Trump to join NATO leaders during impeachment hearing

President Donald Trump will huddle with NATO leaders as House Democrats resume ir impeachment inquiry probing wher he abused his presidential authority by urging a foreign leader to open an investigation of his political rival. Trump is set to meet Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on sidelines of NATO leaders’ meeting.

More significantly, Trump will face one of most critical split-screen moments of his presidency near end of NATO conference, when he addresses news media soon after Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., gavels to order House Judiciary Committee’s first hearing in impeachment inquiry. hearing will be on constitutional grounds for presidential impeachment. “ impeachment is going where,” Trump insisted Tuesday as he sat down with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. “It is a waste of time. y’re wasting ir time. And it’s a disgrace. It’s a disgrace to our country.”

Trump said he remains unconcerned about unfolding inquiry in Washington with Democrats facing a mountaius climb to remove him from office. While Democrats hold majority in House, Republicans control Senate and t one Republican lawmaker in upper chamber has signaled support for kicking Trump out of office. An impeachment conviction in Senate requires 67 votes out of 100.

Democrats argue that Trump acted improperly when he pressed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to open an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son’s dealings in eastern European nation. vice president’s son, Hunter Biden, sat on board of a Ukrainian energy company.

U.S. president bantered with reporters for more than two hours Tuesday, sitting casually in a salon of Winfield House, manicured estate of U.S. ambassador to United Kingdom, where he also met with fellow NATO leaders. He slammed ongoing Democratic-led impeachment inquiry back in United States as a “”hoax” and professed to be unconcerned about declines in stock market spurred by his remark that a trade deal with China might t materialize until after 2020 election.

Trump later paid a call on Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, and attended a NATO welcome reception at Buckingham Palace, before proceeding to an event at prime minister’s residence, . 10 Downing St. Trump punctuated day of diplomacy with a fundraiser for his reelection effort that his campaign said brought in $3 million. garing of NATO leaders follows Trump’s frequent criticism of alliance members as falling well short in doing ir financial part through first three years of his presidency.

After a NATO summit last year, he called for members devote at least 4% of gross domestic product to military spending and took aim at German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom he accused of paying Russia ’“billions of dollars for gas and energy” while failing to meet her nation’s commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense.

But at this NATO meeting, Trump — heading toward an election year looking to showcase foreign policy wins — is offering a more optimistic outlook for alliance’s future. To that end, he suggested he deserved much of credit for progress. “I don’t think frankly before us that NATO was changing at all, and NATO is really changing right w,” Trump said as he sat down for a one-on-one talk with Stoltenberg.

White House officials say that before Trump took office just four NATO members had reached 2% benchmark set in 2014. w re are nine, and 18 of 29 are projected to meet benchmark by 2024. Trump is set to have a working lunch Wednesday with what White House called “NATO 2%ers.” Stoltenberg said that Trump does deserve credit for nudging members. “ reality is that, t least because it has been so clearly conveyed from President Trump that we need fair burden sharing, allies are stepping up,” Stoltenberg said.

In his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump gently ribbed premier — his country is spending about 1.3% of GDP on defense — as “slightly delinquent.” “Some are major delinquent,” said Trump. He added that he’s looking at possibility of imposing unspecified trade penalties against NATO allies that perpetually fall below benchmarks. “Some are way below 1 percent and that’s unacceptable, and n if something happens we’re supposed to protect m and it’s t really fair and it never has been fair,” he said.

Trump’s talks with Macron were tense at times. Before meeting with him on sidelines of summit, Trump laced into French president for what he called “very, very nasty” comments in Ecomist about NATO’s health with Trump leading its most important member. Macron didn’t back down when y appeared later in day, and he renewed his own criticism of Trump for withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria.

That decision by Trump, made without consulting France or or NATO allies, gave Turkey, ar NATO member, a green light to launch operations against Syrian Kurdish forces who had played a key role in fight to clear a huge swath of Syria of Islamic State militants. Trump and Macron have had an up-and-down relationship in nearly three years Trump’s been in office.

Macron, who early in Trump’s presidency had looked to cultivate a close relationship, hosted Trump in 2017 for Bastille Day celebrations in Paris. Trump reciprocated by horing Macron last year with first state visit of a foreign leader during his time in White House. As y answered questions from reporters, new stress was most apparent as y discussed ir concerns over Turkey’s plan to purchase an anti-aircraft missile system from Russia.

Macron said re is a disconnect in allowing Turkey to buy system from Russia and also be a NATO member. Trump said he is weighing issuing sanctions against Ankara if it moves forward with plans to buy weapons. Ahead of meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would oppose a NATO plan to defend Baltic region if alliance does t back Turkey in its fight against Kurdish groups it considers terrorists. “I’m sorry to say we don’t have same definition of terrorism around table,” Macron said in a swipe at Turkey.

Trump showed more deference to Erdogan, saying that Turkey was “very helpful” during October U.S. commando raid that led to death of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi near Syria-Turkey border. “We flew over areas that were totally controlled by Turkey and Turkish military,” Trump said. “We didn’t tell m what we were doing or where we were going. Turkey could t have been nicer, could t have been more supportive.”

At ar point in ir extended comments before news media, Trump and Macron had a curt exchange about repatriation of Islamic State fighters who are European citizens and were captured in Syria and Iraq in recent years. Trump has pressed unsuccessfully for European nations to accept fighters captured by U.S. forces.

“Would you like some nice ISIS fighters? I can give m to you,” Trump said. “You can take every one you want.” “Let’s be serious,” Macron responded. “Your . 1 problem are t foreign fighters.″ Trump retorted, “’That’s one of greatest n-answers I’ve ever heard. And, that’s OK.” After such exchanges, however, Trump gave Macron, along with Italy’s prime minister, a ride in his armored presidential limo from reception at Buckingham Palace to garing hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.