TPM: "It is highly likely that the Flynn/Russia channel was authorized by the President himself."
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As the Russia story submerged out of view in the first days of February, the Acting Attorney General had already warned the White House about Michael Flynn's deceptions and susceptibility to blackmail. She was fired for refusing to enforce the immigration executive order days later. Though the White House now denies it, it seems that the President and his top advisors took no action in response to these warnings.
We can now also see the outlines of another part of the story. It appears that repeated efforts were made to apprise President Trump or those around him of the situation with Michael Flynn. When those warnings were ignored, people in the national security and law enforcement apparatus went instead to the press to get the word out that way. Only now can we see some of the hidden actions which reveal the pattern and provide context to the leaks.
This is not some ill-considered discussion by Michael Flynn. The role of Russia in the 2016 election and the President's relationship to Russia has been the un-ignorable question hanging over President Trump for months. Flynn's resignation does not come close to resolving it. It is highly likely that the Flynn/Russia channel was authorized by the President himself. There's much more to come.
MORE TO COME:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-wind-is-sown
Now we have a big new piece of the puzzle. On Monday January 30th, President Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates for refusing to enforce his immigration executive order. Only days earlier, Yates and what the Post describes as a "senior career national security official" told White House Counsel Donald McGahn that Michael Flynn has lied about his communications with the Russian Ambassador and that he was potentially vulnerable to Russian blackmail.
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What the Post article also reveals is that Flynn's deception became a topic of active concern in the final days of the Obama administration. What they knew was that Flynn's public claims about his contacts with the Russian Ambassador were false and suspected that he had misled at least incoming Vice President Pence. Yates, CIA Director John Brennan and DNI James Clapper discussed the matter repeatedly. They recommended briefing the new President so he could decide himself how to deal with the situation. But this: "FBI Director James B. Comey initially opposed notification, citing concerns that it could complicate the agency’s investigation."
It's not clear precisely when Yates and the intelligence official delivered their message to Donald McGahn in the White House. It had to be between January 23rd and 30th, though the Post story suggests it was closer to the latter date
What is now clear is that the Trump White House has known about Flynn's deception for at least two weeks.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/white-house-knew
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-department-warned-white-house-that-flynn-could-be-vulnerable-to-russian-blackmail-officials-say/2017/02/13/fc5dab88-f228-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html?utm_term=.f1305f95c666
= new reply since forum marked as read
...and his responsibility to America. Again.
Republican traitors to America suck. 
