Trump honours fallen, staff grapples with Kushner issue
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump stuck to a traditional script in his first public appearance since returning from Europe and the Middle East as the White House deals with revelations of outreach to Russian officials by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner’s .
Trump, paying tribute on Monday to his nation’s military dead at a Memorial Day ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, praised fallen soldiers for the “depth of their devotion, the purity of their love” and “the totality of their courage.”
He singled out the family of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, whose son died in Afghanistan, as an example of Americans who “carry the burden of freedom.”
After nearly nine days abroad he characterized as a “home run” while seeming to create more distance with European allies, Trump must now contend with a federal investigation reaching into his inner circle, a vacancy at the top of the FBI, a decision on whether to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and rumours of a staff shakeup.
And that was before North Korea launched another ballistic missile in violation of United Nations resolutions early on Monday.
Trump marked his return to the U.S. weekend with a flurry of Twitter posts about a Republican health care proposal, a double homicide in Oregon, the North Korean missile test and attacks on him by the “fake news” media for not holding a news conference during his overseas trip.
Trump defended his son-in-law after reports emerged that Kushner, who has the title “senior adviser,” considered setting up a secret line of communication between the incoming administration and the Russian government, primarily to discuss a resolution to the crisis in Syria.
In a statement to the New York Times, Trump said Kushner “is doing a great job for the country. I have total confidence in him.” He said Kushner is “respected by virtually everyone” and “is a very good person.”
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel signalled the growing distance between Europe and the U.S.
“The last few days have also shown me that the times when we could completely rely on others are to some extent over,” Merkel said in a speech at a climate conference in Berlin Monday.
“We are and remain close partners,” she said of the United States and Germany, “but we also know that we Europeans really must take our destiny into our own hands.”
The best news for the White House this week might be that Congress is out of session, meaning no new hearings on issues such as the Russia investigation or the firing of FBI director James Comey this month.