The Trump Gang Was Warned Last Month That Flynn Was Vulnerable to Russian Blackmail
Michael Flynn’s resignation as National Security Adviser is all over the news, but here’s the piece I found most interesting — because it’s a clear indication that the Trump gang not only knew abut Flynn’s Russia problem long ago, they covered up the information and did nothing about it: Justice Department warned White House that Flynn could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail, officials say.
The acting attorney general informed the Trump White House late last month that she believed Michael Flynn had misled senior administration officials about the nature of his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, and warned that the national security adviser was potentially vulnerable to Russian blackmail, current and former U.S. officials said.
The message, delivered by Sally Q. Yates and a senior career national security official to the White House counsel, was prompted by concerns that Flynn, when asked about his calls and texts with the Russian diplomat, had told Vice President-elect Mike Pence and others that he had not discussed the Obama administration sanctions on Russia for its interference in the 2016 election, the officials said. It is unclear what the White House counsel, Donald McGahn, did with the information.
I have to admit it’s slightly inaccurate to say they did “nothing” with this information; Trump did at least one thing at that time. He fired acting attorney general Sally Yates, ostensibly because she was refusing to support his Muslim ban. But it now seems probable that her message about Flynn’s vulnerability to Russian blackmail may have also played a part in Trump’s decision.