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THE WHITE HOUSE Saturday, April 1, 2017 Trump urges former adviser Flynn to cut immunity deal By CHAD DAY, EILEEN SULLIVAN and JULIE PACE Associated Press WASHINGTON — Pres- ident Donald Trump urged his former national security adviser to strike an immunity deal Friday, even as congres- sional investigators rebuffed Michael Flynn’s offer of cooperation in exchange for protection from prosecution. Trump tweeted that Flynn, the adviser he fired in February, should ask for immunity because he’s facing “a witch hunt.” The White House also tried to quell a firestorm over its role in helping a top Republican lawmaker see secret intelligence reports. Rep. Adam Schiff went to the White House to view materials that he said were “precisely the same” as what House intelligence committee chairman Devin Nunes viewed there last week. “The White House has yet to explain why senior White House staff apparently shared these materials with but one member,” said Schiff, who met with Trump for about 10 minutes while he was at the White House. The congressional investi- gations into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign’s possible Russian ties have become a near- daily distraction for a new administration struggling to find its footing. Trump has vigorously denied that his campaign coordinated with Russia during the election. The president weighed in on Flynn the day after the ousted national security adviser’s attorney confirmed the immunity discussions with intelligence committees in both the Senate and House that are investigating Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presi- dential election. A congressional aide confirmed that preliminary discussions with the Senate intelligence committee involved immunity but that it was too early in the East Oregonian Trump’s approach to intel agencies: anxiety, distrust WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House’s handling of intelligence reports on the Russia investigation has been labeled unorthodox and, to the Democrats, suspicious. But when it comes to Donald Trump’s relationship with his spy agencies, that’s par for the course. Since taking office, Trump has challenged the integrity of intelligence officials, moved to exert more control over U.S. spying agencies and accused his predecessor of using government spycraft to monitor his presidential campaign. This week, Trump’s White House is facing allegations that it funneled secret intelligence reports to a top Repub- lican investigating his campaign’s possible ties to Russian officials as well as Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election. The approach appears to be based, at least in part, on the White — Michael Hayden, House’s anxiety former head of CIA and NSA over the Russia investigations, which threaten to seriously weaken his presidency. It also reflects a deep distrust of the intelligence commu- nity among his political advisers, including government newcomers who have never dealt with classified informa- tion or covert programs. “It reveals a chasm of ignorance about how stuff is done,” said Michael Hayden, the former head of the CIA and National Security Agency. Trump, with the backing of political advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, initially sought to put Wall Street billionaire Stephen Feinberg in charge of a review of the intelligence agencies. An early iteration of the review explored eliminating the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the umbrella agency created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to streamline and coordinate intelligence. Officials say they viewed the agency as an unnecessary and bloated bureaucracy that can manipulate or distort information. But the review was recalibrated after Dan Coats — who was confirmed earlier this month as Trump’s intelligence director — vigorously complained about being under- mined in the midst of his confirmation hearings, according to U.S. officials. Coats is now leading the review, though it does not include potentially scrapping the office he now runs, according to the officials. “This is going to be more on the ‘trim and optimize’ as opposed to ‘dismantle,’” said L. Roger Mason, Jr., an executive with the nonprofit Noblis and a member of the Trump transition team that focused on the national intelli- gence directorate. Trump’s White House has looked for other ways seize the reins. Officials have expressed an interest in having more raw intelligence sent to the president for his daily briefings instead of an analysis of information compiled by the agencies, according to current and former U.S. officials. The change would have given his White House advisers more control about the assessments given to him and sidelined some of the conclusions made by intelligence professionals. One official said the focus on accessing more raw intelli- gence appeared to be more of a priority under the short tenure of Michael Flynn. He was replaced by H.R. McMaster, an Army lieutenant general who was expected to exert more control over the NSC but has found himself struggling to overcome skepticism among Flynn holdovers who have the ear of Bannon. “It reveals a chasm of ignorance about how stuff is done.” AP photos President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with the National Association of Manufacturers Friday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn speaks during the daily news briefing Feb. 1 at the White House, in Washington. investigation to set terms. The aide was not authorized to discuss private conversa- tions and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Justice Department did not immedi- ately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear from Trump’s tweet whether he was advising the Justice Department or the congres- sional panels to give his former adviser immunity. The president is not supposed to direct ongoing investigations. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump just wants Flynn to testify, and there are no concerns that Flynn could implicate the president in any wrongdoing. Schiff said committee leaders would be discussing the issue with their Senate counterparts and the Justice Department. “We should first acknowl- edge what a grave and momentous step it is for a former national security adviser to the president of the United States to ask for immunity from prosecution,” Schiff said in a statement. Flynn’s attorney, Robert Kelner, said no “reasonable person” who has a lawyer would answer questions without assurances that he would not be prosecuted, given calls from some members of Congress that the retired lieutenant general should face criminal charges. Flynn seemed to have a different view last September when he weighed in on the implications of immunity on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” criticizing Democratic pres- idential candidate Hillary Clinton and her associates in the FBI’s investigation into her use of a private email server. “When you are given immunity, that means that you have probably committed a crime,” Flynn said during the interview. His own lawyer, Kelner, said Thursday, “General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circum- stances permit.” Trump spokesman Spicer said the president “thinks he should go out and tell his story.” Flynn’s ties to Russia have been scrutinized by the FBI and are under investigation by the congressional commit- tees. Both panels are looking into Russia’s meddling in the election and any ties between Trump associates and the Kremlin. Since July, the FBI has been conducting a counterin- telligence investigation into Russia’s interference in the election and possible coordi- nation with Trump associates. In September, Flynn weighed in on the implica- tions of immunity on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” criticizing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her associates in the FBI’s investigation into her use of a private email server. “When you are given immunity, that means that you have probably committed a crime,” Flynn said during the interview. A spokesman for Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee, said the panel has not offered an immunity deal to Flynn. The committee “had a preliminary conversation with Michael Flynn’s lawyer about arranging for Flynn to speak to the committee,” spokesman Jack Langer said. “The discussions did not include immunity or other possible conditions for his appearance.” New orders target trade abuses WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders Friday focused on reducing the trade deficit just days before he holds his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart. Trump’s aides insist the timing is coincidental, but the administration is touting the moves as evidence of it taking an aggressive but analytical approach to closing a trade gap that is largely due to the influx of goods from China. Some experts say the orders suggest the president may be taking a softer tack on trade. The first order gives the Commerce Department 90 days to assemble a report on the factors behind the trade deficit, while the second seeks to increase collection of duties on imports. In remarks in the Oval Office, Trump said he’d seen first-hand as he travelled the country how bad trade deals had hurt American workers. “The jobs and wealth have been stripped from our country,” he said, vowing to Page 9A put that to an end. “We’re bringing manufacturing and jobs back to our country.” The president had been expected to sign the orders after giving his remarks, but left before he had. A White House official said he signed the orders later. Several economists said it’s unlikely the planned report would address the broader economic forces behind the trade imbalance, since it would track trade deficits country-by-country and product-by-product. And the order on trade duties appears to duplicate the standards of a trade enforce- ment act signed into law by then-President Obama in 2016, according to congres- sional staff. “It seems like there is less here than meets the eye,” said Robert Scott, director of trade and manufacturing policy research at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. Coupled together, the orders appear to be a symbolic shot at China, which accounted for the vast majority— $347 billion —of last year’s $502 billion trade deficit. Trump referenced his meeting with China in his remarks in the Oval Office. “We’re going to get down to some very serious busi- ness,” he said. “It’s been very bad what’s been happening to our country, in terms of our companies and in terms of our jobs.” But Peter Navarro, director of the White House National Trade Council, stressed the orders had nothing to do with Trump hosting President Xi Jinping of China at his estate in Florida next week. “Nothing we’re saying tonight is about China. Let’s not make this a China story. This is a story about trade abuses, this is a story about an under-collection of duties,” he told reporters at a Thursday evening briefing. Trump took an adversarial tone with China in a Thursday evening tweet, but he also appeared to dampen expecta- tions about the meeting with Xi at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Introducing Silk hearing aids from Signia Discretion that’s ready to wear. No more waiting for a custom-style hearing aids Nearly invisible so no one else can see you’re wearing them Crystal-clear sound in noisy restaurants, parties, family gatherings and more! Walk in and walk out with your new hearing aids the same day Trump paying $25M to settle lawsuits SAN DIEGO (AP) — A judge on Friday approved an agreement for President Donald Trump to pay $25 million to settle lawsuits over his now-defunct Trump University, ending nearly seven years of legal battles with customers who claimed they were misled by failed promises to teach success in real estate. U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel said the agreement represents an “extraordinary amount” of money for customers to recover. Plaintiff attorneys say about 3,730 people will get at least 90 percent of their money back. The ruling settles two class-action lawsuits and a civil lawsuit by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that had dogged the Republican businessman throughout the presidential campaign. Trump fueled the contro- versy by repeatedly assailing Curiel, insinuating that the Indiana-born judge’s Mexican heritage exposed a bias. Trump had vowed never to settle. But he said after the election that he didn’t have time for a trial, even though he believed he would have prevailed. The White House referred requests for comment to the Trump Organization, which didn’t immediately respond. Under terms of the settlement, Trump admits no wrongdoing. Attorneys for the former customers say the money will allow people to retire debt-free and overcome other financial obstacles. The attorneys waived their fees, raising individual payments. “Over the past seven years, our goal has always has been to help these everyday Americans move forward with their lives,” attorney Amber Eck said. The Democratic New York attorney general said the ruling “will provide relief — and hopefully much- needed closure — to the victims of Donald Trump’s fraudulent university.” “Trump University’s victims waited years for compensation, while Presi- dent Trump refused to settle and fought us every step of the way — until his stunning reversal last fall,” said Schnei- derman, who is contributing $1.6 million of his $4 million portion of the settlement to former customers. 2237 Southwest Court Place Pendleton, OR 97801 541-276-5053 *An independent clinical study in the US has shown that primax provided a significant improvement in ease of listening in demanding listening environments. 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