"This does lead people to believe he was trying to provoke a confrontation," a senior administration official said, "and was taking steps to protect himself if that happened".
Trump was angered by Sessions' decision, left the White House for Mar-A-Lago after a heated confrontation with senior staff over the matter, and then woke up the next day, tweeted about Obama and "wire taps," sending everything spinning out of control.
The bombing of the Cole on Oct. 12, which killed 17 sailors, was followed by weeks of confrontations between senior officials of the two governments over Yemeni limits on F.B.I. investigators.
Though they wanted an abortion, which is legal for rape victims in this state on the border with California, they abandoned the idea after weeks of confrontations with senior state officials, who believe that abortion is a taking of life.
Lew's appearance before the Senate Finance Committee will be the first public confrontation between a senior administration official and Republicans since the fiscal showdown began last month.
Lew's appearance is the first public confrontation between a senior administration official and Republicans since the fiscal showdown began last month.
There was another possible reason: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is locked in a bruising confrontation with the senior judiciary that is due to resume in the Supreme Court on Wednesday and that could, under one possible outcome, lead to his resignation by the weekend.
"The desire to launch a new 'green' economy brings the risk of trade confrontations," said Eloi Laurent, senior economist at Sciences-Po's economic research center in Paris.
This week was the last confrontation between my seniors and juniors in a contest billed as "Ultimate Americana". Call it cultural literacy or trivia — it's a collection of questions and associations to stretch young minds, challenge their intellect and occasionally test their sense of humor.
"We don't want to end up in a confrontation with Iran," a senior Indian official said in an interview from New Delhi.
