Michael Flynn Resigns As National Security Adviser. What Just Happened?

Facts, rumors, Russia, and the power of public scrutiny may have unseated National Security Adviser Michael Flynn

Here is what we know for sure. Michael Flynn, formerly the National Security Adviser to the 45th President of the United States, has resigned. He did so late Monday night. This appears largely to be a response to allegations that he discussed Obama administration sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Numerous officials, not to mention members of the American public, expressed concern over the national security implications of these conversations, as well as Flynn’s purported vulnerability to blackmail.

The reaction moved swiftly. Only two days ago, on January 12th, Washington Post writer David Ignatius claimed that a senior White House official said Flynn called the Ambassador numerous times on December 29. This was the same day Obama announced sanctions on Russia for its interference in the recent presidential election. Russia, meanwhile, curiously declined to act on these sanctions. Trump took to Twitter to praise Putin’s unexpected restraint.

Before it became apparent that Flynn was leaving, press secretary Sean Spicer was equivocal. He told reporters that the White House was “evaluating the situation” and declined to comment further. Meanwhile, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the President, told MSNBC that Trump had “full confidence” in Flynn. In a later press conference, Spicer acknowledged that Trump had asked Flynn to resign.

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It is unclear exactly where Flynn went wrong. In his resignation letter, Flynn stated that quickly emerging events in the first days of the administration hampered him. “Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador”.

However, evidence points to a more complicated scheme. Last month, then-acting-Attorney General Sally Q. Yates and other Justice Department officials warned the Trump administration that Flynn’s actions, including the telephone conversation, were “potentially illegal”. Later, a Trump transition official told the Washington Post “I can tell you that during his call, sanctions were not discussed whatsoever”.

Otherwise, it seems as if everyone has gone wild over what, exactly, went on during those phone calls. What did Flynn know? What did he share with the Russian ambassador? If Flynn is potentially collaborating with the Russian government, then who else within the Trump administration may be similarly compromised?

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Revisiting Trump’s ties with Russia

Certainly, this affair brings back some of the rampant speculation that followed the reveal of a dossier concerning Trump himself. It alleged that Russian officials held compromising information on Trump, including his supposed ties to Russia, as well as Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Many now wonder if Russian officials hold similar kompromat on Flynn as well.

Everyone, it seems has a different story. Flynn is saying that he was simply a busy government official, so swamped by important work that – oops! – he forgot to mention his interactions with Ambassador Kislyak. At the very least, he does not appear to have fully disclosed the contents of these conversations, even when he briefed then-Vice President-elect Pence.

The Trump administration will likely work to distance themselves from Flynn. Perhaps they will say that he was duplicitous, a quasi-double agent in their midst. Senior advisors may eventually come out and say that they were always cautioning against Flynn, of course. As of now, they are only discussing Trumps trust (or lack thereof) in his security officials. Likely, the administration will fail to mention that much-maligned dossier or the public’s questions about Trump’s other ties to Russia.

“We need to know who else within the White House is a current and ongoing risk to our national security”

Congress, however, has many questions. Indeed, Republicans and Democrats alike appear to be increasingly concerned about the relationship between the United States and Russia. In a statement released today, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) said that “General Flynn’s resignation is a troubling indication of the dysfunction of the current national security apparatus… [it] also raises further questions about the Trump administration’s intentions toward Vladimir Putin’s Russia”.

Another joint statement from Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Michigan) and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Maryland) said, “We need to know who else within the White House is a current and ongoing risk to our national security”.

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Russia allegations are not disappearing

Public concern does not appear to have abated, and in fact will likely grow in the coming days and weeks. Why, after all, did the White House keep Flynn for weeks, even though the Justice Department had already warned of his vulnerability to blackmail? Conway said that Flynn was fired in part because the situation had become “unsustainable”. One wonders, then: why had it been so sustainable for so long?

It is a mistake to assume that Trump and his staff are stupid. It may well be that they are unqualified. At the very least, they often appear to be frighteningly lax and self-serving. It often looks as if Trumps advisors, including Conway, appear more concerned with upholding appearances than securing classified information.

But stupid? Don’t let them off that easily. Far better to conclude, until proven otherwise, that all of the major players know exactly what they are doing. They kept Flynn until the pressure became too great for their machinations to bear. Further scrutiny may reveal even more compromising situations, if not outright treason.

Flynn’s former chief of staff, Keith Kellogg, has taken over as interim National Security Adviser. He takes on a National Security Council that was already chaotic before Flynn’s resignation.

It may be useful to end on a hopeful note. After all, it looks as if public attention and dissemination of information appears to have played something of a role in this messy, complicated affair. Some members of Congress appear to be responding to increased scrutiny from their constituents.

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Thorough, determined reporting also seems to have played a role in increasing awareness and creating concrete results in Flynn’s resignation. Perhaps even the Trump administration cannot completely hide from the truth, even in the depths of our labyrinthine government.