Will Trump Try To ‘Influence’ Netanyahu During Their Meeting?: State Dept Spokesperson Responds

2 months ago

During a press briefing on Tuesday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller answered reporter questions on Prime Minister Netanyahu's upcoming trip to Trump's residence, Mar-A-Lago.

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00:00the conflict, but I don't want to comment on the particulars of those discussions from

00:03here.

00:04QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

00:05QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

00:06QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

00:07QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

00:08QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

00:09Yeah, go ahead.

00:10QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

00:11On the day-after plans, can you give us an understanding as to how far along those plans

00:17actually are, if you guys have agreements in terms of the countries that would partake

00:22in this international force to stabilize Gaza?

00:26You're stipulating something as fact that I have not said as fact from here, but go

00:31ahead.

00:32Okay.

00:33Well, if you would like to describe it in your own words, have at it.

00:37But just are these agreements still in the works?

00:41Are they almost done?

00:44Are they ready to roll out day two after a ceasefire?

00:47Just give us an understanding of where that stands.

00:48So it really does vary when you look at each – at different aspects of what's required

00:56for Gaza.

00:59We have had a number of discussions, including fairly advanced discussions, with countries

01:03in the region about the security situation, how to address the security situation and

01:08ensure security in Gaza, and the same is true for governance.

01:12And there are proposals that we have put forward to our Arab partners, there are proposals

01:16that they have put forward to us, and we have been working through various differences.

01:21And it's – and when I say – it's not the case that every country in the region

01:26is signed up to the same plan either, right?

01:28People have different views about what the best way would be to accomplish this and people

01:31have different political imperatives that they need to be responsive to.

01:34So we are working through that.

01:37It has been a high priority.

01:39Barbara Leaf was in the region last week meeting with foreign ministers and other leaders.

01:43As I said – as I noted, Tom Sullivan was there on Friday.

01:46The Secretary has had a number of phone calls over the past couple of weeks to talk about

01:50these plans, and I don't want to put a timetable on them other than to say it is

01:56critical that the work move forward, and that's what we are working to do.

02:01Okay.

02:02And then just one question on the previous question she had about Trump meeting with

02:06Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

02:13Are you guys concerned at all about the former president trying to influence the prime minister

02:18at a moment when there are these tense, high-stakes negotiations to come to a ceasefire and hostage

02:25agreement?

02:26I don't know what the former president will do, just as I don't know what any private

02:31citizen will do in a meeting with the prime minister or other officials with the Government

02:35of Israel or any government.

02:37I would just say, speaking generally, that we would hope every American would –

02:42But there are certain things he's allowed to do and not allowed to do.

02:45Yeah, sure.

02:46But I'm just saying – I'll just say we would hope that every American would find

02:49it in the interest of the United States to work towards a ceasefire, to work to get a

02:54ceasefire over the line, to work to get the American hostages home.

02:57Remember, there are still Americans who are held hostage, not just Israeli citizens, but

03:01Americans as well.

03:02And so we believe it's in the interest of everyone in the United States to try and reach

03:05a ceasefire that gets our hostages home as well as ends the suffering of Palestinians

03:11– and of course, that includes Palestinian Americans who are in Gaza – and helps us

03:14build better, broader security and stability for the region.

03:18And can I just ask one clarifying question on that?

03:21The Hatch Act prevents citizens who don't have authority from the United States from

03:28directly or indirectly having correspondence with foreign governments to try and influence

03:35the measures or the conduct of those foreign governments.

03:38I think that's the Logan Act.

03:39Is that the Hatch Act or the Logan Act?

03:40I mean, sorry, it's the Logan Act.

03:41Yeah.

03:42Yeah.

03:44I'm just going to – I'm just going to pause here.

03:45I still remember – I remember little bits and pieces of it crawling around back here

03:46somewhere.

03:47How would you guys know if the Logan Act was violated here, given you're not going to

03:48have any U.S. official in these meetings?

03:49Maybe you have a plan for getting a readout.

03:50Can you just explain to us how you know in such a case?

03:51I think when it comes to any question about enforcement of U.S. law, I would defer entirely

03:52to the Justice Department.

03:53I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment in any way.

03:54Okay.

03:55I'm sorry.

03:56I'm just going to pause here.

03:57I think when it comes to any question about enforcement of U.S. law, I would defer entirely

03:58to the Justice Department.

03:59I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment in any way.

04:00Okay.

04:01Very quickly, I mean, we have witnessed before – I'm old enough to remember the Reagan

04:22campaign, and they actually did influence the hostage negotiations and so on, and they

04:27delayed it.

04:28I mean, there are examples in history where actually this happens, where certain contenders

04:33do not believe that we have one president at a time.

04:37I think it's a situation that is probably kind of critical for you guys to deal with

04:43in this particular context.

04:44Look, I'm not going to speak to a meeting between the former president and the prime

04:47minister.

04:48But as I said, we would hope that no American citizen of any party would do anything to

04:53jeopardize the work to bring home American hostages who have now been held in captivity

04:57for over nine months.

04:58Go ahead.

05:00On the topic of presidents with...

Will Trump Try To ‘Influence’ Netanyahu During Their Meeting?: State Dept Spokesperson Responds

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