Saturday, May 23, 2020

Good News For Michael Flynn - Treason Isn't Treason Anymore

Saturday, May 23rd, 2020



My Dear America:

In Trump World it is difficult to keep track of current scandals, never mind keep track of scandals occurring in the earliest days of the Trump Administration.

I think I am right in saying that the Michael Flynn Scandal was the earliest, very first scandal uncovered by the media in January and February of 2017.

Lets reminisce.

Michael Flynn's name first came to prominence when Barack Obama in his post election meeting with President Elect, Donald Trump issued a friendly warning to Trump not to hire Flynn as a member of his Administration.  Barack Obama had fired Flynn from his post as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency due to serious concerns about, among other things, Flynn's disturbingly close relations with Top Tier Russian Leaders, including Vladimir Putin.

Of course to Donald Trump, Barack Obama's warning was nothing more than a Full On Recommendation to Trump that he should hire Flynn.  Trump did, of course, hire Flynn to be his First (but not his last) National Security Advisor.

Obama had legitimate reasons to warn Trump against hiring Flynn.  Flynn was a Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army with considerable experience in counter terrorism when he was appointed by the Obama Administration to be the Director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.

During his tenure with the DIA Flynn seemed to raise a considerable number of Red Flags with his staff, as well as his superiors.  The main  Very Red Flag that was raised was his seemingly inappropriately more than close association with Vladimir Putin and other top officials in the GRU Russian Intelligence Agency.  When Flynn's two year appointment was done and the time came for Flynn to be reappointed, he was not reappointed and soon after he retired from the Armed Forces. 

Following his exit from the Defense Intelligence Agency Red Flags continued to pop up around Flynn's involvement with Russia.  Flynn continued to have a questionable involvement with Putin including sitting next to Putin at a dinner for RT Russian Media and being paid handsomely by Putin for a speech. Flynn also continued contacts with Russian Intelligence figures even after he became involved with the Trump Campaign in which he was one of the main cheerleaders in the "Lock Her Up" campaign against Hillary Clinton.  

In addition to continuing questions being raised about Flynn and his Russian contacts, more questionable contacts came to light after he left the Military with regard to Flynn's involvement with Turkey and with Syria.

In other words, Mike Flynn arrived at Trump's White House in 2017 with some considerable baggage including many questions about his possible involvement with Russian interference in the 2016 Election possibly and probably aiding Donald Trump.

When the Obama Administration in the final months of 2016 found out the extent of Russia's interference in the election, steps were taken to demand that several Russian Operatives leave the U.S. and certain other sanctions against Russia were put in place.

At some point during the transition between the Obama Administration and the Trump Administration Mike Flynn had a telephone conversation with Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.  Although Flynn should have been aware of the fact that any telephone contacts between Sergey Kislyak and Flynn would naturally be recorded by U.S Intelligence Services, Flynn apparently lied about his conversation with Kislyak when he was interviewed by FBI Agents.  Flynn told the agents that he and Kislyak did not discuss the sanctions put in place by the Obama Administration on December 29th of 2016.  That was not true.  Flynn had assured Kislyak that the Obama Administration Sanctions would not last long once Trump took the oath of office.  Shortly afterward Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would not be responding negatively to the Obama ordered sanctions.

When Justice Department Acting Attorney General, Sally Yates warned White House Counsel, Don McGhann that Flynn had lied about his telephone contact with Russian Ambassador Kislyak and might be subject to blackmail by the Russians, her heads up to the Trump Administration went unheeded and shortly thereafter Yates was the one out of her job but Flynn still had his until he was outed by the Washington Post and charged with lying to the FBI.  

In subsequent days, months and years Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was offered a deal in which if he assisted Robert Mueller in his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 Election he might get some consideration in his sentencing.

Although Mike Flynn cooperated for an extended period of time with Special Counsel Mueller, at some point he broke with the Mueller Investigation, found new Fox News Approved Lawyers and changed his plea from guilty to "Not Guilty".

In the latest installment of the interesting but frightening continuing saga of Mike Flynn's Judicial and International Adventures the worst has happened.  Not for Mike Flynn, but for America.  In a move that has been beyond Brazen, Attorney General, William Barr has pressured his Justice Department Attorney's to approach Judge William Sullivan to drop the charge of lying to the FBI that Flynn admitted in court at least twice.  

On the day that Barr stated that the Justice Department would not be seeking a conviction in the Flynn case Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin to congratulate The Russian Leader on the end of "The Russian Hoax".

Naturally Judge Sullivan had some serious concerns about the dropping of charges against Mike Flynn.  Even before he issued a ruling on whether or not the charges should be dismissed three Appellate Court Judges, all of whom are Republican appointed Judges, pressured Judge Sullivan for an explanation of why the charges against Flynn were not dropped.

Although Flynn may have thought that he was home free the latest installment of this saga may have put him in jeopardy once again.  The full court of appeals, probably realizing how much this case stinks to high heaven, has decided to review the case.  As Rachel Maddow says - Watch this space

In this case the "Hoax" is not Russian.  The Hoax is on America and on the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Courts, where in the case of Mike Flynn, so far there is no Justice.  There is only Extreme Sadness for those days gone by in which the FBI and the United States Justice Department and United States Courts were institutions  for which we could all be proud.

Those were the Days, My Friend.  We thought they'd never End 

But it seems as though we were wrong.


Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

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