News you need to knowOn Monday, May 8, President Trump tweeted, “Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Counsel.” The tweet before that was Trump attempting to shame President Obama for hiring Michael Flynn from 2012 to 2014 (never mentioning that Obama forced Flynn out of the position).
Why this is not normalBefore former acting Attorney General Yates was fired (for not enforcing Trump’s travel ban), she warned White House counsel that Flynn, Trump’s pick for National Security Advisor had more Russian ties than he admitted.
Trump didn’t take Yates’ advice. He also didn’t take Obama’s advice. Flynn worked under Obama for two years as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency before being forced out due to policy management and internal disagreements. Obama didn’t warn Trump because of Flynn’s job performance, but because Flynn’s name kept popping up in investigations of Russia and its tampering with the 2016 presidential election.
Trump refused to take responsibility for his bad decision of appointing a man he was warned (twice!) might be a traitor working with Russia. Instead, he attempted to lay media distraction at the feet of Yates and Obama the morning Yates testified in front of a Senate subcommittee on the Russia-Flynn connection.
Stay classy, Mr. President.
Patty TempletonDGO Staff Writer
