Posted on 02/13/2017 7:36:09 AM PST by xzins
Retired LTG Mike Flynn, President Trump’s national security advisor has been the object of an unprecedented campaign of defamation and abuse from Democrats and some Republicans in the DC defense establishment.
General Flynn’s sin in their eyes is strangely contradictory, but logic is not necessarily the forte of these Michael Flynnstrange political bedfellows.
In the eyes of Russophobic Democrats Flynn is soft on Russia.
So, in an unprecedented attack, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called for Gen. Flynn to be suspended and for his intelligence clearance to be revoked until U.S. officials fully review his contacts with Russia’s ambassador. Pelosi also called on the FBI to further investigation Trump’s relationship with the Kremlin, and urged Congress to launch an “outside commission” to examine the ties.
Now New Jersey’s Republican Governor Chris Christie has joined the fray telling CNN Gen. Flynn needs to clear up questions about whether he discussed sanctions in his pre-inauguration conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
According to CNN, Flynn cannot rule out that he spoke to a Russian official about sanctions, an aide close to the national security adviser said Friday.
Flynn, the aide said, has "no recollection of discussing sanctions," but added that the national security adviser "couldn't be certain that the topic never came up."
"I don't think that you can have any more than one president at a time," Christie told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union."
That’s exactly what Democrats said when President-elect Trump spoke out against Obama’s refusal to back Israel when anti-Semitic UN members proposed a resolution condemning the Jewish state for building settlements to house Jews driven out of Europe by rising anti-Semitism and to protect its borders against terrorist incursions.
All of this nonsense from Christie and Pelosi is intended to build the narrative that General Flynn is somehow “soft” on Russia, but nothing could be further from the truth.
As Eli Lake observed in his review of Gen. Flynn’s book Field of Fight:
Flynn, who flew to Moscow last year to attend a conference sponsored by the state's propaganda outlet, RT, is nonetheless very critical of Putin. "When it is said that Russia would make an ideal partner for fighting Radical Islam, it behooves us to remember that the Russians haven't been very effective at fighting jihadis on their own territory, and are in cahoots with the Iranians. In Syria, the two allies have loudly proclaimed they are waging war against ISIS, but in reality the great bulk of their efforts are aimed at the opponents of the Assad regime…"
In an interview with The Washington Post’s Dana Priest here’s what General Flynn said about his trip to Russia:
FLYNN: I found it a great learning opportunity. One of the things I learned was that Putin has no respect for the United States leadership. Not for the United States, but the leadership [of President Barack Obama].
PRIEST: How did you learn that?
FLYNN: I just learned it from the conversations and the way questions were asked and the discussions I was part of. I’m arguing for the United States and I found myself with people wondering what’s going on with the U.S. and I would tell them, you know, of course I’m standing up for the U.S. But it’s hard when they don’t have any respect for the current [Obama] leadership.
In Field of Fight, (co-written with our friend Michael Ledeen) Flynn argues that America is up against a global “alliance” between radical jihadis and anti-American nation states like Russia, Cuba and North Korea.
Establishment Republican and Democrat national security “experts” ridiculed the idea, but Flynn’s case is persuasive from both a military and economic perspective.
One of the goals that President Trump articulated throughout the campaign, and since his election, is that he sees utility in trying to peel off Russia from this “alliance” by demonstrating the benefits of engaging with and getting along with the United States.
General Flynn broke no laws nor did he jeopardize our national security by speaking with the Russian Ambassador to the United States – quite the opposite.
However, he did commit an unforgivable sin in the eyes of Democrats and the Republican national security establishment, and that was to write a book proving what they have been doing for twenty-five years hasn’t been working. Even more unforgivably, he then managed to place himself next to a President who agrees, and is prepared to take his advice and examine whether the United States can have a new and more productive relationship with Russia.
For me, the monitoring, recording, and release of Flynn’s actions and words reminds us again of the hundreds of moles remaining in the state department and the intelligence agencies.
They actually record everything said.
That should make every freedom loving American worry for his freedom from an out of control police state.
Keep Flynn. Tell Christie to crawl back into his cave and eat something
Well said.
I suppose Christie is PO’d that he didn’t get appointed to a significant post in the Trump administration.
Of all people, he should know that his legal issues made that dangerous for this president.
Who the hell does Nancy Pelosi think she is calling for anything? someone needs to rule 19 that witch. Take your seat and STFU Nancy.
I still think it was the NSA that outed Gen. Petraeus, a few drug criminals, and who knows what else.
This has got to be controlled.
Nancy has delusions of regaining the speakership.
Sadly, Paul Ryan plays into her hands. I hope the conservatives in the House stage a coup at some point in the near future.
He is a glibalist
Wonder if any of those bozo’s remember a certain naval reserve lieutenant who they went on to make a senator and secretary of state when he met with the enemy ca 71-72? I’d still like to see the discharge code on his original DD214!
“Republican national security establishment”, i.e., neocons - now led by none other than Juan McLame and Linda Graham, who are wrong about virtually everything.
This is all because those agencies have become so politicized. I can imaging working there when Obama was elected, knowing that I’d have to do a lot of stuff I disagreed with philosophically, but he was the boss so if I wanted to keep my job I’d do what was required, but I’d compartmentalize myself...hang out and talk with others who feel the same way. Before long you’ve got the agency divided into camps, those who agree philosophically with the President and those who do not, but can’t say or do much about it. That also pretty accurately describes the state of the nation for the past 8 years. Maybe even going back to Bush the Younger, because of the division that occured in 2000 over the chad-count election.
In any case that’s why we have what we have today. Factions within the agencies have now flipped, the traditionalists are “in charge” and the Obamaites are having to play defense, but the game is the same — leak info to screw the other side, do what you have to but find a way to stick the knife in and give it a twist if possible, without getting caught.
Think about how many employees of these agencies have the phone numbers of so-called journalists in their contacts list...and how many SHOULD.
It wont’ be easy to fix this. I have no idea really how Trump can do it.
Rule 19 only applies to the Senate. The House is rowdier.
One of the things I learned was that Putin has no respect for the United States leadership. Not for the United States, but the leadership [of President Barack Obama]. ......................... LOL, all you had to do was watch Russian TV news during Obama’s term to figure that out.
McCain’s fingerprints on this one.
Someone mentioned in another thread that the President should just fire anyone and everyone who was hired by 0bama. Period.
The wisdom in that is pretty clear.
I don’t know what can be done about the RINOs, but something needs to be. And soon.
Excellent point.
Hiring freeze and attrition is about the only tool short of them leaving for other jobs elsewhere.
Christie? I thought he was stuck in traffic somewhere.
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