David Gergen goes for jugular: "How many people really think Flynn made Russia calls on his own?"

[kpete]

Link to tweet

“What is missing from the story so far is the president of the United States. When did he know and when did he know it,” Gergen said, invoking former Sen Howard Baker’s comment that opened the gates for Nixon’s resignation in the face of impeachment.

“If they had a report to the legal counsel, the general counsel would have presumably reported to the president, why is Flynn still there?” Gergen continued. “It’s unimaginable that the White House general counsel would sit on it, not tell anybody else in the White House. In every White House I’ve ever been in, this would go to the president like that,” he said as he snapped his fingers.

“This is very serious stuff. If you’re told that your national security adviser is potentially vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians, that is extremely serious,” he concluded.


http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/what-did-he-know-and-when-did-he-know-it-david-gergen-asks-when-trump-knew-about-flynn-blackmail-risk/

[C_U_L8R]

1. And why was Trump golfing with Rybolovlev?

This weekend! And Rybolovlev stayed at Mar-a-lago, you know, when national secrets were spilled across the dinner table. What the f is going on?

[SticksnStones]

4. And why were the windows covered over so no one from the press could witness?

[Nitram]

27. And no one from the intelligence community could train a laser microphone on the windows.

[Docreed2003]

31. Yep...

I think that's exactly why they put up the plastic. They didn't want the press asking probing questions.

[Bengus81]

51. Press "taken" downstairs by Trump orders...........

"Once there, the traveling press pool was escorted into the clubhouse and downstairs into what was supposed to be a room to file stories. That's when they saw the blackout. "The door and windows are covered with black plastic so we can't see out," the official White House pool report stated. The reporters were told they would be there for awhile, according to press pool reports."

And awhile it was according to Julie Dash, a White House reporter for the New York Times, who tweeted in the afternoon that reporters were "staring at black plastic-covered windows'' when Trump and Abe arrived to golf.

Link to tweet

/photo/1

[not fooled]

59. "No golf pix"?

Here you go

[link:|

[DK504]

56. It's like the Orange Menace

turning off recordings when he talked to the Puppetmaster.

The hits keep on coming.

[Sherman A1]

2. I like Gergen

Listened to him speak years ago and found him to be both funny and insightful.

[Plucketeer]

74. I have to wonder if he really DID say it like this?

"When did he know and when did he know it,"

[Alice11111]

85. He did. Saw it. He is one of the best CNN analysts. Not around as much and he doesn't like working

with all of the bimbo panelists . I agree. When Kayleigh RW ostentatious Christian is on, I can't waste my time and turn it off. Sometimes I just mute and go into a trance until she is done.

Gergan is Very credible and experienced

[Plucketeer]

88. Not to pick nits

It's just that it reads as him asking the same question twice. I could assume he really said (or intended to say) "WHAT" did he know and when did he know it.

[Poiuyt]

89. I think it was a typo

[hamsterjill]

96. I agree. I like Gergen.

He is cautious and doesn't speak up unless he knows his stuff and has something to say.

That way, he's not just a commentator, but he's someone that other people listen to. I find him to be very fair, too. But he was loosing it over 45 regarding this issue!!!! You could tell that Gergen has great disdain for 45.

[J_William_Ryan]

3. Poor David

He just doesn’t get it.

This incompetent, buffoonish ‘administration’ isn’t like any White House he’s seen; this White House is populated with sycophants, toadies, and yes men.

[SticksnStones]

5. ...and 45's just an innocent clown...?

Gergen is asking all the right questions, IMO

He gets it.

[Alice11111]

93. Yeah, he does

[SticksnStones]

94. ..

[Nitram]

28. Yes, that is with whom the Dumpster has populated his WH.

No one can tell him "no" or even, "let's re-consider that" or "you know that is illegal sir?"

[PJMcK]

35. Don't underestimate 45's administration

These are dangerously evil people. They are not simply ass-kissing buffoons and they are definitely not cartoonish. In just a few short months, Donald Trump and his team have created calamitous circumstances all around the world among both allies and foes.

I disagree with your statement that Mr. Gergen "doesn't get it." This White House is unlike any in our history and we may be facing an existential threat. What Mr. Gergen is saying is that General Flynn's actions could not have occurred in a vacuum: Donald Trump and, more importantly, Steve Bannon knew exactly what was going on with the Russians.

What's most remarkable is how quickly the media is turning on the Trump Administration. Because of his disdain for journalists and facts, Donald Trump is practically daring them to go after him. I hope they turn up the heat every single day.

[tblue37]

47. William_Ryan was being sarcastic. nt

[PJMcK]

49. Ha ha, thanks

In this Age of Trump, it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between fact and farce, comedy and pathos, truth and fiction. For me, sarcasm has become very difficult to discern since nearly everything a Republican says is utter BS.

[tblue37]

50. I know! Poe's Law is everywhere we look now. nt

[Jim Beard]

62. David Gergan has always been the cautious one but he is.............

thoroughly disgusted at this Trump bunch of con-artist who only wanted to win because it would make him a lot of money.

[Fla Dem]

64. All these alt-rw staffers were steered to "45" by Bannon. Make no mistake, he's the puppet master

and he's running the WH. Whether he's taking direction from Russia, or holding something over "45's" head, is yet to be seen. But it's Bannon and to a small extent Priebus who are the real operatives. Trump does nothing without their approval or direction.

[coco22]

71. And what is Bannon doing???

[Generic Brad]

80. Weeks

It's been weeks. Not months. Not even a month.

Witnessing this administration has me understanding how time feels in dog years.

[PJMcK]

86. Months since the election

Donald Trump and his team of miscreants have been causing trouble since before the election. For example, consider the Russian connection: this interference began during the campaign and Mr. Trump famously called on Russian hackers to attack Hillary Clinton's server. Additionally, remember how Mr. Trump instigated violence at his rallies.

More importantly, Steve Bannon has been pulling the strings behind the scenes since he signed onto the Trump campaign. His evilness and dirty fingers are all over the malfeasance of this administration and it's obvious to anyone willing to look. Republicans know this but don't want it to come to light.

This presidency is a hot mess from top to bottom. Our country is going to be tested like never before which is why I believe we're facing an existential threat.

[Alice11111]

90. LOL

[malaise]

6. Put simply

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/30/politics/trump-putin-very-smart-for-decision-to-withhold-sanctions/

[kpete]

68. Exactly

[Timmygoat]

7. One more thing

Richard Wolfe has a great article in the UK Guardian this morning - entitled Trump's troubles are just beginning!

[klook]

45. Yes, good read - thanks! (link)

Mike Flynn might be done – but Trump's nightmare has just begun

Welcome to DU, Timmygoat!

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Correct, no one initiates top-level discussions with a foreign state by GOING ROGUE

[Alice11111]

92. 5 calls in 1 day...that's focusing &working out a settlement

Usually b4 a deadline. Both sides go back and forth, talk to troops and work out details. Been Doing this 30 years

[Fast Walker 52]

9. #TrumpKnew

they are all going down, sooner or later...

[malaise]

72. Sooner would be very nice

[wcollar]

10. Before the election

Trump & Co. want Flynn gone now, not because of what he did. They want it to go away to kill the story about it going on BEFORE the election.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. Pence was informed of Flynn's crime & lying in late January. Get Pence FIRST.

Last edited Tue Feb 14, 2017, 07:18 PM - Edit history (1)

On edit: I may have misread the Washington Post's article. Now I'm not sure when Pence knew.

--------------------------------------------

Get rid of the Pencetrator and then and only then impeach tRump.

Nixon's Agnew went down before Nixon and Ford was the mild compromise result.

After tRump is impeached and resigns, even this GOP will want mild because they are staring 2018 in the face & 2020 in the wings.

[center][font size = "+2"]Ditch Pence First[/font][/center]

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

12. + tons. Only makes sense.

[Lonestarblue]

14. Don't ditch Pence!

If Pence is removed and then Trump, Ryan becomes President. Do you really want that extremist Rand-infatuated destroyer running the government?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. Pence is extremist dominionist christo-fascist government destroyer. Worse than Ryan. Ryan won't do

Ryan won't take the VP job. Ryan wants to run for President in 2020 or 2024. He does not want to get Forded like Ford did in 1976.

Get rid of Pence, and the GOP will want a milder compromise so that they can salvage something out of 2018 and still have a hope for 2020.

[lastlib]

23. Ryan is behind Pence in the succession list.

If Pence goes down, Ryan is a trump heart-(if there IS such a thing)beat away from the presidency until a new VP is appointed and confirmed.

[Tanuki]

33. Unless Trump and Pence are canned the same day, Trump would

have to name a successor to Pence very quickly. That person would become president when Trump goes down, not Ryan.

[northoftheborder]

76. Speaker of the House is always next in line after VP

[Tanuki]

77. Only in the unlikely event that both the presidency and vice presidency are vacant

at the same time. If Pence goes down first, Trump appoints a new VP. If Trump is then impeached or resigns, the new VP will become president, not Ryan. This is what happened with Nixon, and how Jerry Ford, who was not on the ticket with him in the election, ultimately became president. Nixon had appointed Ford to replace his original VP, Spiro Agnew, who had to resign in disgrace when it was belatedly discovered that he had some corruption problems when he was governor of Maryland.

[Blue_true]

82. Ryan would not be able to take over with out

Naming a Democrat as his VP, the nation would go up in flames otherwise, given how Trump won to begin with. It's unlikely that people will accept Manchin as the VP choice either.

[Cosmocat]

15. You can see the whore media and Rs pumping up Pence like mad right now

this is the kind of shit you get when Rs fuck up and you never get when Rs are piling on bullshit on a D.

All the Rs and most of the "liberal" media are making Pence out to be some saint above the fray here.

This is them covering their bets to try to make sure he is still standing if this all collapses in on them.

Like he didn't fucking know what all was going on ...

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. #PenceKnew . . . nt

[get the red out]

37. If Pence didn't know

That makes him a gullible moron. He is at least an idiot.

[Chellee]

44. As an Indiana resident, I can confirm

he is REALLY stupid. They may have chosen him for his gullibility and idiocy.

[klook]

53. And his appearance / demeanor -- "right out of central casting," per Drumpf

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/17/us/politics/donald-trump-mike-pence.html
Not to mention the fact that Pence doesn't have the bravado to challenge Trump.

[Cosmocat]

54. I will say this

I have been struck how he stares like a loving puppy at Trump all the time. I think he genuinely looks up to him, or he just has totally thrown himself into the role.

[Chellee]

61. I think his mind is just wandering at those times.

When he was Governor and had signed legislation to allow/encourage discrimination of LGBTQ community members, naturally the entire country reacted with incredulous anger. He had a press conference where he stood there with this completely uncomprehending look on his face. It really was beyond his understanding why anyone was upset. He just kept repeating, "but, it's about religious freedom?!?"

He is dumb. (e.g. abortion causes breast cancer, smoking has no connection to lung cancer, christians are persecuted in America) What makes him dangerous is that his religious views are deeply held, truly felt, and straight out of the 16th century.

[Cosmocat]

65. Thanks for that

I have had a very hard time getting a handle on him, outside of knowing he is full on religious loon who was talk radio guy.

[not fooled]

63. Well, hey

If you were a failed, widely reviled one-term governor with no legitimate credentials to hold high office (and no, hosting a hate radio talk show doesn't count) and no future,

but thru a twist of fate (the need to put a religious kook on the ticket cater to phony Xtian wingnuts) and your own machinations, you get on the ticket because no sane 'puke wanted the job,

and then thru connivance and fraud you end up VICE PRESIDENT of the US, with every prospect of replacing the incompetent, dangerous current officeholder,

you'd probably look lovingly at dump too.

And, don't forget that punce is the butt-boy of the kochs. When don the con implodes, they'll be happy to prop punce up and propel him into the WH. Win-Win!!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

70. excellent post nf. "thru a twist of fate" LOL. Strikes me as yokel looking for M Street nt

[barbtries]

21. i'm ready to join the movement

advocating for vacating the election entirely. it stinks to high heaven and everyone knows it. imprison the traitors and throw another election. Hillary should be president but i know it won't go that way.

the oligarchs have so much control it likely won't go any way but theirs for some time to come. but this all really sucks. it really sucks to see your country go down the tubes.

[Eyeball_Kid]

34. No one gets thrown out of office until McConnell and Ryan are done with them.

The problem with both of them is that they think they have Trumpy by the nuts. What they have a difficult time with is that Putin has THEM by the nuts.

[malthaussen]

48. The problem with that is that Mr Trump will then choose the VP...

... who will presumably be just as bad as Mr Pence. I don't see what leverage the GOP has to restrain Mr Trump and force him to choose a "mild" option.

Besides, who in the GOP is even vaguely "mild" at this point?

-- Mal

[Ohioboy]

75. I'll second that idea.

Get Pence first.

[MrPurple]

78. Yeah, but Agnew had tax evasion. Does Pence have have anything that would knock him out?

The R's usually lose favor when they focus on their religious agenda. Pence would be a better incumbent to run against than a more moderate replacement. And, the religious laws are easier to overturn later. It's the monster tax cuts stripping the system and the environmental destruction that are tougher to recover from. And, they probably don't have anyone on deck who's going to be more Ford moderate with that.

[Alice11111]

95. Nice thought, but Repubs are propping him up. OUT OF LOOP

Is the talking point.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. who is the general counsel anyway? they are heading up the Muslim Ban defense too?

[mobeau69]

41. Jackie Chiles Esq.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

69. Very Good LOL

[Alice11111]

91. LOL.Reminder of more balanced times...relative

3 branches w checks and balances. Laughed at shows about nothing. Good imitation though...maybe DT had a role model besides Fred

[Achilleaze]

16. No honest Americans think Flynnie acted alone. Only republicans pretend to 'believe'

The republicans need to be held accountable for selling America out to the Russians.

[dalton99a]

42. +1

[roamer65]

18. CNN should team up Zakaria and Gergen for a show.

The two together get right to the point and don't let go. I saw them last night with Anderson Cooper together.

[MrPurple]

79. I'd watch it.

Two non dumbed down hosts that talk about substance and seem above spending 7 straight days discussing a missing plane.

[barbtries]

20. if Flynn wasn't just cover for Trump's collusion with

and blackmail by the russians, i'm a monkey's uncle.

[Eyeball_Kid]

36. You ain't no monkey's uncle.

BTW, It's Valentine's Day.

I don't deserve those hearts that folks gave me. But thank you all anyway.

[barbtries]

39. yeah.

this thing is bound to blow sky high. it'll be like trump pushed the button, but it's administration going up in a cloud.

[leanforward]

22. Not me.

donald knew he was making those calls. It's the business ties and the tape. They have him by the short hairs. What gets me is how the GOP continues to stand with him.

[get the red out]

40. Yep

Flynn's out because he was careless.

[Kablooie]

24. Flynn doesn't. He already tweeted the he was a scapegoat.

[rpannier]

25. They probably told Bannon

So the @real president did know
They may or may not have told the body dummy

[mcar]

26. He is correct

This issue needs to be kept alive.

[Turbineguy]

29. Trump voters

certainly. Perhaps not all.

[R B Garr]

30. They all knew. There was a common strategy and it had to be discussed.

Russia/oil and all the business to be had with those connections, and Trump's debts to Russia. No way they all didn't have at least some general consensus that they were going to play ball with Russia.

[LisaL]

32. I sure don't.

[beachbum bob]

38. how deep is Comrade Trump in to the russian MOB???

.if its time to quit pussyfooting around Comrade Trump and Comrade's Putins good friendship....and the releasing of US sactions that will put BILLIONS in Comrades Trumps pocket, Putins pocket, Goodman sach's pockets and Exxon-Mobile pockets,,,selling out AMERICA where the fuck are Trumps tax returns and how deep is in to the russian MOB???

[njhoneybadger]

43. tRump is not leaving the White House

unless sanctions are lifted. Putin has enough on him to send him to prison. When cornered there is nothing he won,t do. The problem is he has the nuclear codes.

[Alice11111]

97. Both putin and DT are like that. If cornered, do ANYTHING

Ultimately, Putin is far more rational and restrained.
Can't believe we have to rely on Graham and McCain to be the real people to try to drive, manage, uncover this ? Catastrophe?, worse than that

[malthaussen]

46. Quite a few, presumably.

The king can do no wrong.

-- Mal

[wiggs]

52. This might be where the goprs step up. If there was collusion with Russians re the election,

and if the GOP suspects it, Trump will shortly be given a choice between resignation and impeachment. Especially if the GOP knows what the CIA has and it's a dead end. Trump and GOP will favor resignation, ostensibly because of Trumps personal reasons.

The GOP will not risk widening election scandal combined with very very low approval ratings that lead to a general call to nullify the election for both Trump and Pence. They will not follow Trump down and the longer this goes the more chance there is of wholesale carnage.

I don't expect the GOP to act like patriots for the good of the country, but I do expect them to act in self interest for the good of their party.

[MrPurple]

81. Yeah, but Trump is such an egomaniacal madman

that if he sees the writing on the wall to his being removed, he'll start a war or something to try to change the subject.

[Alice11111]

98. I posted this same thing somewhere. It's win or war.

Maybe the only thing big enuf to distract from this and what's to come. If he's losing, he will create a bigger distraction. Obsessed with seeing everything as how to one up and win. He is still talking about his election WIN and the number of electoral votes in detail in his presser w Nat.

[yellowcanine]

55. David Gergen should probably be careful about who he agrees to have lunch with.

And carry a Geiger counter with him if he does agree to meet someone he doesn't know very well. Just sayin.'

[triron]

58. I hope he is thinking about that at least

[Cognitive_Resonance]

57. White House behavior reflects complicity, subpoenas needed pronto to get to the bottom of this nt

[Caliman73]

60. Well it isn't rocket science...

I am glad that Gergen and others are not letting this go, but honestly, it doesn't take a keen strategic mind to see that this situation with Russia goes further than Flynn. Trump had ties to Russia before his political ambitions came to fruition. He surrounded himself with people who had ties to Russia including Manafort, Roger Stone, Bannon (at least in a peripheral sense), Flynn, Tillerson, etc... These are not just coincidental associations.

[Alice11111]

99. Yeah, it's been obvious 4 months, and even in the press

Like intelligence leaks just propped up sources. 2+2+1-1 is 1st grade arithmetic. The Republicans try to confuse it.

[cstanleytech]

66. It's possible Trump knew and sat on it if he was afraid of something that the Russians have on

him as well and what could even be worse is if the Russians told him to sit on it.

[BadGimp]

67. BINGO!

[Honeycombe8]

73. Exactly. My first thought....

You KNOW he didn't make that call on his own (or receive one).

I think there was more than one call, also.

[More_Cowbell]

83. Great Politico story: why Flynn didn't act alone

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/02/who-told-flynn-to-call-russia-214782

Someone who knows Flynn explains that he wouldn't have called Russia without being told to.

[gopiscrap]

84. Good

[coco22]

87. Kick..