Were Obama Loyalists Working To Oust Michael Flynn Because He Was Going To Reveal Details Of Obama’s Iran Deal?
[guest post by Dana]
According to a report out today, it seems like it:
The abrupt resignation Monday evening of White House national security adviser Michael Flynn is the culmination of a secret, months-long campaign by former Obama administration confidantes to handicap President Donald Trump’s national security apparatus and preserve the nuclear deal with Iran, according to multiple sources in and out of the White House who described to the Washington Free Beacon a behind-the-scenes effort by these officials to plant a series of damaging stories about Flynn in the national media.
The effort, said to include former Obama administration adviser Ben Rhodes—the architect of a separate White House effort to create what he described as a pro-Iran echo chamber—included a small task force of Obama loyalists who deluged media outlets with stories aimed at eroding Flynn’s credibility, multiple sources revealed.
The operation primarily focused on discrediting Flynn, an opponent of the Iran nuclear deal, in order to handicap the Trump administration’s efforts to disclose secret details of the nuclear deal with Iran that had been long hidden by the Obama administration.
Insiders familiar with the anti-Flynn campaign told the Free Beacon that these Obama loyalists plotted in the months before Trump’s inauguration to establish a set of roadblocks before Trump’s national security team, which includes several prominent opponents of diplomacy with Iran. The Free Beacon first reported on this effort in January.
…
[M]ultiple sources closely involved in the situation pointed to a larger, more secretive campaign aimed at discrediting Flynn and undermining the Trump White House.
“It’s undeniable that the campaign to discredit Flynn was well underway before Inauguration Day, with a very troublesome and politicized series of leaks designed to undermine him,” said one veteran national security adviser with close ties to the White House team. “This pattern reminds me of the lead up to the Iran deal, and probably features the same cast of characters.”
…
Since then, top members of the Obama administration’s national security team have launched a communications infrastructure after they left the White House, and have told reporters they are using that infrastructure to undermine Trump’s foreign policy.
“It’s actually Ben Rhodes, NIAC, and the Iranian mullahs who are celebrating today,” said one veteran foreign policy insider who is close to Flynn and the White House. “They know that the number one target is Iran … [and] they all knew their little sacred agreement with Iran was going to go off the books. So they got rid of Flynn before any of the [secret] agreements even surfaced.”
Likely Obama’s people would do anything to guard the Iran deal and all its secrets, so this wouldn’t be surprising if it panned out.
There was also this from an unnamed source:
“The Obama administration knew that Flynn was going to release the secret documents around the Iran deal, which would blow up their myth that it was a good deal that rolled back Iran,” the source said. “So in December the Obama NSC started going to work with their favorite reporters, selectively leaking damaging and incomplete information about Flynn.”
Meanwhile, Jake Tapper is reporting that a senior administration official claims that Flynn was also fired because he requested a security clearance for his son without first informing Vice-president Pence. This along with his misleading comments to Pence about his calls with the Russian ambassador.
(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back)
–Dana
What a mess.
Dana (023079) — 2/14/2017 @ 5:35 pmbetween food stamp’s virulently jew-hating iran deal and the innate cowardly trashiness of the cia
failmerica lol
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/14/2017 @ 5:53 pmwhy would anyone have to inform “vice president pence” about anything before doing anything
he’s a turd-bigot and not even a very bright one
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/14/2017 @ 5:55 pmthat said, General Flynn’s son seems like a huge loser
but daddy ain’t no piker
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/14/2017 @ 5:57 pmvery provocative post Dana good work
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/14/2017 @ 5:58 pmThis is all totally believable. The left is going against Trump with everything they have.
Charlie Davis (df08d0) — 2/14/2017 @ 6:00 pma lil but of military experience is fine but if you soak in it
it makes you weird
john mccain
colin powell
david petraeus
wesley whatever his name was
tom cotton
that boykin guy
james stockdale
colin powell some more (so weird)
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/14/2017 @ 6:02 pmugh a lil *bit* i mean
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/14/2017 @ 6:03 pmThe original story is almost never the truth, Benghazi, Boston San Bernardino, Orlando, they leave a piece out. Great job Dana.
narciso (d1f714) — 2/14/2017 @ 6:06 pmIf this is true (and I find it perfectly credible), then there are two alternatives.
Either 1)the Obamanauts are incredibly stupid people who think they can keep doing this sort of thing over and over again, to all the major members of the security team,for the next four years. What is to keep Gen. Kellogg from making everything public tomorrow?
Or 2)Among the secret agreements is some provision which will make publication truly irrelevant after a certain date in the near future, and they only want to delay matters until then.
My own vote is for option 2.
Mind you, they couldn’t have done this without a valuable assist from Flynn himself. He apparently lied to Trump and made a public fool of Pence, and I doubt either of them enjoyed that.
Kishnevi (1a00bd) — 2/14/2017 @ 6:21 pmGreetings:
Back before the Presidential election, I saw Mike “Altar Boy” Morrell (who previously both worked at and, as he put it “ran”, the CIA which occasionally dabbles in “intelligence”) being interviewed on the PBS “Charlie Rosie” interview show. He clearly (and I guess unequivacally for that type) stated that he would do anything he could to get Misses Clinton elected. Shoudl I accept that there would be no Plan “B’ ????
11B40 (6abb5c) — 2/14/2017 @ 6:47 pmDeep State
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/14/2017 @ 6:53 pmA US intelligence agency monitored a private citizens conversations. DeepState.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/14/2017 @ 6:55 pmBureaucrats who nobody elected working to undermine a legitimately elected POTUS. Deep State.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/14/2017 @ 6:56 pm@ kishnevi,
While I’m unclear about the context of how you define irrelevant here, at the very least, if the dirty details come out and they are indeed bad, that would still reflect on an already desperate and demolished Democratic Party.
Dana (023079) — 2/14/2017 @ 7:00 pmDana, I am thinking that the agreements let Iran do something it shouldn’t be doing, and that if the details become known they won’t be able to do it. There would be some significant date involved, after which publication of the secrets will not matter: either everyone will know what Iran has done/is doing, or after that date will not be able to stop Iran from doing it. So publication of the secrets will matter only until that date.
Of course I have no idea what the date might be or what the objectionable Iranian action might be.
Kishnevi (1a00bd) — 2/14/2017 @ 7:12 pmI understand that, kishnevi, and thInk you’re onto something, but don’t you think there would also still be political fallout as a result?
Dana (023079) — 2/14/2017 @ 7:44 pmI doubt there will be any damage politically. The folks who defended the deal will defend the secrets, the folks who attacked the deal will attack the secrets, the folks who are confused or low information will stay that way.
Also remember that the Obamanauts think the deal is a good thing, and only the dastardly GOP is, for partisan reasons or neo-con love of Netanyahu, against it.
Kishnevi (1a00bd) — 2/14/2017 @ 7:57 pmDo these black hats think we will just hand it over to them without a fight?
mg (31009b) — 2/14/2017 @ 7:59 pmsoros lackeys will run at the first sound of shells going into the chamber
Yes could go wrong with giving the mullahs 150 million dollars
narciso (7c7468) — 2/14/2017 @ 8:08 pmThanks for posting this, Dana.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/14/2017 @ 8:13 pmFor the sake and future of our country, I hope we never have to be governed by anything like the Obama bunch again. Goddamned traitors.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/14/2017 @ 8:17 pmSo the media with its Fake News has now pared our choices down to:
1. Join Trump and support Russia.
2. Join the Democrats and support Iran.
The first proposition is false, but not the second. In fact, the media has intentionally twisted things so that their intervention on behalf of Iran is hidden behind false accusations that Russia intervened in our elections.
It’s part of the left’s MO.
BobStewartatHome (71c904) — 2/14/2017 @ 8:18 pmKishnevi, @10, option 2) only makes sense if some world-altering event, an event that would preclude remedial measures, takes place before the hidden details can be exposed. We should be very worried. And if the delay achieved by the dispatch of Flynn, who became the security advisor in late November, is a measure of the time required, then this event will happen in the next three months, or less. The masterminds behind this Iranian deal must realize that the staff work behind the possible disclosure has already been done, and it is just a matter of orchestrating the means by which this information will become public.
BobStewartatHome (71c904) — 2/14/2017 @ 8:29 pmI’m still not clear on how sandbagging Flynn keeps the secrets secret. Flynn’s the only one who knows the details and he can’t tell anybody else what they are or where to find them unless he’s getting a government paycheck? Or is this some kind of warning to squealers, try to let the cat out of the bag and we’ll leak all your criminal behavior – and there’s nobody in the Trump administration who doesn’t have blackmailable criminal behavior on their resume? The whole thing sounds pretty silly to me.
Jerryskids (16a4d5) — 2/14/2017 @ 8:32 pmI can’t wait to see what @weetoolo tweets about this.
Pinandpuller (18827e) — 2/14/2017 @ 8:57 pmWhy presumedly this info is highly compartmentalized and probably accessible with a high security clearance.
narciso (7c7468) — 2/14/2017 @ 9:00 pmThere is an audit trail even a blind partisan could follow for this type of information. The audacity of those involved knowing this is the real story.
crazy (d3b449) — 2/14/2017 @ 9:24 pmWhat is the point? Flynn wasn’t fired because of any “false leaks”. Everything alleged about him (getting cozy with the Russian ambassador, lying to Pence, etc) has been acknowledged as the truth, according to Flynn himself.
Dave (711345) — 2/14/2017 @ 10:08 pmI don’t doubt for a moment that people opposed to this administration’s policies are trying to make it look bad – that’s how politics works.
But this whole conspiracy theory makes no sense. Anyone in a cabinet-level (or equivalent) position in the Trump administration could make the details of the Iran deal public. If Flynn had wanted to, he could have done it himself, weeks ago. His successor can likewise do it tomorrow.
Going after one guy with the idea that if you get rid of him, the whole problem will go away is ludicrous, and exposes this whole unsourced fairy tale for what it is – an attempt to shift the blame for Flynn’s resignation in disgrace away from where it belongs.
To distract from and excuse the incompetence and disarray of his administration, Trump must always provide his cultists with a target for their hate. The initial story of Flynn’s duplicity lacked any villains outside the Trump White House/Russian Embassy, so they conveniently invented one.
Dave (711345) — 2/14/2017 @ 10:22 pmWhat Dave said. Flynn is not without his own constituency who 1) will want to make him seem the victim of a conspiracy and not a doofus who can neither keep his mouth shut nor lie convincingly; and 2) already think that fluoridated water is a conspiracy to contaminate our bodily fluids and deplete our vital essences.
nk (dbc370) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:41 amI’ll go with the Free Beacon’s take.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/15/2017 @ 5:35 am“THE HILL: Chairman: House intel panel won’t investigate Flynn, will probe leaks.”
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/15/2017 @ 5:36 amNEWS FROM THE WORLD OF FAKE NEWS… https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/257395/
Colonel Haiku (8f010c) — 2/15/2017 @ 6:01 amNice to see your opinion of military men is well grounded in 1964 cinema.
Rev. Hoagie® (785e38) — 2/15/2017 @ 6:04 amPeople who spend weeks after the election acting like the Electoral College was some kind trick pulled on the country are not interested in ‘rule of law.’ They’re interested in Democrats.
Colonel Haiku (8f010c) — 2/15/2017 @ 6:05 amhttp://www.washingtonexaminer.com/dan-rather-flynn-may-be-as-big-as-watergate/article/2614824
Colonel Haiku (8f010c) — 2/15/2017 @ 6:16 amI’ll tell you something else, if this thing turns out to be half as important as I figure it just might be, I’d say that Dave and a few others are in line for some horse-whippin’ and personal ass-kickin’ when this thing’s over with.
Colonel Haiku (8f010c) — 2/15/2017 @ 6:21 amDoesn’t it feel like groundhog day, coronello, we know how they operate, yet vague tumor is accepted as fact.
narciso (8c497a) — 2/15/2017 @ 7:40 amYes Rhodes links his co conspirator cirincione of plowshares I wrote a post on My own blog, back last year
narciso (8c497a) — 2/15/2017 @ 7:53 amThis how you plan to roll, Colonel?
urbanleftbehind (bd111a) — 2/15/2017 @ 8:06 amhttp://www.yahoo.com/news/dominican-journalists-shot-dead-during-live-radio-broadcast-142252277.html
Scooter Libby
crazy (d3b449) — 2/15/2017 @ 8:35 amGreetings:
Me, I’m thinking that Joe Biden’s son had a rather truncated naval career not to long ago, no ???
It continues to amuse me how difficult it seems for the prop-prog-media to find analogies with the previous eight-years of interesting administration, if that’s the word. Gung Hay Fat Choi.
11B40 (6abb5c) — 2/15/2017 @ 8:40 amBtw where did the solons son ended up, on the board of a Russian controlled Ukrainian oils with podestas part on a sanctioned Russian bsnk
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 9:17 amThat is a possibility – or they could have had other reasons, even very legitimate ones.
It is certainly true taht the argument. made or forwarded by Sally Yates on Jan. 26, that Flynn could be subjected to blackmail by Russia if he kept on lying about the conversation he had had with the Russian Ambassador was specious. Maybe Russia had other things to blackmail him about that nobody knew about, but not this.
It’s rather members of the U.S. intelligence community – or whoever knew that the conversation was not how he said it was who could have maybe tried to blackmail him. Except they didn’t try to blackmail him, but just tried to get rid of him.
The blackmail argument is really, really, specious, especially for the Russians.
The argument that he broke the law – a very weak law – were checked out and his conversation did not violate the Logan Act (he did not make any proposals) – more, probably because he knew he was acting outside of his authority than because he was wary of violating the Logan act and negotiating with a foreign power. (in any case this was at a point in time when there was no longer any question that Donald Trump was going to become president, barring accidents)
Donald Trump decided that, although he didn’t act on his instructions, what Mike Flynn told the Russian Ambassador was within his area of responsibility, and it actually worked out very very well. So, he was going to write this off, until this was leaked to the New York Times and washington Post for publication last Thursday February 9. That alerted Mike Pence to the fact that Flynn had lied to him, or had a very very bad memory. This resulted in some more questionind, and. apparently, Mike Flynn kept on lying, claiming that he couldn’t remember the conversation, or maybe about the number of calls he had, or maybe the day they took place (this part is not clear). Mike
Donald Trump fired him – no question – because of the uproar. According to the New York Times, when he heard a news alert that there was going to be another story about Mike Flynn, or something about Mike Flynn. he told nearby aides “It’s time”
Flynn had kept on lying not realizing although he maybe should have known
better that the conversation had been recorded! and that the people asking him the questions knew exactly what had been said.
The conversation was apparently not listened to for a few days after it happened, and it is not clear if the recording still exists, or only a transcript.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/15/2017 @ 9:31 am3. happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/14/2017 @ 5:55 pm
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/15/2017 @ 9:51 amthe FBI is an obscenely corrupt bunch of slicked-up fascist pansies and everyone knows it
but yeah Flynn’s one of those unacculturated weirdos who don’t understand how anything in real life works
this is why hiring these lifers out of the military is fraught with peril
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/15/2017 @ 9:57 amThere is a new news story, now though:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/us/politics/russia-intelligence-communications-trump.html
It seems like there’s an ongoing investigation about contacts between people close to Truump and Russian intelligence officials.
The leakers said they hadn’t found any evidence of co-operation in the hacking, which makes sense. The Russians don’t need Trump or anybody close to Trump to tell them who to try to hack.
The leakers would not say who had had contact with Russian government officials, but did say – that sounds like volunteer but I suspect it means confirm – that one of them was Paul Manafort. It’s not clear if The New York Times asked its sources about Mike Flynn. They probably talked to their sources weeks ago, and his name would not have stood out so much, although there was a problem with Mike Flynn already – his appearance on RT TV.
“other associates of Mr. Trump” (Are they talking about Roger Stone?)
This is like a 1-2 punch here. The New York Times learned this weeks ago, (the officials were “interviewed in recent weeks”) but decided to run the story now now taht I guess it’s more newsworthy.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/15/2017 @ 10:11 amThey made it up saameh, without names, content disclised, there is no evidence.
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 10:14 amMr. Trump protects us from the hooded claw keeps the vampires from our door
he is so good
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/15/2017 @ 10:17 amAccording to Curtis Sliwa on the Curtis and Kuby radio show on WABC, Roger Stone has acknowlk3edged having contacts with Russian intelligence agents. I think he said it was on the radio in the 5pm hour yesterday.
Paul Manafort said he wouldn’t know if he did – they don’t wear badges.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trumps-ex-aide-manafort-its-not-like-russian-spies-wear-badges-2017-02-15
There’s two other names Curtis Silwa mentioned. One of them was Carter Page.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/15/2017 @ 10:30 amIts a nebulous category, so lets compare the names of the operatives involved with those on png list, somewhat like josephina vital expelled in 2003, was at the centerpiece of the negotiations that rhodes were a party to,
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 10:37 amHere is anew story from the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/us/politics/russia-intelligence-communications-trump.html
Excerpt:
I noted in another thread [comment 110 in Uh-oh..] a few days ago, that two Russian intelligence officers who worked on cyberoperations and a Russian computer security expert have been arrested and charged with treason for providing information to the United States.
Also, one of Steele’s suspected sources, Oleg Erovinkin, may have been killed by Putin on, or shortly before, December 26, and I think that might be because he was acting on Putin’s instructions, (because Putin thought Steele was working for MI6, rather than an American political firm [Fusion GPS] looking for dirt to help Hillary, as he in fact was.)
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/15/2017 @ 10:39 amnarciso @52 png list = ?
josephina vital = Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, general director of the U.S. division in Cuba’s Minisry of Foreign Affairs. She was one of trhe two women on the Cuban side of the negotiations that led to a lifting of many sanctions on Cuba by the Obama Adinistrations and the agreement to open an embassy. She used to be a Directorate of Intelligence official, and was expelled from the U.s. in 2003. So I see what you mean by saying it’s a nebulous category. After all, Ptin himself was a KGB official.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/15/2017 @ 10:47 amLike this one, I’m surevthe line between journalist businessman and diplomat is very narrow
babalublog.com/2015/01/14/the-obama-castro-deal-for-dummies-kgb-trained-spy-josefina-vidal-vs-u-s-foreign-service-water-boy-ricardo-zuniga-we-got-fleeced
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 10:49 amShe impressed Andrea much like victor Louis did for talbott
babalublog.com/2012/03/26/andrea-mitchell-charmed-by-di-officer-josefina-vidal
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 10:54 amWell that’s convenient:
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/15/robert-harward-plans-a-housecleaning-of-trumps-national-security-council-staff
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 11:09 amComments by Donald Trump this morning: (Note – all times are Pacific time)
Trump always calls the New York Times the failing New York Times. The New York Times says their subscriptions are going up.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/15/2017 @ 11:13 amSpy catching and mole hunts don’t mix well with politics.
The blabbery current and former officials warning us how serious this is aren’t making it easier to catch the real spy(ies) or mole(s) they’re making it harder. IF the FBI is conducting a professional counter intelligence operation then at some point somebody’s going to notice that the people pointing fingers may be more interested in protecting their own activities than in identifying and unmasking the real spy(ies) or mole(s). Flynn’s appointment was problematic for lots of reasons and a cloud will hang over him for a while because of the time and nature of his resignation but isn’t it interesting that POTUS urged him to speak out and continues to defend him. That looks more like a guy who’s collateral damage rather than a target of the investigation.
crazy (d3b449) — 2/15/2017 @ 11:46 am57
Kishnevi (b0adf2) — 2/15/2017 @ 11:53 am“Trump’s sinking ship”?
I guess Mr.Ricks must be proud of his journolist badge.
I’m not usually a paranoid but it seems to me there is a cabal of media, bureaucracy, radical leftists, and perhaps others actively engaged in sedition. Americans trying to overthrow the lawfully elected government? Make America Venezuela Again? The left will never, ever, ever stop in it’s march to control people.
Rev. Hoagie® (785e38) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:05 pmWelcome to Donald Trump’s America, where Freedom of the Press = Sedition
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:06 pmMeanwhile the creator of the greatest hamburger commercials of all time wants out of the swamp.
crazy (d3b449) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:13 pmHe was an establishment bone anyhow.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:20 pmIt doesn’t matter. Flynn worked for Trump and is therefore, evil in your eyes. I’m not a Trumpist, only voted for him because he won the nomination, but the anti-Trump vibe on your blog has turned me from a daily reader to about once a month.
Rich Vail (339dcb) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:28 pmJust a meaningless silly note about the Deep State and its reach.
On January 20, 2008, the very day that Obama was first sworn into office, 24 x 36 inch photos of Obama and Biden were put up on the wall across from the main bank of elevators in the federal building where I worked.
The day Eric Holder was sworn in as Attorney General, his photo was up on the wall in the reception area of the DOJ office I worked in.
I was in that same federal building and DOJ office yesterday.
While the Obama, Biden, and Holder (Lynch) pictures are all gone, they have not been replaced with anything.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:38 pmFreedom of the press doesn’t equal sedition, but leaking FISA material and other classified material is a federal crime. Publishing FISA material is also a federal crime.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:43 pmSWC, I’d attribute that to vanity/multiple takes in Trumps case and the off chance that AG Sessions is an nth successor (waiting for tTHE picture of pictures.
urbanleftbehind (53db1d) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:47 pm57 — the Trump NSC staff was a disaster from the start. Trump would have been wise to heed the warning from Obama’s people about Flynn being unsuited tempermentally for the job, and he staffed the office with a bunch of like-minded folks not possessing the necessary experience for the job. All I needed to see was KT McFarland being appointed as his Deputy to know that NSC was not going to be what it needed to be. McFarland is a former speech writer and PR person — sure she has a long resume in defense issues and national security issues, but she’s never had a real “senior” position with regard to either. Dep. NSA is a BIG BIG job.
Flynn was rewarded for his loyalty during the campaign. But his “red meat” speeches against Clinton painted a big bulls-eye on his back.
I’m happy that a much better NSC will be coming in, and likely bringing with him a much much better staff. Because Pence, Mattis, Coates, Pompeo, and the NSC are going to have to stand as a bullwark sometimes against the more political operators on the WH staff.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:55 pmLooks like you can start hoping for a much much better Secretary of Labor team, too.
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:59 pmAndy Puzder: “F*ck it”
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/15/2017 @ 12:59 pmOn that note, could KT be slid over to replace Spicer or KAC?
urbanleftbehind (53db1d) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:00 pmReally, Leviticus is that what you took away from my comment? That comment immediately brought to mind that I think a free press equals sedition? We have an administration that has been slammed daily since the election even before it took office by the media, by Hollywood, by every conceivable leftist in America and abroad and every leftist moron in Congress and you think I’m against free press? Sometimes you can be so shallow it’s surprising. Maybe a few more riots and you’ll see what I mean.
BTW, freedom of the press doesn’t equal sedition but leaks by our own intelligence agencies does. Especially leaks which had to come from high up. And when the media is participating the media is performing sedition. When secret NSA info is released to a newspaper about a PRIVATE CITIZEN at the time we all should be worried. People who would do that will do anything.
Rev. Hoagie® (785e38) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:05 pmpervy Mitt Romney’s enthusiastic support for Mr. Puzder made me a lil queasy
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:05 pmWhat is the evidence of problems at the nsc, fLynn hasn’t been able to put to put in many of their own people
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:05 pmLike colonel robin townley who was denied a security clearance out of spite.
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:28 pmThe Yemen raid, perhaps then again the December 2009 raid was nearly as catastrophic.
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:29 pmMaybe. Maybe the NSC redo was already enough of a sure thing that Townley wasn’t going to need a clearance.
crazy (d3b449) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:30 pmMike Flynn was one of those Trump associates talking to Russians “known to US intelligence” (although I think everybody knew this. What they don’t know, but I suspect, is that Putin is responsible for stirring up fear of Syrian refugees)
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/14/politics/donald-trump-aides-russians-campaign/index.html
This could be the conspiracy theories and the “Russian connection non-sense” mentioned in Trump’s /6:40 3:40 AM and 7:08/4:08 AM tweets today. Note that Trump mentioned CNN
Sammy Finkelman (6f9f42) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:36 pmThis is the Eli Lake Bloomberg View article mentioned in Trump’s 7:28 AM/4:28 AM tweet.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-02-14/the-political-assassination-of-michael-flynn
Sammy Finkelman (6f9f42) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:37 pmBreaking news: Andrew Puzder expected to withdraw as Labor secretary nominee (that’s why nominees do not often get defeated on the floor. If Flynn’s position had required Senate confirmation, he probably would never have been appointed.
Sammy Finkelman (6f9f42) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:40 pmLeviticus “Welcome to Donald Trump’s America, where Freedom of the Press = Sedition”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Department_of_Justice_investigations_of_reporters
SPQR (a3a747) — 2/15/2017 @ 1:51 pmYeah, I wouldn’t call what James Rosen did “sedition.” Would you?
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:01 pmLeviticus, Eric Holder called Rosen a “criminal co-conspirator”.
SPQR (a3a747) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:02 pmI’m not Eric Holder, and I disagree with his assessment of Rosen.
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:12 pmIts not “Donald Trump’s America”, is it?
SPQR (a3a747) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:16 pmNo– it’s Barack Obama’s America Enjoy!
https://pjmedia.com/trending/2017/02/15/surprise-at-the-end-obama-administration-gave-nsa-broad-new-powers/
elissa (dcb85a) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:32 pmthey are so corrupt, america’s cowardly NSACIAFBI spy piggies
corrupt and trashy with fat wives and stupid children
they hate themselves so they lash out
it’s very sad
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:35 pm… leaks which had to come from high up… – So-called Rev. Hoagie
So, you guys are going to complain about leaks? Oh, no you don’t get to do that. Trump rode leaks into office. He lives by leaks, now he’ll die by them.
Tillman (a95660) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:37 pmthe spypiggies leak leak leak like astronaut diapers
that’s just who they are
corrupt and trashy
and deeply anti-America
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:38 pmFine, SPQR – I’ll revise:
Welcome to the United States of America, where the Executive Branch would have you believe that “freedom of the press” is “sedition.”
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:49 pmcnn anderson cooper fake news is more like sedation i think
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:57 pmzing!
happyfeet (28a91b) — 2/15/2017 @ 2:58 pmSo Trump’s administration is even less competent than Obama’s?
Dave (711345) — 2/15/2017 @ 3:14 pmOnce Trump’s honeymoon is over the party can really begin.
Rev. Hoagie® (785e38) — 2/15/2017 @ 3:37 pm@87 Interesting coincidence,isn’t it elissa. Almost like somebody planned it – not just because it opens up the crown jewels of collection for wide distribution, but because it allows the “current and senior government officials” who are blabbing to the press to hide in plain sight among the now hundreds of others with access to what they’re revealing.
crazy (d3b449) — 2/15/2017 @ 3:39 pm#89 Tillwoman, leaks are illegal. What Wikileaks did was wrong. But your Barack wasn’t able to get Julian Assange, huh?
However, you Alinskyites were actually the ones trying to keep that nasty Hillary woman out of federal prison by spending the entire summer propagandizing about how leaks, hacks, and inattentive cybersecurity are not all that big of a deal.
This is yet another example of how your ethical standards are fluid.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/15/2017 @ 3:49 pmIts possible, Melissa but seeing as this is all anonymous claims, there aisnt even evidence of actual intercepts
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 3:52 pmIf a national guard document can be faked for political reasons and a sleazy salacious “dossier” can be faked for political reasons you can bet your bippy that a transcript of an “intercept” might also be faked for political reasons in the climate we’re in.
elissa (dcb85a) — 2/15/2017 @ 4:01 pmFair point elissa, but they aren’t even going that far.
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 4:07 pmThe last lun is about the other story that fell of the news cycle:
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 5:00 pmdailycaller.com/2017/02/14/house-conservatives-want-to-know-how-rogue-it-staffers-got-away
Heh! And ha-ha-ha! I think Puzder’s “withdrawal” as Secretary of Labor, today, sheds the most light on Flynn’s “resignation”. Useful idiots that signed on for the
nk (dbc370) — 2/15/2017 @ 5:01 pmRevolutioncampaign are being purged now that the Trumpsheviks are in power.Three nervous nellies plus Tim Scott, that’s trumps fault, Obama’s first labor secretary had a tax issue in the family, but that’s why she’s indispensable.
narciso (d1f714) — 2/15/2017 @ 5:17 pmI think Trump is willing to give Flynn to the IC. He made some of his own problems, and lying to Pence deprived him of the benefit of getting cover from the WH. Until it was revealed that his story to Pence wasn’t accurate, I didn’t see any signs that the WH was going to buckle on the “Flynn talked to the Russians” angle.
But, I think the game is now exposed. This is pretty obviously Clapper, Brennan, Hayden, Rice, and Rhodes, and a few subordinates in IC agencies, are the ones peddling the info as former “senior officials.”
The contents of FISA taps between a Russian ambassador and a US citizen would be held in a pretty tight circle, and when those citizens are campaign officials of the opposition party, the circle is probably even tighter.
But these are the “go to” sources for a liberal press that was exposed as a subsidiary of the Dem. party by the Podesta and DNC emails. Its a sybiotic relationship and they share the common interest of undermining Trump’s new administration.
BUT, I think they are playing with fire because the former officials and the press lack two things that have always provided them cover — the power to hire and fire, and the power to eavesdrop.
Both those powers now belong to Trump. If this continues beyond Flynn, and I suspect it will, I think you will see WHOLESALE turnover in the CIA and NSA. It will be a purge of career officials because no one can be trusted.
And the press will find themselves under extreme scrutiny. Obama set the standard for going after journalists in leak investigations. And he was generally sympathetic to them. What do they think a Trump Admin that considers them the opposition party is going to do.
Their lack of a defense is underscored by the fact that what they are printing IS LIKELY NATSEC INFORMATION PROTECTED BY LAW. “Freedom of the press” means freedom from “prior restraint”. It does not mean freedom from legal repercussions for violating the law.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 2/15/2017 @ 11:18 pmShipwreckedcrew @66. Nobody has corrected this yet, but, of course, although the election was in the year 2008, Obama was inaugurated on January 20, 2009.
But we tend to think 2008 anyway, when talking about that, and when we talk about the years when someone was or was not in Congress or president, maybe it’s better and easier to use the year of the election.
104. shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 2/15/2017 @ 11:18 pm This is pretty obviously Clapper, Brennan, Hayden, Rice, and Rhodes, and a few subordinates in IC agencies, are the ones peddling the info as former “senior officials.” This is pretty obviously Clapper, Brennan, Hayden, Rice, and Rhodes, and a few subordinates in IC agencies, are the ones peddling the info as former “senior officials.” In its article posted online on Wednesday, February 9, 2017, the New York Times said:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/us/flynn-is-said-to-have-talked-to-russians-about-sanctions-before-trump-took-office.html
“current and former American officials”
And the Washington Post that day said:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/national-security-adviser-flynn-discussed-sanctions-with-russian-ambassador-despite-denials-officials-say/2017/02/09/f85b29d6-ee11-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html
“Nine current and former officials, who were in senior positions at multiple agencies at the time of the calls”
So they’re not all former officials and more of them probably spoke with the Washington Post than the New York Times.
It could also be that, when they spoke, fewer or none of them were former officials, because, although people don’t realize this very much, they can save quotes for weeks and months.
Here’s proof:
Afer the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, the New York Times has a quote:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/world/asia/kim-jong-un-brother-killed-malaysia.html
Now he obviously said that before the assassination, I would think, so this was something in a reprter’s notebook, collected maybe wqeeks and months ago.
I think the New York Times and the Washington Post have probably had this story for weeks and didn’t publish very much on it, although superficially, it looks like they came into the information just last week. Two newspapers published this at the same time, and they must have been talking to each other.
The New York Times, which is probably more cautious, probably delayed and collected more sources, partially because the allegations are so serious, and partially because it is, after all, classified, so they wanted to make sure they were on solid ground. And they collected numerous sources.
As well as maybe waiting for a propitious moment.
The national interest also argued, and they will argue, that they should publish if there is something seriously wrong going on * and it’s not being handled right, but might be if they publish.
—–
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/16/2017 @ 2:22 am* After all, it’s pointed out, Trump has criticized so many people on Twitter, including heads of foreign governments, but never Vladimir Putin.
I didn’t format the last one perfectly, and quoted something twice. That should have read:
104. shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 2/15/2017 @ 11:18 pm
In its article posted online on Wednesday, February 9, 2017…
… So they’re not all former officials…
… It could also be that, when they spoke, fewer or none of them were former officials…
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/16/2017 @ 2:27 amOops. February 9, 2017 was a Thursday, which means the stories appeared in the Friday newspapers dated February 10.
The Associated Press, in a just released article, more about
“intercepted phone calls last year between Russian intelligence officials and members of Trump’s 2016 campaign team ”
in general,
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/02/16/us/politics/ap-us-trump-flynn.html
and dated FEB. 16, 2017, 3:27 A.M. E.S.T.
says:
“Current and former U.S. officials who spoke to the Times anonymously”
The AP story also says:
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/16/2017 @ 2:38 amMake of it what you will, but these former government officials are all speaking on the record about the classic disinformation campaign underway: How The Nation’s Spooks Played The Game ‘Kill Mike Flynn’
crazy (d3b449) — 2/16/2017 @ 8:19 am108. Col. James Williamson, Retired Col. James Waurishuk, Frederick Rustman, D.W. Wilber, Retired Marine Col. Bill Cowan, and Charles Goslin don’t sond like very high level people, although James
Waurishuk, who knew and worked with Flynn had been deputy director of intelligence at the U.S. Central Command.
There is agood story in the New York Times Wednesday, which, if you add a few more things to it, can really help piece together important details of how this thing developed.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/us/politics/fbi-interviewed-mike-flynn.html
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 2/16/2017 @ 11:34 am