GOP rep on Flynn: 'The coverup was worse than the crime'

[Jose Garcia]

Source: The Hill

National security adviser Michael Flynn became a "distraction" to the Trump administration when he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his calls to Russia, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Tuesday.

"In this case, the coverup was worse than the crime. And it's arguably or questionably a crime," Kinzinger said on "Fox & Friends."

"It was a bad decision to call Russia and talk about this in the middle of the past administration determining what sanctions were going to look like. But what happened, the big problem is when he lied to the vice president and he became a distraction to President Trump."

Kinzinger said he thinks Flynn did the "honorable thing" by calling the president and explaining he was a distraction.

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/319387-gop-rep-coverup-was-worse-than-the-crime

[HAB911]

1. Past is prologue ............n/t

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. such a Nixonian headline!

[onetexan]

21. yes, love it!

Godwilling, it will soon unravel and lead back to agent orange. We could use a woman in the Oval Office right about now .

[NewJeffCT]

3. actually, in this case, I don't think it is

if there was treason involved, the cover up is small time compared to the crime.

[Cracklin Charlie]

37. Agree.

But they will sure want it to seem like the only crime was a post-election phone call.

Anybody fallin' for that?

[blueseas]

4. Questionably?

I don't think so.....

[Madam45for2923]

5. NOPE! BOTH ARE VERY VERY BAD!!!!

[DetlefK]

6. Nope. The Logan Act says that his phone-call was a crime.

[DK504]

29. A bad decision? Wow, kinda missing the point.

"It was a bad decision to call Russia and talk about this in the middle of the past administration determining what sanctions were going to look like."

They are both equally as criminal and he should be prosecuted, but we know it'll never happen.

[malthaussen]

7. Where have I heard that before?

Oh, the late Hunter Thompson would have a field day with this.

-- Mal

[yellowcanine]

8. 'Flynn did the "honorable thing" by calling the president...'

Yeah right. No way Flynn initiated this. He was told to resign or be fired. And it is not so arguable about whether Flynn violated the Logan Act. Only question is whether or not it could have been proven and that is not much of a question either given that at least some of the conversations were intercepted.

[PJMcK]

9. Representative Kinzinger is full of it

This is the best spin the Republicans are coming up with? General Flynn violated the Logan Act, lied about his actions and may have committed treason but this Congressman thinks it was the "cover-up" that ended General Flynn's tenure. He thinks General Flynn did an "honorable thing" by resigning! Really?! These people have no shame, morals or patriotism.

Representative Kinzinger is just another fact-free Republican liar.

[world wide wally]

12. He probably heard that Nixons coverup was worse than the crime so he is going with that.

Maybe he hasn't realized that he is aiding and abetting treason yet. Somebody should inform him of that.

[PJMcK]

24. Nixon's cover-up was spin

The expression that the cover-up is worse than the crime originated with the Watergate scandal. In fact, it's not really entirely true. The cover-up was an integral part of the larger crimes from the very beginning.

Consider what the crime was. The burglary at the Democratic offices in the Watergate hotel were only a part of the endeavor. The fundamental purpose of the actions by the Committee to Re-Elect the President, (CREEP, if you can believe it!), was to subvert our national election. That is a tremendous and insidious action! Everything else in the story follows that basic idea.

For example, the reason they electronically bugged the DNC offices was to cheat in the elections. The payoffs and hush money all flowed from the desire to tilt the election to President Nixon. Once the lid on the Nixon White House was popped open, all kinds of other things were revealed. Of course, the great irony is that all of their illegal acts were unnecessary because Senator McGovern was never going to unseat the president. His loss was huge and it wasn't because of the break-in at the Watergate.

The pundits like to use this simple expression because they think it sounds profound. In fact, the profundity is found is the connections between all of the integral parts of these illegal acts. Thankfully, there are a few- not enough!- journalists providing that hard work.

[world wide wally]

41. good summation

[yellowcanine]

10. "What did the President know and when did he know it?"

That is where we are now and it is not good for Trump. Unfortunately for him this is moving way faster than Watergate.

[Ray Bruns]

11. We have been sold out.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have been sold out. What more evidence do you need of Trump's collusion with a foreign power than Russian lawmakers defending Mike Flynn. I never thought I would live long enough to see it.

[George II]

13. But it WAS a crime, and he should be prosecuted. Him and anyone in on the crime and cover up.

[ffr]

32. +1

tRump should take the lead on this, since he's the self-professed Law and Order candidate.

[Mc Mike]

14. Not really, but nice try Kinzie.

[Botany]

17. +1

No the crime, rigging our elections with collusion between the GOP and Russia,
is way worse then the cover up.

It was a coup and people committed treason.

[Mc Mike]

25. That stupid statement was just a last ditch effort

by repugs to distract attention away from the actual repug treasonous felonies.

[Botany]

27. McConnell and Ryan were into "it" up to their eyeballs too.

God only knows how many elections were rigged?

An example of just how deep the Russian hacking was into the election ..... they were
into the county level in Wisconsin and they were messing with down ticket races too.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/24/russians-suspected-hacking-wisconsin-dems/97023222/

[Mc Mike]

36. Agreed, 100%, Botany. Nt.

[Solly Mack]

15. Anything to get the one talking point out: He lied to Pence.

Pence knew. They all knew.

[BeyondGeography]

16. Bullshit

[Zoonart]

28. Indeed!

"The coverup was worse then the crime." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
YOU WISH

[eppur_se_muova]

18. Catchy cliche, but not even remotely true.

Flynn gave Putin the "safe to proceed" signal. That genie is not going back in the bottle.

[MBS]

35. Exactly.

In this case, the crime (especially once we know the full extent of it, and I am sure that this is just the tip of the iceberg) is almost surely even worse than the coverup.

[asiliveandbreathe]

40. +1000% eom

[karynnj]

19. Real intent here is to define time of contacts to just post election

Problem otherwise is it calls into question Trump being ok with Russian interference.

[Snotcicles]

20. Thank you Mr. Kinzinger. We would be happy to except any supporting evidence you have to back up

your assertion and would welcome details of your involvement that would lend credibility to your claim.

[Iggo]

22. I'll be the judge of that. Release the transcripts. (n/t)

[matt819]

23. Well, okay

But the crime was pretty bad.

Treason, anyone?

[Achilleaze]

26. Meh. The coverup is standard republican evil

But selling America out to the russians - as the KGOP has done and is doing - is TREACHERY & TREASON most foul.

But then again, maybe he's referring to the ongoing republican STONEWALL on the whole vast evil Republican betrayal of America?

[ffr]

30. How's that crow tasting now, you motherf-ckers!

66 million of us got it right. Which means that 63 million OF YOU MOTHERF-CKERS SOLD US DOWN THE RIVER!!!

Public floggings for anyone who admits they're a tRump supporter still. We'll forgive you once, but not for doubling down.

[PoliticAverse]

31. Those mentioning the "Logan Act" may want to consider that no has ever been prosecuted under the act

probably because there is a good chance that the act if challenged would be found to be unconstitutional.

Congressional Research Service
Conducting Foreign Relations Without Authority: The Logan Act
2015 (.pdf) https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33265.pdf

[ananda]

33. No. In this case, the crime was worse.

But the coverup was bad too.

Of course, they had a lot of help.

James Comey should resign too.

In fact, all the cohorts should be arrested
for treason.

[lark]

34. Total BS

It's the act itself and you know he didn't do this on his own. I'd also be surprised if he actually lied to Pence. I'd bet they are lying about the lie. It would be shocking if Pence didn't know and approve of the hardline pro-Russia stance of his boss and didn't agree or at least pretend to agree.

Of course Repugs will not own the treason their guy represents, so they put forward "the lie" to protect Hair Furor and Pence.

[flamingdem]

38. Pence dreams toast for 2020

Deal with it phoney

[asiliveandbreathe]

39. BS - they started BS last night..pablum - soft kitty comments -

If this R Kinzinger thinks this coverup is worse than the CRIME (which it is a crime) then step aside..Kinzinger has no business evaluating this digusting - un-American event...there is NOTHING honorable about colluding against America with Russia...

And the man who would be Prez..Paul aynrand Ryan.....Pense knew and trump knew - the question every day in every way - what did they know, and when did they know it!

Comey - where is your mouth now???????