Thread by @jseldin

Happening now: "Hello, everyone. It's another historic day here at the White House" - @PressSec opening briefing with NSA @robertcobrien, @RichardGrenell & Jared Kushner on #Serbia-#Kosovo

"They've normalized their economic relations" says Nat'l Security Adviser @robertcobrien "...quite remarkable"

NSA @robertcobrien calls additional diplomatic establishment of ties between #Kosovo and #Israel a "side benefit"

O'Brien also mentions deals btw #Israel-#UAE, #Taliban talks/deal and #Turkey-#Kurds ceasefire

"Your seeing a pattern here of the president being a true peacemaker" per @robertcobrien

"There's been plenty of criticism but what's been interesting to me is that the president has undertaken these historic initiatives...we're reaping the peace dividend"

#Russia-@DHSgov intel #Russia is amplifying fears about mail-in ballots

"The intelligence community has made very clear, 1st you have #China, which has the most massive program to influence the UnitedStates politically. You have #Iran & you have Russia" per @robertcobrien

"Some of them prefer Biden. Some people say some of them prefer the president" says NSA @robertcobrien

"My position is it doesn't matter what these countries want, that any country that attempts to interfere w/free & fair elections in the UnitedStates has to be stopped"

"We've taken unprecedented action. The president has taken unprecedented action in funding the hardening of our election infrastructure, whether it's #cyber or otherwise" per @robertcobrien

"Obviously, there are tremendous concerns about mail-in ballots. I mean, the news every night there seems to be another picture of some apartment building in some city w/thousands of ballots stacked up" @robertcobrien claims "There are concerns about mail-in ballots"

"Those concerns are very different than being concerned about foreign adversaries trying to influence our elections" per @robertcobrien

"We've made it a red line" he adds

"We've made it very clear to the #Chinese, to the #Russia|ns, to the #Iran|ians & others that haven't been publicly disclosed that anyone who tries to attempt to, that anyone who attempts to interfere w/American elections will face extraordinary consequences" per @robertcobrien

"I agree with him 100%" NSA @robertcobrien on assessment earlier this week by Atty General William Bar that #China is being more aggressive than #Russia

#Disinformation "It's hard to know what impact it can have or how they're spreading things" per @robertcobrien "I think some of our tech companies are doing a good job in trying to police, whether it's @Facebook or @Twitter, trying to police things in ways they didn't before"

"Our intelligence community is doing a good job in trying to track these things" adds @robertcobrien

"There's always going to be propaganda. There's always going to be efforts to influence us" per @robertcobrien "And again, we know that the Chinese have taken the most active role but the Russians and the Iranians and other countries are involved as well"

"We're going to do everything we can to protect the sanctity of our election. That's the foundation of our democracy. That's what makes us America" per @robertcobrien "We're just not going to tolerate other these other countries trying to get involved in our elections"

"The answer is no" says Jared Kushner, asked about @TheAtlantic report about how @POTUS views military members "That does not represent the way I've seen the president conduct himself"

.@TheAtlantic article "really a sad article for any magazine to have published" per NSA @robertcobrien "The president is unstinting in what he's willing to provide for our troops...I don't believe a word of what was in The Atlantic article...I've never seen anything like that"

US response to #Russia aggression vs US forces in #Syria?

"We do see aggressive behavior from the Russians" per @robertcobrien "But I can tell you American forces have rules of engagement designed to protect them, to allow them to defend themselves"

O'Brien talks about incident a few years ago when US launched airstrikes vs #Russia mercenaries in #Syria

'That didn't end to well for them bcs, again, President Trump gave our soldiers, in that instance the ability to defend themselves w/airpower, w/long-range fires"

"We're going to make sure that everywhere we operate...that the men & women in uniform will be able to defend themselves & protect themselves" per @robertcobrien, saying that message "has been communicated to them very clearly...at the appropriate level"

"They received a very strong message" @robertcobrien says of #Russia