Josh Marshall: Big Trouble

[babylonsister]

Big Trouble
By Josh Marshall
Published May 18, 2017 11:49 am


We have a small landslide of new news this morning tied to the growing tangle of Trump administration scandals. Let me try to piece them together and sort the important from the less important. (Everything is relative when we’re moving at this velocity.)

Let’s go through the headlines. I’m choosing just three – there are a handful of others that on any other day would be siren-blaring news.

Reuters says that Mike Flynn and other Trump campaign officials were in contact with Russian government officials at least 18 times between April and November of last year.

McClatchy reports that shortly before President Trump’s inauguration, Mike Flynn effectively killed a military operation against ISIS that would have used Kurdish paramilitaries. The plan was later revived after Flynn’s ouster. But his decision delayed it for months. Any US operations with the Kurds would be firmly against the wishes of Turkey. This was while Flynn was working on behalf of the Republic of Turkey as an unregistered foreign agent.

The Times reports that on January 4th, Flynn notified Trump Transition lawyer and now White House Counsel Donald McGahn that he was being investigated for his undeclared lobbying work on behalf of Turkey.

For the moment I would say that the latter two reports are the most serious, though the first (Reuters on the contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia) may be part of what ends up being the bigger story.

more...

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/big-trouble-8

[brush]

1. Pence is tainted too. On CNN this morning Rep. Elijah Cummings stated he sent a letter to Pence...

in NOVEMBER that Flynn was dirty.

And we all remember how Pence "seemed" so upset surprise in the early days of the admin. that Flynn had lied to him about his activities.

[mercuryblues]

2. wow

Flynn is actually looking at prison time.

It appears as if he was bribed by Turkey to veto a military action using the Kurds against ISIS.

He did this with the full knowledge of Pence and Trump. They knew he was being investigated for his financial ties to Turkey. Something Pence claimed surprise at in March.

[Duppers]

3. Double that Wow! Gen. Barry McCaffrey

said on Brian Williams' msnbc show this evening that he thinks Flynn has "mental health issues."

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

7. Yeah, but don't they all?

Those psychopathic Republicans.

[Duppers]

12. Oh heck yeah! All of them.

But its rare that you hear a retired General say that about one of 'em.

Rick Wilson is sounding saner these days - not defending them at all now, at least not Trump's crew.

[L. Coyote]

9. No wonder Trump wants him back.

[Duppers]

11. LoL

[Hassin Bin Sober]

10. He said that a while ago too.

When Flynn was acting the fool with the "lock her up" stuff during the convention.

He said he and some of the other retired generals were talking about how something is wrong with that dude.

I think they were right

[Honeycombe8]

4. And that may be what Trump was trying to keep secret, by killing the Flynn investigation.

Why Trump is so protective of Flynn. He's not being protective of Flynn. He's being protective of himself. He didn't want this to come out, and God forbid, that Flynn would sing like a bird.

[NBachers]

5. Sally Yates also let them know Flynn was dirty, before Trump fired her.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/us/politics/michael-flynn-sally-yates-hearing.html

[L. Coyote]

6. Olbermann: Pence? You gonna pardon Trump about Russia, or is Trump gonna pardon YOU

Link to tweet

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

8. Keith Olbermann has been awesome on all this.

Excellent tweets and videos!