was hidden.
Read more »
Donald Trump made it OK for this USS John McCain nonsense to happenPresident Donald Trump didn't know that the White House Military Office asked lower-level US Navy officials to keep the USS John S. McCain out of his sight during his recent trip to Japan. But, man, did he ever set the table for something like that to happen.
Read more »
Navy acknowledges request regarding USS John S. McCain made for Trump visitThe US Navy acknowledged Friday that a request had been made regarding the USS John S. McCain in relation to President Donald Trump's visit to Japan, but said the ship ended up remaining in its normal configuration.
Read more »