Changes

On February 11 National Security aide to National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is denied a security clearance, in effect, the CIA exercising [[veto]] power over the President's management of national security affairs. The action was unprecedented and without cause. Reports say the CIA did not like the aide's attitude toward the agency.<ref>The artcle continues: "Since no one can take part in the formulation or execution of foreign or defense policy without a high-level security clearance, vetoing the president’s people by denying them clearances trumps the president....the persons who thus took for themselves the prerogative that the American people had entrusted to [President Trump] at the ballot box, chances are 100 percent that they will use that prerogative ever more frequently with regard to anyone else whom they regard as standing in the way of their preferred policies, as a threat to their reputation, or simply as partisan opponents... undermin[ing] nothing less than the self-evident heart of the [[United States Constitution:Article II|Constitution’s Article II]]: The president is the executive branch. All of its employees draw their powers from him and answer to him, not the other way around." http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/15/cia-insults-trump/</ref> “They believe this is a hit job from inside the CIA on Flynn and the people close to him," because the aide "believes that the CIA doesn’t run the world.”<ref>http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319073-top-flynn-aide-rejected-for-key-security-clearance-report</ref>

On February 11 National Security aide to National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is denied a security clearance, in effect, the CIA exercising [[veto]] power over the President's management of national security affairs. The action was unprecedented and without cause. Reports say the CIA did not like the aide's attitude toward the agency.<ref>The artcle continues: "Since no one can take part in the formulation or execution of foreign or defense policy without a high-level security clearance, vetoing the president’s people by denying them clearances trumps the president....the persons who thus took for themselves the prerogative that the American people had entrusted to [President Trump] at the ballot box, chances are 100 percent that they will use that prerogative ever more frequently with regard to anyone else whom they regard as standing in the way of their preferred policies, as a threat to their reputation, or simply as partisan opponents... undermin[ing] nothing less than the self-evident heart of the [[United States Constitution:Article II|Constitution’s Article II]]: The president is the executive branch. All of its employees draw their powers from him and answer to him, not the other way around." http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/15/cia-insults-trump/</ref> “They believe this is a hit job from inside the CIA on Flynn and the people close to him," because the aide "believes that the CIA doesn’t run the world.”<ref>http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319073-top-flynn-aide-rejected-for-key-security-clearance-report</ref>

On February 13 unable to get his staff appointments, Flynn was unable to do his job, and resigned. Consortiumnews reports, {{quotebox|"Flynn’s real “offense” appears to be that he favors ''[[détente]]'' with Russia rather than escalation of a new and dangerous [[Cold War]]. Trump’s idea of a ''rapprochement'' with Moscow – and a search for areas of cooperation and compromise – has been driving Official Washington’s foreign policy establishment crazy for months and [[Hillary Rodham Clinton#The neoconservatives return|the neocons, in particular]], have been determined to block it."<ref><small>The article continues, "as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency – he oversaw a prescient 2012 analysis that foresaw that their support for the Syrian insurgency would give rise to “a declared or undeclared [[Salafi]]st principality in eastern Syria [ISIS].”

 

On February 13 unable to get his staff appointments, Flynn was unable to do his job, and resigned. Consortiumnews reports, "Flynn’s real “offense” appears to be that he favors ''[[détente]]'' with Russia rather than escalation of a new and dangerous [[Cold War]]. Trump’s idea of a ''rapprochement'' with Moscow – and a search for areas of cooperation and compromise – has been driving Official Washington’s foreign policy establishment crazy for months and [[Hillary Rodham Clinton#The neoconservatives return|the neocons, in particular]], have been determined to block it."<ref><small>The article continues, "as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency – he oversaw a prescient 2012 analysis that foresaw that their support for the Syrian insurgency would give rise to “a declared or undeclared [[Salafi]]st principality in eastern Syria [ISIS].”

The DIA report, which was partially declassified in a lawsuit over the [[Libyan War#Ambassador Stevens dispatched|2012 killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya]] and three other U.S. personnel in Benghazi, Libya, embarrassed the advocates for an escalation of the war in Syria and the ouster of secular President Bashar al-Assad.

The DIA report, which was partially declassified in a lawsuit over the [[Libyan War#Ambassador Stevens dispatched|2012 killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya]] and three other U.S. personnel in Benghazi, Libya, embarrassed the advocates for an escalation of the war in Syria and the ouster of secular President Bashar al-Assad.

'''The argument is dubious because the Russians would know that the U.S. government knew exactly what the conversations entailed, so how would the blackmail work?''' But this “blackmail” argument is another throwback to the earlier McCarthy days when gays were barred from sensitive government jobs because of their alleged susceptibility to blackmail.

'''The argument is dubious because the Russians would know that the U.S. government knew exactly what the conversations entailed, so how would the blackmail work?''' But this “blackmail” argument is another throwback to the earlier McCarthy days when gays were barred from sensitive government jobs because of their alleged susceptibility to blackmail.

But the gambit to get Flynn worked. Amid frenzied coverage on CNN, [[MSNBC]], The ''Washington Post'', The ''New York Times'' and the rest of the mainstream media, Flynn and the Russia ''détente'' that he stood for were not expected to be long for this world of Official Washington." https://consortiumnews.com/2017/02/14/trump-caves-on-flynns-resignation/ </small></ref>

But the gambit to get Flynn worked. Amid frenzied coverage on CNN, [[MSNBC]], The ''Washington Post'', The ''New York Times'' and the rest of the mainstream media, Flynn and the Russia ''détente'' that he stood for were not expected to be long for this world of Official Washington." https://consortiumnews.com/2017/02/14/trump-caves-on-flynns-resignation/ </small></ref><ref>On February 14 [[Charles Krauthammer]] commented on the unmasking of Flynn, "When the conversation involves an American, there are extremely strict procedures to blur the identity, to hide the identity and to protect the information coming from the American. This is the exact opposite of that and it is scary."<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/02/14/krauthammer_we_can_not_have_intel_agencies_eavesdrop_on_americans_and_release_it_to_press.html]</ref>}}

 

On February 14 [[Charles Krauthammer]] commented on the unmasking of Flynn, "When the conversation involves an American, there are extremely strict procedures to blur the identity, to hide the identity and to protect the information coming from the American. This is the exact opposite of that and it is scary."<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/02/14/krauthammer_we_can_not_have_intel_agencies_eavesdrop_on_americans_and_release_it_to_press.html]</ref>

On February 16 at a press conference, Trump lashed back at the tapping of his [[Oval Office]] phone conversations with other heads of government. Trump says, {{quotebox|"I called, as you know, [[Mexico]]. It was a very, very confidential, classified call... I spoke to the president of Mexico; I had a good call. '''All of a sudden, it's out there for the world to see. It's supposed to be secret. It's supposed to be either confidential or classified, in that case. Same thing with Australia. All of a sudden, people are finding out exactly what took place [in a presidential Oval Office phone call]. The same thing happened with respect to General Flynn. Everybody saw this. And I'm saying -- the first thing I thought of when I heard about it is: How does the press get this information that's classified? How do they do it?''' You know why? Because it's an illegal process and the press should be ashamed of themselves. But more importantly, the people that gave out the information to the press should be ashamed of themselves, really ashamed."<ref>http://time.com/4674061/donald-trump-press-conference-russia-transcript/</ref>}}

On February 16 at a press conference, Trump lashed back at the tapping of his [[Oval Office]] phone conversations with other heads of government. Trump says, {{quotebox|"I called, as you know, [[Mexico]]. It was a very, very confidential, classified call... I spoke to the president of Mexico; I had a good call. '''All of a sudden, it's out there for the world to see. It's supposed to be secret. It's supposed to be either confidential or classified, in that case. Same thing with Australia. All of a sudden, people are finding out exactly what took place [in a presidential Oval Office phone call]. The same thing happened with respect to General Flynn. Everybody saw this. And I'm saying -- the first thing I thought of when I heard about it is: How does the press get this information that's classified? How do they do it?''' You know why? Because it's an illegal process and the press should be ashamed of themselves. But more importantly, the people that gave out the information to the press should be ashamed of themselves, really ashamed."<ref>http://time.com/4674061/donald-trump-press-conference-russia-transcript/</ref>}}