Scoop: Skirmish over the nuclear football

[MelissaB]

1 big thing: Scoop — Skirmish over the nuclear football

I can't believe this story hasn't gotten out, and neither can the very very few people who know about it.

On Thursday Nov. 9, when President Trump and his team visited Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Chief of Staff John Kelly and a U.S. Secret Service agent skirmished with Chinese security officials over the nuclear football.

I've spoken to five sources familiar with the events. Here's what happened, as they describe it:

*When the U.S. military aide carrying the nuclear football entered the Great Hall, Chinese security officials blocked his entry. (The official who carries the nuclear football is supposed to stay close to the president at all times, along with a doctor.)

*A U.S. official hurried into the adjoining room and told Kelly what was happening. Kelly rushed over and told the U.S. officials to keep walking — "We're moving in," he said — and the Americans all started moving.

*Then there was a commotion. A Chinese security official grabbed Kelly, and Kelly shoved the man’s hand off of his body. Then a U.S. Secret Service agent grabbed the Chinese security official and tackled him to the ground.

The whole scuffle was over in a flash, and the U.S. officials told about the incident were asked to keep quiet about it. Trump's team followed the normal security procedure to brief the Chinese before their visit to Beijing, according to a person familiar with the trip — but somebody at the Chinese end either didn't get the memo or decided to mess with the Americans anyway.

I'm told that at no point did the Chinese have the nuclear football in their possession or even touch the briefcase. I'm also told the head of the Chinese security detail apologized to the Americans afterwards for the misunderstanding.

Link: https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-sneak-peek-852ce0f7-5ca9-4020-8b81-082c15f69df1.html?chunk=0&utm_term=twsocialshare#story0

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. I would much more trust the Chinese with the football than the dumbest and

meanest man alive.

[former9thward]

6. What does Kim Jong-un have to do with this?

[left-of-center2012]

2. "or decided to mess with the Americans anyway"

I'm thinking they wanted to test Trump and see what they could get away with.

I'm sure Trump filed a protest.

[RandomAccess]

3. Misunderstanding?

That takes the cake for euphemism of the year, if not century.

[former9thward]

4. Sounds like fake news on many levels.

Maybe that's why "I can't believe this story hasn't gotten out".

[dhill926]

5. Heading to liquor cabinet...

we'll be lucky to survive this mess...

[Gabi Hayes]

7. HFS!!! best comic premise since This!

Should be a sitcom

Too bad The President Show isn’t on now

He goes farther than anyone has, including showing Bannon blowing himself

[Gabi Hayes]

8. You want queasemaking? From the same link (and this not the first time Ive seen this, as in seen

it here)

Democrats have more midterm anxiety than you might think, given most pundits are confidently predicting Republicans will lose the House.

Two sources with direct knowledge tell me that at the recent Democratic Senate retreat at Mount Vernon, they invited a focus group of voters to discuss the issues they care about and the political landscape.

What the voters kept saying: "Republicans have the wrong agenda; Democrats have no agenda."
A Senate aide told me leadership is acutely aware of this problem, and hopes immigration will fill their agenda gap. Another top Senate aide, however, told me their messaging will highlight a broader set of issues, including pensions, opioid funding, child care, and student loans. They will boast that they moved the ball forward on these issues with the budget deal.

Their toughest challenge: keeping this message from being totally drowned out by coverage of the President’s alleged affairs, the Russia probe, the Robert Porter domestic violence cover-up, and other wild stories. Democrats are aware that cable news producers would much rather air segments on Stormy Daniels than pension reform.

By the way: Hillary Clinton had this problem too. Her campaign staff always bemoaned the fact that the national media showed infinitely more interest in Trump’s JFK conspiracy theories than her white papers on Alzheimer’s.

On top of that: Several top Hill Democrats told me they worry too many of their colleagues think they can flip the House just by bashing Trump and talking about Russia. If the focus groups at the retreat showed them anything, it’s that that won’t be enough.

[oberliner]

9. Secret Service Calls Fake News on Axios Report

Didn’t Tackle Chinese Official Over Nuclear Football

The Secret Service is crying fake news after a report in Axios which said that one of its agents had tackled a member of Chinese security personnel in a scuffle over the nuclear football during President Donald Trump’s visit there last November.
“FACT CHECK: Reports about Secret Service agents tackling a host nation official during the President’s trip to China in Nov 2017 are false,” the service’s official Twitter account blared out late Monday morning.
FACT CHECK: Reports about Secret Service agents tackling a host nation official during the President’s trip to China in Nov 2017 are false
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) February 19, 2018

https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Secret-Service-Calls-Fake-News-on-Axios-Report-12625087.php