General Michael Flynn, President Trump’s National Security Adviser (for about an eye-blink), has told the FBI and congressional officials investigating the Trump-Russia connection that he is seeking an immunity deal in exchange for his testimony. A story that started in the Wall Street Journal has now exploded into the media as Flynn’s lawyer claims, “General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit.â€
I have stayed pretty far away from the whole “Russia stole the election” fiasco for a number of different reasons. Â I think the media and the Democrats, aside from being total hypocrites on the subject of Russia in general, have totally gone off the deep end on this issue. Â I don’t believe Trump conspired with the Russians to steal the election, and I don’t believe Trump is some sort of Russian “Manchurian Candidate” meant to overthrow the American way of life and destroy our country from within.
I do believe, however, that the Russians were the ones behind the hacking of the DNC, and hacking John Podesta’s emails, then releasing them through Julian Assange and wikileaks. Assange used to work for the Kremlin controlled news agency “RT” and it just so happens that Russia is one of the few countries that has never had any leaks of material on wikileaks (go figure).
I also believe there were an awful lot of people in Trump’s orbit that had way too many friendly ties to Russian interests. This includes Flynn, Â former campaign manager Paul Manafort (who has ties to the former Ukranian pro-Russia puppet-regime), Carter Page (who recently admitted to meeting with the Russian Ambassador at the RNC convention), and Roger Stone (who was apparently communicating with the hacker who got into Podesta’s emails and with Assange). Â I think you can attribute some of Trump’s more friendly Russian attitudes to these pro-Russian people whispering in his ear. Interestingly, none of these individuals are in the Trump administration (in Flynn’s case, not anymore).
Now there is nothing illegal about being pro-Russia (ill-informed maybe, but not illegal), and if the Russians were hoping for free rein under a Trump administration, they were seriously underestimating Trump’s ego. Â Since taking control Trump’s UN Ambassador has taken Russia to the rhetorical woodshed more than once, and instead of removing ourselves from the Syrian conflict, we now have more boots on the ground fighting with Kurdish rebels to take back the so-called ISIS capital of Raqqa.
So I have to admit that seeing this story about Flynn requesting an immunity deal just makes me have to sit up and say wth?
I have always believed that Flynn was fired for a helluva lot more than just lying to Mike Pence about talking to the Russian Ambassador. There is no way Trump would dump someone that quick for something that flimsy. I always believed there was something more, and news of Flynn’s payments from, and lobbying on behalf of Turkish interests, while failing to file as a foreign agent pretty much proved that point to me.
But when you look at this story you have to ask yourself a couple questions:
1. What is Flynn worried about that would make him go looking for an immunity deal? Is he under investigation, and if so, for what?
2. Just what does he know that he thinks is worth a deal?
Friday morning Donald Trump tweeted that Flynn should definitely seek immunity to protect himself from a “witch hunt,” but I think right about now Flynn has to be regretting his interview last year where he said, “when you are given immunity that means you’ve probably committed a crime.” One thing is clear, however. Â Flynn’s actions have now guaranteed that this story is never going away.
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Interesting article however you forgot to mention what Michael Flynn was doing between June 2001 and August 2014… https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8059b37df4bdfdc47f9f6a32ec222e40edff1ff50503926b60537606ac4f31d6.jpg
I’m not sure why this story was written. As of now, there is only one crime that we can say has been committed for certain. And it is the leaking of highly classified material with the unmasking of names of American citizens. Under this one and only known crime, Mike Flynn is the victim. Which isn’t even mentioned in this article. Everything else is pure conjecture. Flynn served his country honorably for over 33 years. At a minimum, he deserves to have judgement withheld until all the facts are on the table. It’s sad to see military heros thrown under the bus without due process. If at the end of the day Flynn has done something terribly wrong, then let’s hear all about it…until then, I think this is shameful.
It was written because it was newsworthy. I am not jumping to conclusions, and I am not accusing Flynn of doing anything he hasn’t done. He’s the one asking for immunity. He’s the one claiming he has a “story” to tell. His actions have thrown gasoline on a fire that is already growing out of control.
Whether there is anything else there or not is the question i was trying to ask, and so should every Republican who respects the rule of law. We need to get to the bottom of all this and find out the truth once and for all so we can get past all this. If we don’t this is going to hang over all our heads for years.
Before you accuse me of being shameful, ask yourself this question. If this was a member of Barack Obama’s administration asking for immunity in return for testifying about information they may have about the Benghazi fiasco, would you still say asking the questions I asked above is shameful, or would you be demanding that we get to the bottom of things?
By the way, lobbying the government on behalf of foreign interests without registering as a foreign agent is a crime. Flynn’s consulting firm was paid over $500,000 by Turkish interests with ties to the Erdogan government while he was working for the Trump campaign and he never registered.
Mick, Yes, this is definitely newsworthy. However, nearly all of your piece is negative towards Flynn. I could probably write a paper on why I disagree with your writing. You mention how you think he was fired for more than just lying to the Vice President and your two questions (which was actually 3) provoke the reader to come up with negative answers. All of your (our) information comes from what is now called, “Fake News”. Do you remember standing on the floor in Cleveland having the principled idea that we need to change the rules; to take power from the RNC and push it out to the states? We were not out there to deny Donald Trump the nomination…and right in front of our eyes, every media outlet (conservative and liberal) was reporting that we were trying to replace Trump. We have heard all the talking heads. Who we haven’t heard from is Mike Flynn. The Dems are on a witch hunt to take down anyone on the Trump team who is making a difference; Flynn was the first victim. I think Trump learned from letting Flynn go so easily, otherwise there would be another half dozen people gone. You asked me a question about whether I would want to get to the bottom of this if it were an Obama person. My answer is yes. I also want to see the truth come out on in this situation. Please pay attention to this part…There is a huge difference between Mike Flynn and the rest of the normal political appointees. Flynn served his country for over 33 years wearing a military uniform. We should always treat our military veterans (who served like Flynn did) much more differently. The military is a place where honor and integrity still rule. Does this mean all military people are beyond questioning…absolutely not. It just means they deserve a little more respect and consideration before throwing them under the bus. Our society has become so tainted that even the military (and its people) is being questioned on their integrity and motives. You could have written a piece much differently than this one analyzing why Flynn is asking for immunity. I went back and read the mission statement for the Bull Elephant and I don’t believe this article represents that mission statement. Please don’t take my criticism of this article as having ill feelings toward you, the person. All cards on the table…I have known Mike Flynn for over 15 years and he deserves to at least be heard (if he chooses to speak) before judged…not because he’s Mike Flynn, but because he has his entire adult life serving this country. At the end of the day, if he has done something terribly wrong, let the chip fall where they fall. Lastly, let me suggest to you that there is a ton of information that we do not know about which hasn’t come out yet. And for the record, I have no inside knowledge.
Mick, Yes, this is definitely newsworthy. However, nearly your entire piece is negative towards Flynn. I could probably write a paper on why I disagree with your writing. You mention how you think he was fired for more than just lying to the Vice President and your two questions (which were actually 3) provoke the reader to come up with negative answers. All of your (our) information comes from what is now called, “Fake News”. Do you remember standing on the floor in Cleveland having the principled idea that we need to change the rules; to take power from the RNC and push it out to the states? We were not out there to deny Donald Trump the nomination…and right in front of our eyes, every media outlet (conservative and liberal) was reporting that we were trying to replace Trump. We have heard all the talking heads. Who we haven’t heard from is Mike Flynn. The Dems are on a witch hunt to take down anyone on the Trump team who is making a difference; Flynn was the first victim. I think Trump learned from letting Flynn go so easily, otherwise there would be another half dozen people gone. You asked me a question about whether I would want to get to the bottom of this if it were an Obama person. My answer is yes. I also want to see the truth come out on in this situation. Please pay attention to this part…There is a huge difference between Mike Flynn and the rest of the normal political appointees. Flynn served his country for over 33 years wearing a military uniform. We should always treat our military veterans (who served like Flynn did) much more differently. The military is a place where honor and integrity still rule. Does this mean all military people are beyond questioning?…absolutely not. It just means they deserve a little more respect and consideration before throwing them under the bus. Our society has become so tainted that even the military (and its people) is being questioned on their integrity and motives. You could have written a piece much differently than this one analyzing why Flynn is asking for immunity. I went back and read the mission statement for the Bull Elephant and I don’t believe this article represents that mission statement. Please don’t take my criticism of this article as having ill feelings toward you, the person. All cards on the table…I have known Mike Flynn for over 15 years and he deserves to at least be heard (if he chooses to speak) before judged…not because he’s Mike Flynn, but because he has spent his entire adult life serving this country. At the end of the day, if he has done something terribly wrong, let the chip fall where they fall. Lastly, let me suggest to you that there is a ton of information that we do not know about, which hasn’t come out yet. And for the record, I have no inside knowledge…I have posted this 3 times and it keeps disappearing.
Mick, Yes, this is definitely newsworthy. However, nearly your entire piece is negative towards Flynn. I could probably write a paper on why I disagree with your writing. You mention how you think he was fired for more than just lying to the Vice President and your two questions (which were actually 3) provoke the reader to come up with negative answers. All of your (our) information comes from what is now called, “Fake News”. Do you remember standing on the floor in Cleveland having the principled idea that we need to change the rules; to take power from the RNC and push it out to the states? We were not out there to deny Donald Trump the nomination…and right in front of our eyes, every media outlet (conservative and liberal) was reporting that we were trying to replace Trump. We have heard all the talking heads. Who we haven’t heard from is Mike Flynn. The Dems are on a witch hunt to take down anyone on the Trump team who is making a difference; Flynn was the first victim. I think Trump learned from letting Flynn go so easily, otherwise there would be another half dozen people gone. You asked me a question about whether I would want to get to the bottom of this if it were an Obama person. My answer is yes. I also want to see the truth come out on in this situation. Please pay attention to this part…There is a huge difference between Mike Flynn and the rest of the normal political appointees. Flynn served his country for over 33 years wearing a military uniform. We should always treat our military veterans (who served like Flynn did) much more differently. The military is a place where honor and integrity still rule. Does this mean all military people are beyond questioning?…absolutely not. It just means they deserve a little more respect and consideration before throwing them under the bus. Our society has become so tainted that even the military (and its people) is being questioned on their integrity and motives. You could have written a piece much differently than this one analyzing why Flynn is asking for immunity. I went back and read the mission statement for the Bull Elephant and I don’t believe this article represents that mission statement. Please don’t take my criticism of this article as having ill feelings toward you, the person. All cards on the table…I have known Mike Flynn for over 15 years and he deserves to at least be heard (if he chooses to speak) before judged…not because he’s Mike Flynn, but because he has spent his entire adult life serving this country. At the end of the day, if he has done something terribly wrong, let the chip fall where they fall. Lastly, let me suggest to you that there is a ton of information that we do not know about, which hasn’t come out yet. And for the record, I have no inside knowledge. …I have posted this 4 times and it keeps disappearing.
1. “All of your (our) information comes from what is now called, ‘Fake News’.”
Please don’t fall into this trap. Just because Trump calls negative stories about him ‘fake news’ doesn’t mean everything that gets reported by the mainstream media is fake. Spin is spin, whether it is Republican or Democrat, but when facts are shared across liberal media, conservative media, and foreign media, then it’s a pretty safe bet they are correct.
The facts are Flynn lied about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. Flynn lobbied on behalf of Turkish interests and never registered. Flynn was fired as NSC Director mere days after taking office. Flynn is asking for an immunity deal before agreeing to testify. Flynn is claiming he has a story to tell. Flynn himself said that if you are getting an immunity deal you probably committed a crime.
2. “We were not out there to deny Donald Trump the nomination…and right in front of our eyes, every media outlet (conservative and liberal) was reporting that we were trying to replace Trump.”
Yes, that is true, but it is also true that there were a large chunk of delegates whose sole goal WAS to replace Trump. It may not have been our goal, but it was definitely a goal of some of the delegates there. It was our failure and the flawed strategy of keeping our goals secret that led to us being tarred with the same brush, not the media.
3. “Does this mean all military people are beyond questioning?…absolutely not. It just means they deserve a little more respect and consideration before throwing them under the bus.”
I’m not throwing anyone under the bus. I state the facts and ask legitimate questions. I give my opinion on why Flynn was fired, and I still believe it had more to do with just lying to Pence.
There are maybe four ways to take this immunity request story:
a. Flynn did something that puts him at risk of prosecution, and knows something damaging to Trump or other campaign staff that he thinks is worth an immunity deal.
b. Flynn did something that puts him at risk of prosecution, and doesn’t know anything worth a deal, but he is trying to get one anyway in the hopes of getting himself clear.
c. Flynn did nothing that puts him at risk of prosecution, but knows something damaging to Trump or other campaign staff that he thinks is worth a blanket protection for any possible retaliation from the Trump Administration or Justice Department.
d. Flynn did nothing that puts him at risk of prosecution, and knows nothing damaging to Trump or other campaign staff, but is using this as a distraction to focus attention on himself for some reason.
I don’t know which of these scenarios is closest to the truth, which is why I ask the questions. No matter which scenario it is, though, you have to admit that this request from Flynn has sent the liberals and the media even farther over the edge. The story itself just screams out intrigue and scandal, and it guarantees that we will have to deal with this issue for years. I didn’t do that. Flynn did.
4. “I have known Mike Flynn for over 15 years”
Do you think it is possible that your personal involvement with Flynn is clouding your judgement of this issue? Could it be your own bias, and not my “shameful” writing, which is bothering you so much about this piece?
5. “Lastly, let me suggest to you that there is a ton of information that we do not know about, which hasn’t come out yet.”
I’m sure there is, which is the biggest problem of this whole thing. I would hope by now that everyone has learned that the cover up is ALWAYS bigger than the actual crime. Trump can declassify every scrap of paper about this issue and put it out for all the world to see. If there truly is nothing there to all of this, he should do so immediately and end this whole fiasco once and for all. That fact that he hasn’t suggests two possible reasons:
a. There actually is something there to be worried about
b. Trump likes the distraction, and think it helps keep people off balance.
Neither of those scenarios is good for the country, however.
Mick, Uncle…We are just going to have to agree to disagree on your article. Otherwise, we’ll just be going back and forth. I would like to point out one item in your response…I was honest about me knowing Flynn and was immediately questioned about a bias. You might have missed this sentence…”At the end of the day, if he has done something terribly wrong, let the chips fall where they fall.”
“if he has done something terribly wrong???”
as in the works for Flynn himself, and Trump, if he is seeking immunity, then he did something wrong
Mick, Yes, this is definitely newsworthy. However, nearly your entire piece is negative towards Flynn. I could probably write a paper on why I disagree with your writing. You mention how you think he was fired for more than just lying to the Vice President and your two questions (which were actually 3) provoke the reader to come up with negative answers. All of your (our) information comes from what is now called, “Fake News”. Do you remember standing on the floor in Cleveland having the principled idea that we need to change the rules; to take power from the RNC and push it out to the states? We were not out there to deny Donald Trump the nomination…and right in front of our eyes, every media outlet (conservative and liberal) was reporting that we were trying to replace Trump. We have heard all the talking heads. Who we haven’t heard from is Mike Flynn. The Dems are on a witch hunt to take down anyone on the Trump team who is making a difference; Flynn was the first victim. I think Trump learned from letting Flynn go so easily, otherwise there would be another half dozen people gone. You asked me a question about whether I would want to get to the bottom of this if it were an Obama person. My answer is yes. I also want to see the truth come out on in this situation. Please pay attention to this part…There is a huge difference between Mike Flynn and the rest of the normal political appointees. Flynn served his country for over 33 years wearing a military uniform. We should always treat our military veterans (who served like Flynn did) much more differently. The military is a place where honor and integrity still rule. Does this mean all military people are beyond questioning?…absolutely not. It just means they deserve a little more respect and consideration before throwing them under the bus. Our society has become so tainted that even the military (and its people) is being questioned on their integrity and motives. You could have written a piece much differently than this one analyzing why Flynn is asking for immunity. I went back and read the mission statement for the Bull Elephant and I don’t believe this article represents that mission statement. Please don’t take my criticism of this article as having ill feelings toward you, the person. All cards on the table…I have known Mike Flynn for over 15 years and he deserves to at least be heard (if he chooses to speak) before judged…not because he’s Mike Flynn, but because he has spent his entire adult life serving this country. At the end of the day, if he has done something terribly wrong, let the chip fall where they fall. Lastly, let me suggest to you that there is a ton of information that we do not know about, which hasn’t come out yet. And for the record, I have no inside knowledge. …I have posted this 5 times and it keeps disappearing.
Too many ‘I believes’ and ‘I thinks’ interspersed as well as that myopic ‘#never’ that tends to permeate.
This is just more Republican butthurt concern trolling echoing the dem narrative.
Well, here are some Trump narrative for you to swallow.
1) Didn’t Trump say that he would label China a currency manipulator immediately?
2) Didn’t Trump say 11 MILLION illegals would have to be deported?
3) Didn’t Trump say he would sign Ocare repeal on day one?
4) Where is the Trump 35% tariff tax?
What has Trump not lied about? IMPEACH TRUMP.
Well, Trump always talking about how good and smart Putin is, and surrounding himself with all these people with Russian connections don’t look good.
The problem I have with Trump, everything is a lie. And, Pence instills even less confidence.
Statement from General Flynn’s attorney, https://twitter.com/robkelner/status/847590575352270850/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Freport-mike-flynn-willing-to-testify-in-return-for-immunity%2Farticle%2F2618954