On the Saturday morning of 4/29/17, I was watching on TV, a MSNBC rerun of the Rachel Maddow Show when the host stated that NBC’s reporter Andrea Mitchell has uncovered information proving that those in the White House were fully informed as to General Mike Flynn having worked on behalf of Turkey before he became the republican President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser.
It turns out that the White House did have a sub rosa background check done on General Flynn before he became part of the president’s team. In addition, the host Rachel Maddow reminded her audience that there were numerous news outlets, from the left to the right viewpoints, which were reporting about General Flynn’s work on behalf of a foreign government in real time, as the vetting process was in progress. In addition, the U.S. Congress directly voiced its concern in writing to the White House about General Flynn ties to foreign entities. Finally, General Flynn’s attorneys claim to have informed the White House on this same matter.
In short, the Vice President Mike Pence who was in charge of the White House’s vetting process and who has been publicly stating as late as March 2017 in a Fox TV interview, that he knew nothing about General Flynn’s connection to Turkey, has been lying with a straight face to the American peoples. The same can be said for the White House’s Spokesperson, Sean Spicer and the Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Here is the rest of the story…
On 4/28/17, Brooke Seipel of The Hill penned the following report, “Trump team did background check on Flynn, knew of Turkey ties: report.”
Excerpts:
“The White House and President Trump’s transition team reportedly did a background check on former national security adviser Michael Flynn in addition to his already approved security clearance, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow reported Friday (4/28/17) evening.
“NBC News has learned from sources close to the Trump-Russia investigation that both the Trump transition and the White House did do a background check on Flynn,” Maddow said on her program, citing reporting from NBC’s Andrea Mitchell.”
“This is in addition to his already approved security clearance. They did a background check on Flynn specifically for him to become national security adviser.”
“Maddow said Friday that NBC reporting showed that “the vetting of Flynn was done and sources close to the investigation tell NBC that it was done ‘very casually.'”
“One person involved tells NBC that the Trump transition was aware of Flynn’s business ties to Turkey,” she said.”
“Flynn, who was forced out of Trump’s White House after misleading officials about his conversation with Russia’s ambassador about sanctions, received a five-year renewal of his security clearance in January 2016.”
“A former Obama aide hit back Friday (4/28/17) at attempts by Trump officials to blame the previous administration” (for not having done the appropriate vetting).
“The responsibility in vetting [Flynn] belongs on the incoming administration,” former Obama communications director Jen Psaki said on CNN. “Clearly that wasn’t done. So this is kind of an absurd blame game here.”
“The House Oversight Committee said earlier this week (week of 4/24/17) that Flynn may have broken the law by taking payments from Russia and Turkey without approval from the military and State Department. He had reportedly been previously warned against taking such payments.”
“According to Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Flynn applied to renew his security clearance — using a Form SF-86 — in January 2016, a month after he traveled to Moscow to give a paid speech.”
Gronda Morin 
To me this part of the article really causes me to question Flynns motives.
“”“According to Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Flynn applied to renew his security clearance — using a Form SF-86 — in January 2016, a month after he traveled to Moscow to give a paid speech.””
He was allegedly fired by the Obama administration in 2014, so what purpose would his renewing his security clearance have been needed? Did he commit perjury when filing this form? It seems that the more time passes the more questions are raised not only about this man, but the entire tRump staff.
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Dear Crustyolemothman,
General Flynn was fired as head of DIA/ forced out but he still was a general who can be called back to duty at any time. It was to his benefit to keep up his security clearance.
It is his military status that bars him from accepting monies from foreign governments/ entities without prior permission.
Ciao, Gronda
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As I have read, one of the reasons that Flynn was relieved of his duties was passing top secret information about the activities of the CIA to Iraq military personnel, and that by itself should have caused at least a question to have been raised about his renewal of his security clearance. Or am I misunderstanding the current requirements to hold such a clearance, if so it must have changed since I was in the military…
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Dear Crustyolemothman,
It was General Mattis who did the investigation of Gen Flynn around 2010 on his sharing CIA data to non US officials with clearance but nothing came of it except that General Flynn’s promotion was held up for about a year. He went to work for the DIA in 2011..
Ciao, Gronda
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Gronda, I have gravitated from layers of an onion to Senator John McCain’s description of the Russia saga as “shoes dropping off a centipede.” The lying and sloppy cover up is pervasive. And, when his subordinates feel they have to lie like their boss, these shoes will drop at a faster clip.
Now, the Pentagon is investigating the smug Michael Flynn, and unlike the political machinations of Congress, they will take this job seriously. We must not forget that Flynn was fired before he met Trump for his inability to get along with others. Now it appears the Trump team had a much greater knowledge than they let on. It goes back to his recorded track record of lying before and after winning. The odds are in your favor not to believe a word Trump says. It would behoove his team to not emulate their boss. Keith
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Dear Keith,
It is at a point where the cover up will become more problematic than the actual deeds. This does hearken back to the Nixon era.
Around 2010, the Secretary of Defense General Mattis conducted an investigation of Gen. Flynn when he found out that he shared “classified information with various foreign military officers and/or officials in Afghanistan without proper authorization.” The secrets were about CIA operations in Afghanistan.
Gen Flynn was never disciplined but his promotion was held up for a year when he started at the DIA in 3011
It will be the same Gen Mattis who will make sure the Pentagon does a proper investigation.
Ciao, Gronda.
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Gronda, if this is left only to the Pentagon, the right action based on the information will result. Whether one agrees with him, Mattis has far more character than his boss. The Congressional committees need to get to a “good of the country” mission and away from party politics. I read this morning that a former CIA operative testified in front of the Senate committee that the key reason the Russian influence worked in the election is they had a willing participant in one Donald Trump. Whether he was receiving a baton from the Russians, he was using the baton to win the race. Keith
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Dear Keith,
The CIA’s representative accurately painted the picture that Russia would not have succeeded with its plan to meddle in the US elections without the cooperation of DDT during his Campaign.
But DDT was assisted by the media as all of them with rare exceptions wrote about the Russian hacked emails of prominent democrats leaked by WikiLeaks without the caveat that the data was stolen by a foreign government for nefarious purposes.
Then the republicans are complicit with the Russians and DDT by not fully investigating this mess with the speed and competence that would have occurred if HRC had become president.
Ciao, Gronda
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Gronda, per the last two GOP Secretaries of State before Clinton, both said the Benghazi Hearings were a witch hunt designed to discredit HRC. Everyone, of course, could have done better for these four souls that lost their lives, including Congress, but eight committees was a stretch. Now, we are talking about evidence that Russia did tamper with our election. The fact they did is no longer a question except in Russia’s eyes. The issue was were the President and his staff in on the game. They certainly were willing players. So, where is the same level of fervor in the investigation? I don’t care who is President – there is something rotten and “it ain’t in Denmark.” Keith
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