Editorial: Let the truth be known
It is not normal that, before the presidency had even started, the future national security adviser was already negotiating with Russia as if he was in the government, when somebody else was in charge.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was always a controversial figure because of his anti-Muslims comments, peddling of conspiracy theories and closeness with Trump.
It is precisely the latest what stands out amidst revelations that at the end of last year Flynn had a phone conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, in which the Obama Administration sanctions on Russia were addressed.
Initially the current administration, through vice president Mike Pence, said that the sanctions where not brought up during the conversation. Ensuing reports indicated that, according to an FBI interception of the official’s phone, Flynn did mention them. It was later known that the Department of Justice informed the Trump administration, soon after taking office, that Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail attempts.
According to the White House, Flynn lied to Pence when he denied having approached the subject during the call with Kislyak, and that for this reason he lost Trump’s trust and had to go. Everything else is all good and legal.
Not so fast.
It is not normal that, before the presidency had even started, the future national security adviser was already negotiating with Russia as if he was in the government, when somebody else was in charge.
It is unthinkable that Flynn held that conversation without Trump’s authorization. It is hard to believe that the security adviser would deny its content to the vice president on his own initiative.
It is remarkable that, after the Department of Justice’s warning, the White House did not act swiftly. It did so only when the situation became untenable due to news reports.
Less surprising is the fact that the Trump administration is criticizing the Department of Justice for delaying the warning, and that it is angry at the media because of the leaks that have made the whole situation public.
This is a serious matter because it involves the Russia-Flynn-Trump relationship that was already suspicious during the presidential race. Today’s confusion seems to suggest that something is being kept secret, and that Flynn is a scapegoat.
We need to know what happened to the last detail, including the president’s role, because the Russian involvement makes it a national security issue.
The White House has lost all credibility in a short amount of time. What is needed is for Congress to create a special committee to investigate the specifics of the Russia-Flynn-Trump relationship.
Much was speculated after the election; today, White House intrigue actually claimed a high-profile victim. We must know what happened.
