Quote Originally Posted by Med Pie View Post
It doesn't say this though does it..............from the Atlantic publication.

Goldberg reported that the officials had also discussed the potential for Europe to pay for US protection of key shipping lanes.

"Whether it's now or several weeks from now, it will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes," the account associated with Waltz wrote on 14 March.

The message continued, saying that at Trump's request, his team was working with the defence department and state department "to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans".

At one point in the thread the Vance account griped that the strikes would benefit the Europeans, because of their reliance on those shipping lanes, adding: "I just hate bailing Europe out again."

The user identified as Hegseth responded three minutes later: "VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's PATHETIC."

"If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return," states a message from someone called SM - presumed to be deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller.
Oh dear. How embarrassing.