Mike Flynn Resigns as National Security Advisor
Editor's Note: As this situation continues to unfold, I've realized that my initial assessment was incorrect. Flynn's error – if it could be called that – was fairly miniscule. More troubling is that shadowy government figures are leaking information to undermine the Trump administration. First, it's Flynn – next, it could be Miller or Bannon. The deep state will not rest so long as Trump opposes its will.
National security advisor Michael Flynn resigned Monday night after it was revealed that he discussed U.S. policy with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in private.
In the month leading up to Trump’s inauguration, Flynn spoke with Kislyak about U.S. sanctions against Russia, assuring him that things would be different once Obama was out of the picture. However, this didn’t stop Flynn from claiming otherwise – twice – in a recent interview.
With Russia knowing that Flynn was lying about this conversation, the retired lieutenant general made himself vulnerable to potential blackmail.
Further troubling is the fact that Vice President Mike Pence believes he was lied to by Flynn about the subject of his conversation with Kislyak. Pence defended Flynn against such accusations on a number of occasions. According to administration sources, Flynn blamed his bad memory for the error, which angered the normally calm vice president.
Former CIA Director David Petraeus is being considered as a replacement for Flynn. Petraeus, however, is far from ideal; while director of the CIA, he had an affair with his biographer, who ended up with classified information. Petraeus resigned over the controversy in 2012.
Officials have also indicated that Trump is considering secretary of defense and retired four-star general James Mattis for the vacant position.
Overall, Flynn appears to have handled himself in an embarrassing manner. Regardless of whether he genuinely forgot or did, in fact, lie about the subject of his conversation with Kislyak, it’s clear that he was not the right man for the job. As such, it may be for the best that he stepped down before he did any serious damage to the Trump administration.
Let’s hope that his replacement is better suited for the job.
