CIA freezes out top Flynn aide

Politico ^ | February 10, 2017 | Kenneth P. Vogel and Josh Dawsey

[Pinkbell]

A top deputy to National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was rejected for a critical security clearance, effectively ending his tenure on the National Security Council and escalating tensions between Flynn and the intelligence community.

The move came as Flynn’s already tense relationships with others in the Trump administration and the intelligence community were growing more fraught after reports that Flynn had breached diplomatic protocols in his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

On Friday, one of Flynn’s closest deputies on the National Security Council, senior director for Africa Robin Townley, was informed that the Central Intelligence Agency had rejected his request for an elite security clearance required for service on the NSC, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

That forced Townley, a former Marine intelligence officer who had long maintained a top secret-level security clearance, out of his NSC post, explained the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.

One of the sources said that the rejection was approved by Trump’s CIA director Mike Pompeo and that it infuriated Flynn and his allies.

Both sources said that the CIA did not offer much explanation for why Townley’s request for so-called “Sensitive Compartmented Information” clearance was rejected. But the sources said that Flynn and his allies believe it was motivated by Townley’s skepticism of the intelligence community’s techniques — sentiments shared by Flynn.

“They believe this is a hit job from inside the CIA on Flynn and the people close to him,” said one source, who argued that some in the intelligence community feel threatened by Flynn and his allies. “Townley believes that the CIA doesn’t run the world," the source said.

[Pinkbell]

One person close to Trump said that, within the White House, Flynn is regarded by some as waging “a jihad against the intelligence community.” This person said Flynn is blamed by some people around Trump for trying to turn the new president against the intelligence community during the campaign and transition period, when Trump was openly skeptical about U.S. intelligence findings that Russia meddled in the election to try to help his campaign and damage that of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

I continue to speculate over these leaks, and I feel like this possibly offers some clues. While there are still the options of a mole in the Trump inner circle and lower level staff leaking, I am leaning towards the state department or intelligence services at this point. Obviously there were leaks when Trump was President-elect. I thought Brennan was behind some of them, but obviously there are still Obama and Never Trump folks in these agencies. The CIA doesn't like Flynn because apparently he has some skepticism towards the CIA. Townley doesn't believe the CIA runs the world? Good for him! (I agree) However, now he's gone.

The article quotes someone close to Trump as saying a lot of people are "gunning" for Flynn. We know he's a popular media target along with Bannon. However, for now it says that Trump likes him, finds him loyal, and is keeping him. Obviously they are trying to take him down by saying he discussed sanctions prior to Trump being sworn in.

[SkyPilot]

General Flynn tweeted about money laundering and sex crimes of the Clintons and the Washington elite back in November:

U decide - NYPD Blows Whistle on New Hillary Emails: Money Laundering, Sex Crimes w Children, etc...MUST READ! https://t.co/O0bVJT3QDr — General Flynn (@GenFlynn) November 3, 2016

Many people suspect that several murders carried out by the lawless Obama regime had CIA involvement, or that the CIA knew of the crimes and did nothing to prevent or expose them:

- Michael Hastings, Andrew Breitbart, and Justice Scalia

And what one of the Pizzagate connections to these murders? Podesta, Hillary's campaign chief.

I believe that the guilty know that Flynn "knows" - and they are living in fear, anger, and rage at the thought that they could be exposed and held accountable for their crimes.

[Just mythoughts]

Congress gets updates from these agencies... And some in Congress would love nothing better than to bring Trump down... ‘rhinos included’.

[vooch]

No person holding dual citizenship should be able to hold secret clearances.

[buckalfa]

Is it that the swamp that needs draining being so much deeper than previously thought or that Townley had some skeletons in the closet? The leaks and behavior in DC are becoming more and more like Mad Magazine’s Spy vs. Spy cartoon.

[Truth29]

Trump needs to stop this internecine warfare among his appointees immediately.

[Covenantor]

No person holding dual citizenship should be able to hold secret clearances......

nor should they should they be eligible for any government job, Federal, state, county, municiple, hamlet EVER.

Can’t have any mugwumps in position of power or a position of influence, such as lobbyist.

What’s a mugwump you ask?

person who sits on a fence with his mug on one side and his rump on the other.

[elhombrelibre]

They may not want to know.

[TheConservativeBanker]

Does Townley hold dual citizenship? I read the entire article and didn’t see that he holds citizenship in another country.

[plangent]

Strike one: This is Politico. Strike two: This is Politico in snark and snitch mode. Strike 3: This is politico burning with rage and rumor.

This is not how adult professionals deal with one another. CIA has information on a Flynn associate? Then Pompeo calls Flynn directly and says “Mike, I know you are counting on Townley on NSC, but here is what we’ve found.”.

The way this snitch story is written, a steel cold apparatchik kicked the guy out without explanation.

[Pinkbell]

I have a feeling he wasn’t kicked out for anything he did wrong - probably because the CIA just doesn’t like him. They will concoct some excuse for the media, though, which the media will lap up, and if you question it, you are a tin foil hat wearing conservative.

[silverleaf]

Of course he should have discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador

He and trump were inheriting the mess within 3 weeks of the sanctions being imposed by Obama

Flynn should tell his inquisitors that when talking to the ambassador, he quoted what Obama told Medvedev

“After the election, I’ll have more flexibility”

[LegendHasIt]

Maybe this person does not deserve a clearance and the CIA has good reasons for not wanting thee person cleared.....

But....

The President can “Deem” anyone cleared for whatever level of security clearance he wishes them to have.

How quickly the lefitst media forgets that most people working in the Clinton and 0bama White House couldn´t qualify for even a Confidential Clearance, yet routinely handled Top Secret Crypto and even higher clearance information.

[Ann Archy]

I agree, but who has dual citizenship in this story?

[ncalburt]

Old Soros employee Kenny Vogel spreading more lies for the Dem party and fake news media.

This story is a pack of lies from Kenny Vogel an actual Soros employee .

Kenny was caught thanks to wilileaks working with Comrade Hillary.

It's time to Sue Vogel in court and Leftico for these smears and lies.

Stop playing games.

File suit and expose to everyone there tangled web of deceit.

Ban Leftico at the WH until all former Soros employees are left go like Kenny . .

[ground_fog]

how do people believe one word from any of these outlets like politico.. fake news everywhere .. it’s unreal all the fake news

[SE Mom]

There are several power struggles going on. I imagine that’s normal in a new administration but in this one is bound to be intensified. At THIS point, I’m unsure who to root for inside this web.

CIA, State, DoD and DOJ are the worst swamps- the “deep state”. There are entrenched power structures within them and layers protecting them. If we thought the president could blast those away in a month or two, we were naive. We don’t even know if the president has directed that to be attempted, except publicly in his “drain the swamp” message. But, has he sat down with these guys and said, get the sludge and gators and snakes out? We don’t know and shouldn’t assume.

The fact that we’re seeing continual high and low-level leaks is unsettling. I mentioned elsewhere this sense I have that there’s something out of the ordinary going on in Washington, not just what we can see.

Time will tell.

Good post, thanks.

[Vaquero]

Fire all top CIA office holders under the new leader. Then have them investigated.....by the FBI if necessary. This bull flop has to stop.

[dforest]

I do not like Pompeo. I don’t trust him and it is mostly based on his behavior in his confirmation hearings.

[VermithraxPejorative]

The media is most aggressive to taking Flynn down. I don’t trust any of these sources. The media and Dems are obsessed with Flynn and I think there’s bitterness about how he described Obama’s incompetence when he was leader of the Defense Intelligence Committee.