The National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was negotiating an end to Russian sanctions before he was even sworn in as NSA director, behind the backs of the incumbent administration, the State Department, and Congress.
This action, which the Trump administration has already lied about, is a major violation of federal statutes prohibiting private citizens from negotiating with foreign government. It also is itself a violation of the very sanctions themselves, which broadly prohibit contact with top Kremlin officials from American private citizens. Sanctions opposed by our current Secretary of State and flagrantly violated by our National Security Advisor.
Flynn may be the first major scalp of the Trump administration, with conservatives like David Frum arguing it is similar to the Iran Contra Scandal and the Trump administration claiming Flynn misled the President and Vice President with his denials.
This is just the tip of the iceberg this week. His chief political advisor, Kellyanne Conway (no relation I swear!) violated federal ethics laws on television. His press secretary has repeatedly lied to the American public. And his business interests are still tied up with his family members including members of his administration like Jared Kushner. Then we have Bannon on the NSC and the ham handed way he and his loyalists slipped the problematic EO under the noses of the White House Counsels Office; Sec. Kelly: Sec. Mattis; the DOG; and Congress.
We also have an absurd Politico story with an opening line that wouldn’t be out of place in the Onion:
Being president is harder than Donald Trump thought
It’s hard not to conclude that if Donald Trump is Homer Simpson, than the rest of America is Frank Grimes.
and prosecuted if American intelligence reports are true. They accuse him of colluding with the Russian Ambassador on December 29 as a private citizen ( a violation of the Logan Act) on the very day that President Obama imposed diplomatic sanctions on Russia for interfering in our election. Flynn reportedly assured the Russians that the economic sanctions that Obama imposed after Russia annexed Crimea would be lifted once Trump assumed office. Consequently, Putin did NOT retaliate against the US for Obama’s diplomatic expulsions—highly unusual.
Even more troubling is the belief by many in our intelligence community that Russia and the Trump campaign COLLABORATED to defeat Putin’s sworn enemy, Hillary Clinton, by hacking into her private emails. If proven, these crimes would challenge the very integrity of the election to undermine democracy itself.
There’s something ROTTEN here and we must get to the bottom of this.
RESIST !
Fred Rich LaRiccia
by assuring him he had not discussed lifting economic sanctions with the Russian Ambassador as a quid pro quo for Russian help in defeating Clinton.
Now he says he can’t recall whether he did or didn’t. LIAR !
After only three weeks in office this is the most CORRUPT administration in American history.
RESIST !
Fred Rich LaRiccia
Pence lied. Perhaps Flynn told Pence that he did speak to the Russians as instructed by our so-called president and Pence decided to protect our so-called president by pinning this all on Flynn?
So now, if Flynn comes out and says “Yes, I did speak to the Russians, as instructed by our so-called president”….Pence and our so-called president can simply tweet “once a liar, always a liar, we had nothing to do with this!”
( anagram for Donald Trump ) đŸ™‚ lol
Lord Dampnut lied yesterday when he claimed not to know anything about Flynn’s LIE.
This is the very definition of a PATHOLOGICAL LIAR.
RESIST!
Fred Rich LaRiccia
I suppose it’s just a coincidence that I am now reminded of the other anagram for a “bad hombre” (for lack of a better term) using Lord: Tom Marvolo Riddle anagrams to “I am Lord Voldemort”!:)
There’s just no teeth to it. It’s a combination of his “honeymoon” and the GOP control of the Congress.
Chaffetz’s town hall was interesting though. A lot of mainstream conservative and moderates were shouting on him to investigate Trump as much as he hit Hillary. Definitely a decent number of progressive protestors focused on ACA-but it surprised me to see some self identified moderate and conservative Mormons demand investigations into Trump. Whether that’s an anomoly unique to Utah or the result of a wider trend remains to be seen. It’s worth noting there were more Republican House members elected in districts that went to Hillary than the other way around.
Gallup approval down to 41%: https://twitter.com/mattmfm/status/830495490231906309