A6 The Buffalo News/Friday, May 5, 2017 WASHINGTON NEWS POLITICAL NOTEBOOK DI S T R IC T OF C OLU M BI A Trump backtracks to Russia probe WASHINGTON – President Trump revived the Russia probe that has clouded his campaign and presidency in a tweet Thursday morning. The president attacked Susan Rice, President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, in a tweet over her refusal to testify before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee next week about Russia’s meddling in the United States 2016 presidential election. Rice requested the unmasking of some American names in U.S. intelligence reports, but denied doing so for political reasons and said she had never leaked politically charged information to the media. “Susan Rice, the former National Security Advisor to President Obama, is refusing to testify before a Senate Subcommittee next week on allegations of unmasking Trump transition officials,” the president wrote in a pair of tweets. “Not good!” – Washington Post N E W YOR K Trump praises Australia’s health care NEW YORK – Seconds after praising his party’s efforts to pass a new health care bill that estimates said would leave millions uninsured, President Trump praised Australia’s government-funded universal heath care system. “We have a failing health care – I shouldn’t say this to our great gentleman and my friend from Australia, because you have better health care than we do,” a tuxedo-clad Trump said at a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Manhattan on Thursday. Australia has a governmentfunded health care system, called Medicare, that exists alongside private insurance. The system is funded in part by taxes, including on the wealthy. The comments came hours after Republicans in the House narrowly approved legislation that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Unlike most U.S. conservatives, Trump has a long history of backing universal health care. In his 2000 book, “The America We Deserve,” Trump wrote: “We must have universal health care.” Trump’s remarks on Thursday thrilled and amused at least one lawmaker: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who supports a universal public option, similar to the system in place in Australia. – Washington Post DI S T R IC T OF C OLU M BI A Order relaxes rules on church activity WASHINGTON – President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at making it easier for churches to participate in politics, seeking to deliver on a campaign pledge to a community that overwhelmingly backed in him in last year’s election. The order, which Trump unveiled with great fanfare in a Rose Garden ceremony, was cheered by some conservative Christians but seen as a disappointment by others, who said it fell short of the broader changes they wanted as part of a highly anticipated measure on religious liberties. The order, Trump said, removes the financial threat faced by tax-exempt churches from the Internal Revenue Service when pastors speak out on behalf of political candidates. But some experts said it amounts to a mostly symbolic gesture with little likelihood of changing how the agency polices the issue. Trump’s order also directs his administration to consider developing regulations related to religious objectors to an Obama administration mandate, scaled back by the courts, that required contraception services as part of health plans. – Washington Post New York Times President Trump meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the White House in February. Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel this month, the White House said, as he seeks to intensify the war against ISIS, rally the region against Iran and negotiate Mideast peace. Trump foreign trip to push ‘tolerance’ Saudi Arabia, Israel, Rome on itinerary By Peter Baker N E W YOR K T I ME S WASHINGTON – President Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel this month, the White House announced Thursday, making the two countries his first foreign destinations since taking office as he seeks to intensify the war against the Islamic State group, rally the region against Iran and negotiate Middle East peace. Trump will also visit Rome to meet Pope Francis, completing a tour of the centers of the three major monotheistic religions in what aides said was an effort to seek unity against common enemies. The stops were added to the front of a previously scheduled trip to Brussels and Sicily for back-to-back summit meetings held by NATO and the Group of 7 economic powers. “Tolerance is the cornerstone of peace,” Trump said at a ceremony at the White House. “That is why I am proud to make a major and historic announcement this morning and share with you that my first foreign trip as president of the United States will be to Saudi Arabia, then Israel, and then to a place that my cardinals love very much, Rome.” Trump plans to gather leaders from across the Muslim world in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and he said he hoped to use the meeting to establish “a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, terrorism and violence and to embrace a more just and hopeful future for young Muslims in their countries.” “Our task is not to dictate to others how to live,” he added, “but to build a coalition of friends and partners who share the goal of fighting terrorism and bringing safety, opportunity and stability to the Middle East.” The president’s focus on tolerance seems aimed in part at recalibrating his image in the Muslim world after spending much of the early stage of his presidency fighting for a temporary ban on visitors from certain Muslim- majority countries. Saudi Arabia is not among the countries targeted by the travel ban, which has been temporarily blocked by courts, and the Arab leaders who have met with Trump have avoided raising the issue publicly. The announcement of the trip came a day after Trump hosted President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority at the White House, the latest of his meetings with many leaders from the Middle East, including those from Israel, Egypt and Jordan. Trump has promised to make a major effort to resolve the generations-old dispute between Israelis and Palestinians. Aides said Trump would leave Washington on May 19 and stop first in Riyadh before moving on to Jerusalem and then Rome. He will fly to Brussels for a NATO summit meeting on May 25 and then to Sicily on May 26 for a gathering of the G-7 leaders. Trump wants to use the trip to create a stronger coalition against the Islamic State and Iran, aides said. They said his goals are to do more to stop the funding flow for terrorist organizations and to encourage allies in the region to pick up more of the burden of the fight against terrorism. They said they detected more support from allies who grew disenchanted with Obama’s cautious approach to the region and that Trump hoped to use the trip to reassert U.S. leadership in the Middle East, reassuring those confused by his “America First” slogan. “What this trip will show is that the president, as he lays out his agenda, America First is fully compatible with American leadership in the world,” said one aide, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under White House ground rules. While Trump declared during his meeting with Abbas that making peace between the Israelis and Palestinians would not be as hard as some thought and that “we will get this done,” aides were more measured in assessing the chances of fulfilling that vow. “You have to try something,” another aide said. “You have to take shots.” The aide said Arabs were more engaged in working on the problem than in the past, but the president had an obligation to try even if he cannot succeed. “Whether we can or can’t, it’s our job to try.” $1 million already spent on Trump re-election bid By Dave Levinthal C E N T E R FOR PU BL IC I N T E GR I T Y 2016. For one: FEC officials have also accused both groups of shoddy campaign finance accounting and asked them to clean up their books – or potentially face penalties. Initially, in early 2016, Trump’s presidential campaign formally disavowed Great America PAC. It explained in a letter to the FEC that people might believe Trump was personally authorizing Great America PAC’s activities – he wasn’t. The Trump committee further lamented that people might donate money to Great America PAC thinking they were donating to the Trump campaign. But by September, Trump’s misgivings apparently eased. Eric Trump, the president’s son, even appeared at a Great America PAC fundraiser. Around the same time, Great America PAC mistakenly published the email addresses and cell phone numbers of hundreds of its donors. Then, in October, it erroneously released the credit card information of another 49 contributors. Great America PAC, which first formed in February 2016 as “TRUMPAC,” ultimately raised almost $28.7 million during 2016, mostly from smalldollar donors, federal records show. Committee to Defend the President, meanwhile, sprung into existence in May 2013 as “Stop Hillary PAC.” During 2015 and 2016, it spent nearly $3.4 million on communications bashing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Like Great America PAC, it raised the majority of its money from small-dollar donors giving $200 or less. WASHINGTON – President Trump won’t face re-election for another threeand-a-half years. No matter. A pair of super PACs have together already burned through $1 million to boost Trump’s 2020 bid, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of federal campaign spending records. So much spending, so fast, is unprecedented in U.S. election history. Trump himself is the prime instigaNew York Times tor of this outside money onslaught. He President Trump speaks at a campaign-style rally in Harrisburg, Pa., last filed his re-election paperwork on Jan. 20 – the day of his inauguration – and month. Trump already has declared his candidacy for re-election in 2020. has since conducted campaign rallies, raised more than $7 million in campaign cash and even aired a campaign was the most common answer poll re- chairman of Committee to Defend the TV ad touting his nascent presidency. spondents gave when asked to briefly President. With Trump’s candidacy declared, describe Election 2016. “Long,” “crazy” But aren’t people sick of non-stop it’s easy for super PACs and certain and “bad” followed. campaign ads? nonprofit groups empowered by the SuDriving Election 2020’s ultra-early “We haven’t heard that,” said Eric preme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens spending are Great America PAC and Beach, a longtime Republican politiUnited v. Federal Election Commission Committee to Defend the President, a cal operative and co-chairman of Great to raise and spend unlimited amounts pair of “hybrid” super PACs that share America PAC. “In fact, Trump’s supof money to promote the president’s po- the same treasurer, political consultant porters – our community – is increaslitical prospects. and election lawyer Dan Backer. ingly engaged given the nasty, vitriolic, That Election 2020 has already beOn Monday, the groups officially unamerican attacks by liberals and ungun is too much for most Americans. spent $1 million during Election 2020 fair media coverage.” Nearly two-thirds of potential vot- on a variety of pro-Trump communicaTrump administration officials deers say the length of presidential cam- tions and related items ranging from clined to comment on the groups’ propaigns should be limited, according to TV, radio and digital advertisements Trump spending sprees or the Trump a new Center for Public Integrity/Ipsos to robocalls and direct mail to renting campaign’s own activities this year. poll. the email addresses of prospective supQuestions about spending by outOf those who favor limits, the vast ports and donors, FEC records show. side groups “should all be directed to majority – four out of five people – say By Tuesday, that spending figure the super PACs,” White House spokespresidential campaigns should last for had ballooned to $1.32 million. woman Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote one year or less, the poll indicates. So, why? in an email. Democrats are most likely to want “Our supporters demand we defend Both Great America PAC and the president campaign limitations, al- the president from day one, and that’s Committee to Defend the President The Center for Public Integrity is a though most Republicans and inde- what we are doing,” said Ted Harvey, experienced their share of controversy nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative pendents want them, too. “Too long” a former Colorado state senator and during and immediately after Election news organization in Washington, D.C.