[WAPO] The acting attorney general informed the Trump White House late last month that she believed Michael Flynn had misled senior administration officials about the nature of his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, and warned that the national security adviser was potentially vulnerable to Russian blackmail, current and former U.S. officials said. "Vulnerable to Russian Blackmail...?" Not at all creative.
The message, delivered by Sally Q. Yates and a senior career national security official to the White House counsel, was prompted by concerns that Flynn, when asked about his calls and texts with the Russian diplomat, had told Vice President-elect Mike Pence and others that he had not discussed the Obama administration sanctions on Russia for its interference in the 2016 election, the officials said. It is unclear what the White House counsel, Donald McGahn, did with the information.
Flynn resigned Monday night in the wake of revelations about his contacts with the Russian ambassador.
In the waning days of the Obama administration, James R. Clapper Jr., who was the director of national intelligence, and John Brennan, the CIA director at the time, shared Yates’s concerns and concurred with her recommendation to inform the Trump White House. They feared that "Flynn had put himself in a compromising position" and thought that Pence had a right to know that he had been misled, according to one of the officials, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.
A senior Trump administration official said before Flynn’s resignation that the White House was aware of the matter, adding that "we’ve been working on this for weeks." Emphasis added.
#1
Very interesting. Yates at Foggy Bottom, Brennan, Clapper, and possibly someone at the Bureau or NSA, all piling on. Let us just suppose for a moment that Flynn was actually INSTRUCTED to discuss sanctions with the Russians. Or on second thought, perhaps we shouldn't suppose it.
Yes, that's the same Sally Yates at State whom DJT fired two week ago for refusing to support the travel ban. I'll wager she soon accepts a high paying position at a D.C. based 'think tank' non-for-profit, with a single USG client which produces nothing, but has offices in over 50 countries.
Sources in the White House are saying that National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has apologized to Vice President Mike Pence in connection with Flynn’s conversations with the Russian ambassador in December. Pence is reported to have accepted Flynn’s apology, which was not made public.
Fox News cites a "West Wing source" for its reporting on the apology. The source also denies rumors Gen. Flynn will be fired from his position at the NSA. According to the source, Flynn is still part of President Trump’s "inner circle."
CNN reported in January that Gen. Flynn, who had been criticized for his ties to Russia in the past, had been in text and telephone contact with Sergei Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, while Barack Obama was still president. The two men had a phone call on Dec. 29, the same day that President Obama ordered additional sanctions on Russia and expelled 35 Russian diplomats in connection with Russia’s interference in the election. At the time, Trump transition officials denied that Flynn had discussed sanctions with the Russians.
Pence had defended Flynn in an interview with Chris Wallace on Jan. 15. "I talked to Gen. Flynn yesterday," Pence said. "The conversations that took place at that time were not in any way related to new US sanctions against Russia or the expulsion of diplomats."
Flynn’s story unraveled because the FBI intercepted his communications with Kislyak as part of routine surveillance of Russian diplomats. Analysis of the intercepted communications showed that Flynn actually did discuss the sanctions in spite of what he had told the vice president and the media.
Flynn’s public position has gone from one of adamant denial that sanctions were discussed to one of uncertainty. Through a spokesman, Flynn told the Washington Post, that "while he had no recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldn’t be certain that the topic never came up."
The revelation that Flynn lied to the vice president cuts to the core of the National Security Advisor’s integrity and credibility. Also troubling for Flynn, Gregg Miller of the Washington Post pointed out on NPR that the contacts with the Russians may have been illegal under a 1799 law that prohibits unauthorized negotiations with foreign governments.
It is extremely unlikely that the Trump Administration would prosecute Gen. Flynn for his contacts with the Russians, which were possibly authorized by the president himself. It is far more likely that Flynn will either be fired or kept on a short leash for the near future.
President Trump has remained uncharacteristically quiet on the subject, both on Twitter and though his surrogates. "It’s not for me to tell you what’s in the president’s mind," Trump advisor Steven Miller said on "Meet the Press," when asked about Flynn. President Trump "did not give me anything to say."
#1
It is extremely unlikely that the Trump Administration would prosecute Gen. Flynn for his contacts with the Russians, which were possibly authorized by the president himself.
#3
When was the last time someone was prosecuted for Logan Act violation?
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/14/2017 9:15 Comments ||
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#4
Let me see.... alleged unidentified gov't officials threaten to leak illegally obtained telephone recordings of a opposition political party, private citizen ?
#5
Rex, according to Wikipedia, only one person was indicted - in 1803.
John Kerry should have been prosecuted but wasn't.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/14/2017 9:47 Comments ||
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#6
Thanks Rambler - and that's the point. Again, it wasn't the crime but the cover up.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/14/2017 10:07 Comments ||
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#7
seems folks are focusing on Flynn while missing the greater crime of our intel people leaking how we monitor extracting intel a true threat to our National Security. Not to forget a private citizen being monitored isn't right.
Drain the swamp of Obama lingerers. Between RoguePotusStaff, Obama setting up his anti trump agitators with his shadow White House and these clowns we have a lot of work to do.
Posted by: Jan ||
02/14/2017 23:31 Comments ||
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[WAPO] The acting attorney general informed the Trump White House late last month that she believed Michael Flynn had misled senior administration officials about the nature of his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, and warned that the national security adviser was potentially vulnerable to Russian blackmail, current and former U.S. officials said.
Sources in the White House are saying that National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has apologized to Vice President Mike Pence in connection with Flynn’s conversations with the Russian ambassador in December. Pence is reported to have accepted Flynn’s apology, which was not made public.
