“Once again the Trump Administration has been caught in a web of lies. Why should anyone believe a word they say?” said American Bridge spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
April 8: Pentagon Said Aircraft Carrier Was Leaving Singapore
- Pentagon: “Carl Vinson Strike Group Departs Singapore for Western Pacific.” [Press Release, 4/9/2017]
April 11: Spicer And Mattis Claimed Aircraft Carrier Was Heading Toward North Korea, Touted Impact Of Its Deployment
- Sean Spicer Claimed A Carrier Group Was “Steaming” Towards The Korean Peninsula. “Question: Putting that strike carrier group in the Sea of Japan, in that region, is that also a messaging circumstance? Or is that simply protective for our allies in Japan and Korea? Sean Spicer: A carrier group is several things. The forward deployment is deterrence, presence. It’s prudent. But it does a lot of things. It ensures our — we have the strategic capabilities, and it gives the President options in the region. But I think when you see a carrier group steaming into an area like that, the forward presence of that is clearly, through almost every instance, a huge deterrence. So I think it serves multiple capabilities.” [White House Press Briefing, 4/11/17]
- Spicer Said “Forward Deployment” Of Aircraft Carrier Toward North Korea Was “Deterrence” And “Prudent.” [White House Press Briefing, 4/11/17]
- Mattis: Aircraft Carrier Is “On Her Way Up There” To The Sea Of Japan. Q: Mr. Secretary, if I can ask you about North Korea, the Vinson strike group has now been redirected towards the Sea of Japan in the coming weeks. General Brooks is no longer coming to testimony later this month. Has tension ratcheted up just recently in the past few days and can you explain why, what has changed just in the past couple of days or week? … SEC. MATTIS: …As far as the movement of the Vinson, she’s stationed there in the western Pacific for a reason. She operates freely up and down the Pacific, and she’s just on her way up there because that’s where we thought it was most prudent to have her at this time. There’s not a specific demand signal or specific reason why we’re sending her up there. [Pentagon Press Briefing, 4/11/2017]
April 12: Trump Claimed He Was Sending An Armada Toward North Korea
- Trump: “We Are Sending An Armada, Very Powerful. We Have Submarines, Very Powerful, Far More Powerful Than The Aircraft Carrier” Toward The Korean Peninsula. “Maria Bartiromo: You redirected navy ships to go toward the Korean Peninsula. What we are doing right now in terms of North Korea? Donald Trump: You never know, do you? You never know. Bartiromo: That’s all… Trump: You know I don’t think about the military. Bartiromo: Yes. Trump: I’m not like Obama, where they talk about in four months we’re waiting — we’re going to hit Mosul. Bartiromo: Right. Trump: And in the meantime, they get ready and like you’ve never seen — look, they’re still fighting. Mosul was supposed to last for a week and now they’ve been fighting it for many months and so many more people died. I don’t want to talk about it. We are sending an armada, very powerful. We have submarines, very powerful, far more powerful than the aircraft carrier, that I can tell you. And we have the best military people on Earth. And I will say this. He is doing the wrong thing. He is doing the wrong thing.” [“Mornings with Maria,” Fox Business, 4/11/17]
April 15: Pentagon Released A Photo Of the Carrier Having Traveled Away From North Korea, Not Toward It
- Pentagon: “The Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Transits The Sunda Strait.” [Photo, 4/15/2017]
Published: Apr 20, 2017