Panich52
Panich52's JournalWhat happened to General Flynn?
Once upon a time, Gen Mike Flynn was respected among natonal security circles. President Obama even placed him as his Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Now Flynn is being investigated as essentially a double agent. What caused the fall?
Some might point to his being fired by Obama about a year into his post. He resigned, forced out, due to ineffectual leadership. He was accused of being difficult to deal with and subordinates mocked him for his "Flynn facts" — "alt-facts" before the term was coined.
Flynn's criticizing of Pres Obama begins shortly after. Projection, blaming others for one's own shortcomings, apparently infected him as it has with most Republicans. That made him of like mind with Donald Trump, a long-time Obama critic who focused on irrelevancies or outright lies. (I suspect Obama warning Trump not to hire Flynn was one way to assure he'd get a job with Trump.)
Before Trump discovered him, Flynn began a career lobbying for foreign governments. His previous roles in the military and DIA probably allowed him to collect exorbitant fees. Russia and Turkey were obviously willing to pay for his expertise — but how much more than for his contacts as a lobbyist?
Special Counsel Mueller is investigating Flynn for colluding with Turkey to abduct a US resident and extradite him back to Turkey. It would be bad enough if he were to aid in this while an advisor on Trump's campaign, but his loyalty to Turkey's desires were to continue after the election, after Flynn was part of the administration. It's not a stretch to wonder about whether he shared more than his contacts with his foreign clients. His knowledge of our military and defense capabilities would also be if high value.
Am I to believe that being fired as Director of DIA was enough to turn a career US military general into what could be called a double agent? Just what the fuck happened to Gen Mike Flynn?
(Original posted on CivilLibertyRocks)
What Trump has undone
WaPo
What Trump has undone
This article has been updated with additional items.
President Trump has repeatedly argued that he’s done more than any other recent president. That’s not true, as measured by the amount of legislation he’s been able to sign. It is true, though, that Trump has undone a lot of things that were put into place by his predecessors, including President Barack Obama.
Since Jan. 20, Trump’s administration has enthusiastically and systematically undone or uprooted rules, policies and tools that predated his time in office. Below, a list of those changes, roughly organized by subject area.
Did we miss something? Let us know. (philip.bump@washpost.com)
Withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The trade deal would have established a trade partnership between the United States and countries on the Pacific Rim.
Revoked a rule that expanded the number of people who could earn overtime pay.
Reversal of a rule that would mandate that oil and gas companies report payments to foreign governments. The Securities and Exchange Commission will no longer receive this information.
Ended limits on the ability of states to drug test those seeking unemployment benefits.
Revoked an executive order that mandated compliance by contractors with laws protecting women in the workplace.
Much more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/08/24/what-trump-has-undone/?sw_bypass=true
Presidents Twitter Account Should Not Block Users, First Amendment Lawyers Argue
NBC News
President’s Twitter Account Should Not Block Users, First Amendment Lawyers Argue
by SAFIA SAMEE ALI
The president’s Twitter habits are getting him into even more legal murkiness.
A group of First Amendment lawyers sent President Donald Trump a letter on Tuesday asking him to unblock Twitter users whom he gave the digital cold shower after they chastised or disagreed with him on social media — citing that Trump’s Twitter space is a "public forum" so the ban is unconstitutional.
The Knight First Amendment Institute, a non-profit under the Knight Foundation and Columbia University, represents several Twitter users who have been blocked from accessing @realDonaldTrump after they wrote unflattering statements about the president.
The letter to Trump says his “Twitter account operates as a ‘designated public forum’ for First Amendment purposes, and accordingly the viewpoint-based blocking of our clients is unconstitutional.”
"We ask that you unblock them and any others who have been blocked for similar reasons.”
The White House did not immediately comment on the letter but the lawyers are prepared to go to court if the president does not heed their advice, said Alex Abdo, one of the lawyers representing the blocked users.
More
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/president-s-twitter-account-should-not-block-users-first-amendment-n769026
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