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The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Washington on April 27 to meet President Donald Trump.

Government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Wednesday the leaders will discuss “bilateral questions and of course foreign and security policy challenges.”

The White House previously said that a visit by Merkel was planned in the coming weeks. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected in Washington April 24.

The European leaders are trying to preserve the accord between global powers and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump has vowed to withdraw from the 2015 agreement by May 12 unless negotiators can agree to fix what he sees as its serious flaws.

They also want to ensure that the European Union remains exempt from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

 
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The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Washington on April 27 to meet President Donald Trump.

Government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Wednesday the leaders will discuss “bilateral questions and of course foreign and security policy challenges.”

The White House previously said that a visit by Merkel was planned in the coming weeks. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected in Washington April 24.

The European leaders are trying to preserve the accord between global powers and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump has vowed to withdraw from the 2015 agreement by May 12 unless negotiators can agree to fix what he sees as its serious flaws.

They also want to ensure that the European Union remains exempt from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

 
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U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the credibility of adult film star Stormy Daniels Wednesday, saying a composite sketch of the man who allegedly threatened her to keep quiet about her alleged sexual affair with the president is a fabrication.

“A sketch years later about a nonexistent man,” Trump said in a post on Twitter. “A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!”

Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, had initially offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identity of the man but said he has increased the amount to $131,000.

Daniels appeared on ABC television’s The View Tuesday morning and displayed an artist’s sketch of the man whom she said approached her in a Las Vegas parking lot and threatened her. Daniels called the man “a thug.”

“Leave Mr. Trump alone,” Daniels said the man told her, and then pointed to her daughter and said, “That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.”

Daniels claims she and Trump had a sexual encounter at a Lake Tahoe resort in 2006.

Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about the alleged affair, fearing the news would ruin Trump’s chances of winning the 2016 election. Some legal experts said the payment could be construed as an illegal campaign contribution.

Trump denied knowing about the payment and has also denied there was an affair.

Some of the documents seized in an FBI raid on Cohen’s home and New York office reportedly relate to the payment to Daniels.

When asked on The View why she insists on pursuing a legal challenge to the president, she said she was “tired of being bullied.”

“I’m tired of being threatened, intimidating me, and trying to say that you’ll ruin my life and take all my money and my house. I’m done.”

 
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U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the credibility of adult film star Stormy Daniels Wednesday, saying a composite sketch of the man who allegedly threatened her to keep quiet about her alleged sexual affair with the president is a fabrication.

“A sketch years later about a nonexistent man,” Trump said in a post on Twitter. “A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!”

Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, had initially offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identity of the man but said he has increased the amount to $131,000.

Daniels appeared on ABC television’s The View Tuesday morning and displayed an artist’s sketch of the man whom she said approached her in a Las Vegas parking lot and threatened her. Daniels called the man “a thug.”

“Leave Mr. Trump alone,” Daniels said the man told her, and then pointed to her daughter and said, “That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.”

Daniels claims she and Trump had a sexual encounter at a Lake Tahoe resort in 2006.

Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about the alleged affair, fearing the news would ruin Trump’s chances of winning the 2016 election. Some legal experts said the payment could be construed as an illegal campaign contribution.

Trump denied knowing about the payment and has also denied there was an affair.

Some of the documents seized in an FBI raid on Cohen’s home and New York office reportedly relate to the payment to Daniels.

When asked on The View why she insists on pursuing a legal challenge to the president, she said she was “tired of being bullied.”

“I’m tired of being threatened, intimidating me, and trying to say that you’ll ruin my life and take all my money and my house. I’m done.”

 
…

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday his CIA Director Mike Pompeo held a secret meeting in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed,” Trump said on Twitter. “Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!”

Trump had said Tuesday the United States and North Korea “had talks at the highest level” without giving specifics.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is visiting Trump at his Florida resort, praised the president Tuesday for agreeing to hold a summit with Kim, saying the move took “courage.”

Trump stated “that will be taking place probably in early June or a little before that, assuming things go well. It’s possible things won’t go well, and we won’t have the meetings, and we’ll just continue to go along this very strong path that we’ve taken.”

Shortly after, in an extended bilateral meeting with Abe, Trump revealed that in preparation for the summit “we have also started talking directly to North Korea. We have had direct talks at extremely high levels.” But that response did not mention Kim by name.

Trump also said Seoul has his blessing to try to negotiate with Pyongyang an end to the 1950s Korean War.

“They do have my blessing to end the war,” Trump told reporters as he sat next to Abe at the start of their meeting on Tuesday. “People don’t realize the Korean War has not ended,” explained Trump. “It’s going on right now. And they are discussing an end to the war.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim are scheduled to hold a summit April 27. A senior South Korean presidential official said Wednesday the peace talks are a possible subject, but that the discussion of formally ending the war would need to involve the other relevant parties.

Active combat

Active combat in the war ended in 1953 with an armistice signed by the United States (which commanded the United Nations forces), North Korea and China. South Korea was not a signatory, and the two Koreas have never established diplomatic relations.

Abe expressed relief that Trump pledged to address with Kim issues of concern to Tokyo, including abductions of Japanese citizens over decades. He praised the U.S. president for maintaining a tough stance toward Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

“Donald, you demonstrated your unwavering determination in addressing the challenge of North Korea,” the Japanese prime minister told Trump.

According to Larry Kudlow, assistant to the U.S. president for economic policy, “a lot of key issues are on the line” during the two days of talks between Trump and Abe.

The discussions Tuesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort off Florida’s Atlantic coast focused on North Korea and turn to trade issues Wednesday, according to White House officials.

“We’re certainly going to be taking into account the full range of threats North Korea poses to regional security,” said Matt Pottinger, senior director for Asian affairs on the National Security Council.

Japanese officials also want to avoid having Trump try to link any trade negotiations to security matters, a separation strictly maintained during decades of post-World War II diplomacy between the former enemies. But Trump has frequently stated that military allies, such as Japan and South Korea, should pay more for American forces defending them.

“I don’t think Prime Minister Abe will leave Mar-a-Lago with anything other than a high degree of confidence in the alliance,” predicted Pottinger.

Tokyo tariffs

There is disappointment in Japan that despite the close relationship between Trump and Abe, the U.S. government has not exempted Tokyo from tariffs placed on steel and aluminum imports.

“It will be under discussion,” Kudlow told reporters. “It’s a key point on the agenda.”

On a related topic, “the United States would probably like to see a free trade agreement (with Japan) come out at some point,” Kudlow told reporters early Tuesday afternoon just hours before Trump and Abe met.

The economic adviser also said that “there’s nothing at all concrete” yet on the United States returning to what was the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership.

“It will come up in the summit, no question about it,” added Kudlow, in reference to the TPP from which Trump withdrew shortly after becoming president.

Trump has opposed the TPP and reiterated that stance in a tweet late Tuesday.

“While Japan and South Korea would like us to go back into TPP, I don’t like the deal for the United States. Too many contingencies and no way to get out if it doesn’t work,” Trump said. “Bilateral deals are far more efficient, profitable and better for OUR workers. Look how bad WTO is to U.S.”

Japan is one of the countries that agreed to join the trade pact, but South Korea is not.

White House Senior Correspondent Steve Herman contributed to this report
…

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday his CIA Director Mike Pompeo held a secret meeting in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed,” Trump said on Twitter. “Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!”

Trump had said Tuesday the United States and North Korea “had talks at the highest level” without giving specifics.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is visiting Trump at his Florida resort, praised the president Tuesday for agreeing to hold a summit with Kim, saying the move took “courage.”

Trump stated “that will be taking place probably in early June or a little before that, assuming things go well. It’s possible things won’t go well, and we won’t have the meetings, and we’ll just continue to go along this very strong path that we’ve taken.”

Shortly after, in an extended bilateral meeting with Abe, Trump revealed that in preparation for the summit “we have also started talking directly to North Korea. We have had direct talks at extremely high levels.” But that response did not mention Kim by name.

Trump also said Seoul has his blessing to try to negotiate with Pyongyang an end to the 1950s Korean War.

“They do have my blessing to end the war,” Trump told reporters as he sat next to Abe at the start of their meeting on Tuesday. “People don’t realize the Korean War has not ended,” explained Trump. “It’s going on right now. And they are discussing an end to the war.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim are scheduled to hold a summit April 27. A senior South Korean presidential official said Wednesday the peace talks are a possible subject, but that the discussion of formally ending the war would need to involve the other relevant parties.

Active combat

Active combat in the war ended in 1953 with an armistice signed by the United States (which commanded the United Nations forces), North Korea and China. South Korea was not a signatory, and the two Koreas have never established diplomatic relations.

Abe expressed relief that Trump pledged to address with Kim issues of concern to Tokyo, including abductions of Japanese citizens over decades. He praised the U.S. president for maintaining a tough stance toward Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

“Donald, you demonstrated your unwavering determination in addressing the challenge of North Korea,” the Japanese prime minister told Trump.

According to Larry Kudlow, assistant to the U.S. president for economic policy, “a lot of key issues are on the line” during the two days of talks between Trump and Abe.

The discussions Tuesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort off Florida’s Atlantic coast focused on North Korea and turn to trade issues Wednesday, according to White House officials.

“We’re certainly going to be taking into account the full range of threats North Korea poses to regional security,” said Matt Pottinger, senior director for Asian affairs on the National Security Council.

Japanese officials also want to avoid having Trump try to link any trade negotiations to security matters, a separation strictly maintained during decades of post-World War II diplomacy between the former enemies. But Trump has frequently stated that military allies, such as Japan and South Korea, should pay more for American forces defending them.

“I don’t think Prime Minister Abe will leave Mar-a-Lago with anything other than a high degree of confidence in the alliance,” predicted Pottinger.

Tokyo tariffs

There is disappointment in Japan that despite the close relationship between Trump and Abe, the U.S. government has not exempted Tokyo from tariffs placed on steel and aluminum imports.

“It will be under discussion,” Kudlow told reporters. “It’s a key point on the agenda.”

On a related topic, “the United States would probably like to see a free trade agreement (with Japan) come out at some point,” Kudlow told reporters early Tuesday afternoon just hours before Trump and Abe met.

The economic adviser also said that “there’s nothing at all concrete” yet on the United States returning to what was the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership.

“It will come up in the summit, no question about it,” added Kudlow, in reference to the TPP from which Trump withdrew shortly after becoming president.

Trump has opposed the TPP and reiterated that stance in a tweet late Tuesday.

“While Japan and South Korea would like us to go back into TPP, I don’t like the deal for the United States. Too many contingencies and no way to get out if it doesn’t work,” Trump said. “Bilateral deals are far more efficient, profitable and better for OUR workers. Look how bad WTO is to U.S.”

Japan is one of the countries that agreed to join the trade pact, but South Korea is not.

White House Senior Correspondent Steve Herman contributed to this report
…

“A lot of key issues are on the line” during the two days of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo, according to Larry Kudlow, assistant to the U.S. president for economic policy.

The discussions Tuesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort off Florida’s Atlantic coast are expected to focus on North Korea. They turn to trade issues Wednesday.

Trump and Abe – both currently buffeted by domestic scandals — are no strangers. The Japanese prime minister is the foreign leader the U.S. president has met with and spoken to most often during his presidency.

Asked if there’s still a Trump-Abe “bromance,” amid recent reports of frustration expressed by the Japanese leader about Trump, the senior director for Asian affairs on the National Security Council, Matt Pottinger replied, “I’m sure you’ll make your own judgments based on the chemistry” after Abe arrives at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump and Abe share a pressing concern — North Korea, which has ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs in defiance of international sanctions.

With an unprecedented summit being planned between Trump and Kim Jong Un, Abe said this week he is looking to confirm the U.S. stance on applying pressure on North Korea to get it to irreversibly abandon its missiles and nuclear weapons.

Abe is hoping to convince Trump that if there is a meeting with Kim, the U.S. president will not make agreements with the North Korean leader that could weaken the security of Japan, which is under America’s nuclear umbrella and hosts thousands of U.S. military personnel.

“We’re certainly going to be taking into account the full range of threats North Korea poses to regional security,” said Pottinger.

Japanese officials want to avoid having Trump try to link any trade negotiations to security matters, a separation strictly maintained during decades of post-World War II diplomacy between the former enemies. But Trump has frequently stated that military allies, such as Japan and South Korea, should pay more for American forces defending them.

“I don’t think Prime Minister Abe will leave Mar-a-Lago with anything other than a high degree of confidence in the alliance,” predicted Pottinger.

There is disappointment in Japan that despite the close relationship between Trump and Abe, the U.S. government has not exempted Tokyo from tariffs placed on steel and aluminum imports.

“It will be under discussion,” Kudlow told reporters. “It’s a key point on the agenda.”

On a related topic, “the United States would probably like to see a free trade agreement (with Japan) come out at some point,” Kudlow told reporters early Tuesday afternoon just hours before Trump and Abe were to meet.

The economic advisor also said that “there’s nothing at all concrete” yet on the United States returning to what was the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership.

“It will come up in the summit, no question about it,” added Kudlow, in reference to the TPP from which Trump withdrew shortly after becoming president.

Kudlow, a conservative economic commentator who recently joined the Trump administration, also denied any linkage between TPP and China trade issues. But he said a global “trade coalition of the willing needs to be formed as a bulwark against Beijing.

China, added Kudlow, “really needs to play by the rules…or there will be consequences.”
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“A lot of key issues are on the line” during the two days of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo, according to Larry Kudlow, assistant to the U.S. president for economic policy.

The discussions Tuesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort off Florida’s Atlantic coast are expected to focus on North Korea. They turn to trade issues Wednesday.

Trump and Abe – both currently buffeted by domestic scandals — are no strangers. The Japanese prime minister is the foreign leader the U.S. president has met with and spoken to most often during his presidency.

Asked if there’s still a Trump-Abe “bromance,” amid recent reports of frustration expressed by the Japanese leader about Trump, the senior director for Asian affairs on the National Security Council, Matt Pottinger replied, “I’m sure you’ll make your own judgments based on the chemistry” after Abe arrives at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump and Abe share a pressing concern — North Korea, which has ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs in defiance of international sanctions.

With an unprecedented summit being planned between Trump and Kim Jong Un, Abe said this week he is looking to confirm the U.S. stance on applying pressure on North Korea to get it to irreversibly abandon its missiles and nuclear weapons.

Abe is hoping to convince Trump that if there is a meeting with Kim, the U.S. president will not make agreements with the North Korean leader that could weaken the security of Japan, which is under America’s nuclear umbrella and hosts thousands of U.S. military personnel.

“We’re certainly going to be taking into account the full range of threats North Korea poses to regional security,” said Pottinger.

Japanese officials want to avoid having Trump try to link any trade negotiations to security matters, a separation strictly maintained during decades of post-World War II diplomacy between the former enemies. But Trump has frequently stated that military allies, such as Japan and South Korea, should pay more for American forces defending them.

“I don’t think Prime Minister Abe will leave Mar-a-Lago with anything other than a high degree of confidence in the alliance,” predicted Pottinger.

There is disappointment in Japan that despite the close relationship between Trump and Abe, the U.S. government has not exempted Tokyo from tariffs placed on steel and aluminum imports.

“It will be under discussion,” Kudlow told reporters. “It’s a key point on the agenda.”

On a related topic, “the United States would probably like to see a free trade agreement (with Japan) come out at some point,” Kudlow told reporters early Tuesday afternoon just hours before Trump and Abe were to meet.

The economic advisor also said that “there’s nothing at all concrete” yet on the United States returning to what was the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership.

“It will come up in the summit, no question about it,” added Kudlow, in reference to the TPP from which Trump withdrew shortly after becoming president.

Kudlow, a conservative economic commentator who recently joined the Trump administration, also denied any linkage between TPP and China trade issues. But he said a global “trade coalition of the willing needs to be formed as a bulwark against Beijing.

China, added Kudlow, “really needs to play by the rules…or there will be consequences.”
…

Niger’s military has detained a suspect who it believes could be the militant leader who was being pursued when an ambush left four American soldiers dead in October, the American ambassador said Tuesday.

U.S. Ambassador Eric P. Whitaker told The Associated Press he does not know the identity of the detained suspect but that the head of Niger’s special forces is hopeful it’s a known extremist leader.

At the time of the October ambush that also left five Nigeriens dead, U.S. forces and their counterparts from the Niger military were pursuing Doundou Chefou, a militant suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of an American aid worker.

Authorities on Tuesday were awaiting identification of whether the man in custody is Chefou.

“Detentions by Nigerien forces are ongoing,” Whitaker said.

A U.S. investigation into the October ambush, which was claimed by fighters linked to the so-called Islamic State group, has not yet been released.

“Regrettably, they were ambushed by ISIS Greater Sahara forces,” said Whitaker.

U.S. officials familiar with the military investigation into the Niger ambush said last month that it concluded the team didn’t get required senior command approval for their risky mission to capture Chefou. As a result, commanders couldn’t accurately assess the mission’s risk, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the results of the not-yet-released investigation.

The investigation finds no single point of failure leading to the attack, which occurred after the soldiers learned Chefou had left the area. It also draws no conclusion about whether villagers in Tongo Tongo, where the U.S. team stopped for water and supplies, alerted IS militants to American forces in the area. Still, questions remain about whether higher-level commanders – if given the chance – would have approved the mission, or provided additional resources for it.

Before October, there had not been any major incursion like that into Niger before, said the commander of Special Operations Command Africa, Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks, who warned that the extremist threat has been marching south in the Sahel at an unprecedented level.

Threats in the region include al-Qaida-linked fighters in Mali and Burkina Faso, IS group-affiliated fighters in Niger, Mali and Nigeria and the Nigeria-based Boko Haram. All take advantage of the vast region’s widespread poverty and poorly equipped security forces.

U.S. special operations forces have been advising local troops on the continent for years, just under 1,000 across Africa.

Even before the October attack, the U.S. began to shift away from assisting tactical units on the front lines toward training, advising and assisting farther up the chain of command at the battalion level, Hicks said.
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Niger’s military has detained a suspect who it believes could be the militant leader who was being pursued when an ambush left four American soldiers dead in October, the American ambassador said Tuesday.

U.S. Ambassador Eric P. Whitaker told The Associated Press he does not know the identity of the detained suspect but that the head of Niger’s special forces is hopeful it’s a known extremist leader.

At the time of the October ambush that also left five Nigeriens dead, U.S. forces and their counterparts from the Niger military were pursuing Doundou Chefou, a militant suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of an American aid worker.

Authorities on Tuesday were awaiting identification of whether the man in custody is Chefou.

“Detentions by Nigerien forces are ongoing,” Whitaker said.

A U.S. investigation into the October ambush, which was claimed by fighters linked to the so-called Islamic State group, has not yet been released.

“Regrettably, they were ambushed by ISIS Greater Sahara forces,” said Whitaker.

U.S. officials familiar with the military investigation into the Niger ambush said last month that it concluded the team didn’t get required senior command approval for their risky mission to capture Chefou. As a result, commanders couldn’t accurately assess the mission’s risk, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the results of the not-yet-released investigation.

The investigation finds no single point of failure leading to the attack, which occurred after the soldiers learned Chefou had left the area. It also draws no conclusion about whether villagers in Tongo Tongo, where the U.S. team stopped for water and supplies, alerted IS militants to American forces in the area. Still, questions remain about whether higher-level commanders – if given the chance – would have approved the mission, or provided additional resources for it.

Before October, there had not been any major incursion like that into Niger before, said the commander of Special Operations Command Africa, Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks, who warned that the extremist threat has been marching south in the Sahel at an unprecedented level.

Threats in the region include al-Qaida-linked fighters in Mali and Burkina Faso, IS group-affiliated fighters in Niger, Mali and Nigeria and the Nigeria-based Boko Haram. All take advantage of the vast region’s widespread poverty and poorly equipped security forces.

U.S. special operations forces have been advising local troops on the continent for years, just under 1,000 across Africa.

Even before the October attack, the U.S. began to shift away from assisting tactical units on the front lines toward training, advising and assisting farther up the chain of command at the battalion level, Hicks said.
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Cambridge Analytica’s ex-CEO, Alexander Nix, has refused to testify before the U.K. Parliament’s media committee, citing British authorities’ investigation into his former company’s alleged misuse of data from millions of Facebook accounts in political campaigns.

Committee Chairman Damian Collins announced Nix’s decision a day before his scheduled appearance but flatly rejected the notion that he should be let off the hook, saying Nix hasn’t been charged with a crime and there are no active legal proceedings against him.

“There is therefore no legal reason why Mr. Nix cannot appear,” Collins said in a statement. “The committee is minded to issue a formal summons for him to appear on a named day in the very near future.”

Nix gave evidence to the committee in February, but was recalled after former Cambridge Analytica staffer Christopher Wylie sparked a global debate over electronic privacy when he alleged the company used data from millions of Facebook accounts to help U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign. Wylie worked on Cambridge Analytica’s “information operations” in 2014 and 2015.

Wylie has also said the official campaign backing Britain’s exit from the European Union had access to the Facebook data.

Cambridge Analytica has previously said that none of the Facebook data it acquired from an academic researcher was used in the Trump campaign. The company also says it did no paid or unpaid work on the Brexit campaign. The company did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said Tuesday that it had written to Nix to “invite him” to be interviewed by investigators. The office is investigating Facebook and 30 other organizations over their use of data and analytics.

“Our investigation is looking at whether criminal and civil offences have been committed under the Data Protection Act,” the office said in a statement.

Nix’s refusal to appear comes as the seriousness of the British inquiry becomes more evident.

Facebook has said it directed Cambridge Analytica to delete all of the data harvested from user accounts as soon as it learned of the problem.

But former Cambridge Analytica business development director Brittany Kaiser testified Tuesday that the U.S. tech giant didn’t really try to verify Cambridge Analytica’s assurances that it had done so.

“I find it incredibly irresponsible that a company with as much money as Facebook … had no due diligence mechanisms in place for protecting the data of U.K. citizens, U.S. citizens or their users in general,” she said.

Kaiser suggested that the number of individuals whose Facebook data was misused could be far higher than the 87 million acknowledged by the Silicon Valley giant.

In an atmosphere where data abuse was rife, Kaiser told lawmakers she believed the leadership of the Leave.EU campaign had combined data from members of the U.K. Independence Party and customers from two insurance companies, Eldon Insurance and GoSkippy Insurance. The data was then sent the University of Mississippi for analysis.

“If the personal data of U.K. citizens who just wanted to buy car insurance was used by GoSkippy and Eldon Insurance for political purposes, as may have been the case, people clearly did not opt in for their data to be used in this way by Leave.EU,” she said in written testimony to the committee.

Leave.EU’s communications director, Andy Wigmore, called Kaiser’s statements a “litany of lies.”

It is how the data was used that alarms some members of the committee and has captured the attention of the public.

An expert on propaganda told the committee Monday that Cambridge Analytica used techniques developed by the Nazis to help Trump’s presidential campaign, turning Muslims and immigrants into an “artificial enemy” to win support from fearful voters.

University of Essex lecturer Emma Briant, who has for a decade studied the SCL Group – a conglomerate of companies, including Cambridge Analytica – interviewed company founder Nigel Oakes when she was doing research for a book. Oakes compared Trump’s tactics to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in singling out Jews for reprisals.

“Hitler attacked the Jews, because … the people didn’t like the Jews,” he said on tapes of the interview conducted with Briant. “He could just use them to . leverage an artificial enemy. Well that’s exactly what Trump did. He leveraged a Muslim.”
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