State Department Silent on MH17 Anniversary Following Trump-Putin Firestorm

[highplainsdem]

Source: Foreign Policy

Every year since a Russian missile downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew, the U.S. State Department has issued a statement to mark the anniversary.

But on the anniversary this year—a day after U.S. President Donald Trump met in Helsinki with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin—the State Department was conspicuously silent about it.

Officials there prepared a draft statement that was sharply critical of Russia for its alleged role in the attack. But for reasons the State Department has not explained, it was never issued.

“Four years after the downing of MH17, the world still awaits Russia’s acknowledgement of its role,” read the draft, a copy of which was obtained by Foreign Policy.

-snip-

Read more: https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/18/state-dept-mh17-ukraine-russia-netherlands-malaysian-airlines/

---

Rachel Maddow is wondering who gave the order to spike that statement, and why:

Link to tweet

[justhanginon]

1. Putin probably gave the order to his emissary in the United States, Donald Trump.

Secret meetings are secret for a reason. Helstinki is probably the appropriate name for this fiasco of a summit.