Newly appointed U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Y. Flynn made an early departure from office Monday after last week’s prickly revelation that he had possibly discussed sanctions with Moscow’s ambassador to Washington during the month before President Donald J. Trump took office.
Flynn’s admission that he had — maybe, perchance, I’m-not-really-certain-because-I-just-don’t-recall, shades-of-Hillary-Clinton-on-her-knowledge-of-deleted-emails) — spoken to the Russian envoy about the retaliatory sanctions imposed by the Barack Obama administration in December, ran 180 degrees contrary to his earlier adamant denials.
As it turns out, Flynn spoke with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak on the very day Obama expelled Russian officials.
And that little tête-à-tête was not the first between the former U.S. Army lieutenant general and Russian officials.
In fact, according to leaks from both current and former officials, Flynn had been chitchatting with the Ruskies even before the Nov. 8 election with which U.S. intelligent agencies believe the Kremlin tried to tamper.
If these accusations are true, any conversations Flynn might have had with Russian officials at that time could constitute a breach of the Logan Act, a 1799 law prohibiting private citizens from negotiating with countries with which the United States is in dispute, (although, only one person has ever been indicted under this act and that was back in 1803).
“The allegation that Gen. Flynn, while President Obama was still in office, secretly discussed with Russia’s ambassador ways to undermine the sanctions levied against Moscow for its interference in the presidential election on Trump’s behalf, raises serious questions of legality and fitness for office,” said Adam Schiff, the ranking Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, over the weekend.
Republican congressmen, on the other hand, were more lenient in their assessment of the cantankerous issue.
When asked about the sorted affair last week on CNN, South Dakota Republican Mike Rounds, said that it was up to Trump to decide what to do about the recalcitrant Flynn, adding that if the general had misled the country on the matter, “we would expect the president to take appropriate actions.”
Apparently Trump did just that, demanding Flynn’s immediate resignation.
But Flynn’s flubby-facted account of his talks with Kislyak tainted more than his own credibility.
It soiled the otherwise squeaky-clean image of Vice President Mike Pence, who, based on what Flynn had told him, previously issued flat denials that the general and Kisilyak had spoken about anything other than the details and preparations for a future Trump phone call with Vladimir Putin.
After Flynn’s flip-flop, Pence was left treading water backwards to try to undo his previous defense of the general.
Finally, simmering in a political stew (or should I say borscht) of bipartisan inquiries and accusations, the one-time director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency had no option but to make a graceful da svidahnia from the Trump team in order to avoid any further humiliation.
Thérèse Margolis can be reached at therese.margolis@gmail.com.