THE GENERAL SPEAKS – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:  General McMaster gave his briefing this morning.  The first part was devoted to a preview of President Trump's upcoming trip to the Mideast and the Vatican.  Standard stuff.

Then McMaster was asked about the current controversy involving the president's alleged release of classified information to the Russians at a White House meeting.  He said, as he'd said Monday, that all information used by Mr. Trump in that now-famous meeting was appropriate.   The controvery was based on a false premise, McMaster said.

That was it.  This will sizzle for a time, but, unless we get some clear, sourced, documented information, there's really nowhere to go.  My own sense is that the Washington Post ran with its story because it trusted its sources.  It may have been a mistake.

The story will shift later this week to the president's trip, which will take nine days.  We should hope that he does well, and gets results.  The press, though, will be watching his every word and gesture.

That wasn't the case early in Obama's presidency, when he went to the Mideast, snubbing Israel, and delivered a speech in Cairo filled with factual errors.  The media didn't care.  He was Barack, come to save us.  He could do no wrong and was wise beyond his years.  We'll be paying for that "wisdom" for a long time.

We await the president's trip and the next Trump controversy.

May 16, 2017