INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump hoped his hotly anticipated summit talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would amount to a triumphant television event. Instead, he returns to Washington facing sharp rebukes even from allies as his stunned aides wonder what went wrong. For many of Trump’s advisers, Monday’s [7-16-18] performance amounted to a worst-case ending to a summit few in the administration believed was well-timed. From the moment Trump raised the potential for a meeting during a congratulatory phone call to Putin in March, top national security staff argued there was little evidence a sit-down would prove effective, particularly given Moscow’s continued efforts to destabilize Western alliances. But Trump paid little heed, insisting the meeting was necessary to fulfill his stated goal of improving the relationship between the US and Russia. And so planning began for Monday’s event in Helsinki, a site selected by aides for its historic ties to Washington-Moscow diplomacy. In the lead-up, administration officials from Trump on down sought to dampen expectations, even as television cameras began crowding into Senate Square.”
-Kevin Liptak, Jeff Zeleny and Kaitlan Collins, “‘How bad was that?’: Even Trump aides question damage done,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, July 17, 2018 6:32 pm