A reader reacts rather grumpily to Flynn’s exit:
Liberal chatter, the man did wrong and then did the right thing, he resigned. Enough.
Unfortunately, he indulged in denials and then forgetfulness. Perhaps that can be ignored.
However, if I may borrow a conservative trope, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and I see this as one of the first flames of this forest fire. There are actually a lot of concerns.
First, as the top National Security Advisor, he had incredible access to intelligence resources. Was he compromised? Or, how badly was he compromised? How much do the Russians now know because of the foolishness of hiring Flynn?
Second, he needs to be replaced. I’ve already, to my amazement, heard the name General David Petraeus mentioned. He indulged in an extra-marital affair and, according to Wikipedia,
Eventually, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information Petraeus allegedly provided to his mistress and biographer.
If he’s really in serious consideration, a responsible conservative should be asking about the processes being followed by the White House, and particularly that of the guy at the top. This is one of the most serious positions available, and Trump fouled it up once already. Flynn’s indulgence in conspiracy theories was no secret; indeed, that may have attracted Trump’s interest in him.
The third point follows from the second: how do we know that any of Trump’s nominees are trustworthy? So far we have evidence of one appointment failing spectacularly. Why did it fail? Have those errors in process been corrected? Why should we assume this is a one-time failure when the majority of the nominees (Tillerson, Sessions, DeVos, Puzder, Carson) are either complete novices in their area, are right-wing extremists – or both? And I don’t speak as a liberal, unless you are referencing such liberals as Washington and Jefferson, who greatly valued experience and good judgment; I really speak as the American independent that I am. And let’s not forget his senior advisors such as Conway, Bannon, and Miller – none of which have made a good showing.
The resignation of Flynn indicates that those others selected by Trump may be of a dubious nature. Any good conservative should be gravely concerned at the poor quality of Trump’s personnel. Particularly as more than once he promised he’d get the best.
