This week’s resignation of Michael Flynn as national security adviser seems to apply a double standard in the Trump White House when it comes to truth-telling.
Did Flynn become too much of a liability for possibly undermining outgoing President Barack Obama’s sanctions against Russia for allegedly interfering with the U.S. presidential election? Or did he get pushed out because he got caught lying about it to Vice President Mike Pence?
For an administration that has a habit of calling the truth lies and the lies truth, these are interesting questions to ponder.
Trust — whether it be in personal relationships or between the government and the citizenry — is based on an understanding that one side won’t intentionally mislead the other. Every time that line is crossed, that trust erodes. Cross it enough, and it becomes nearly impossible to rebuild it. It’s why marriages fail. It’s now why many don’t believe they are getting the full story on why Flynn, less than a month into Trump’s tenure, is out of a job.
Flynn’s coziness with the Russians didn’t bother Trump when he handed him one of the few major appointments that did not require Senate confirmation. Indeed, Trump, who has a more favorable opinion of Russian President Vladimir Putin than even some of the U.S. president’s own Cabinet members, seemed to think Flynn’s contacts at the Kremlin might be helpful in resetting U.S.-Russian relations.
Thus, is it probable that Flynn was just freelancing when he reportedly had frequent contact with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. on the day the Obama administration announced its sanctions? Or is it possible that Flynn, with directions or encouragement from the then-president-elect, was orchestrating with the Russians how they should respond, even while Flynn and Trump were still technically private citizens?
Was Flynn flying solo, or is he now being a good soldier and taking the fall?
There’s no way to know at this point. But the skepticism about what really happened is elevated because of how frequently Trump and several of his underlings have been caught not just shaving the truth but making stuff up.
