Flim Flam Flynn
Flim Flam
1.Nonsense; humbug.
"When you are given immunity, that means you've probably committed a crime."
-- Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (Sept. 2016)
Lieutenant General Michael Flynn was a sought-after speaker in Russia when he was nominated to be National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump. As a former military man, Flynn had knowledge of strategic matters that were of particular interest to his Russian audiences (and to the regime in Turkey), earning him in the neighborhood of $1.3 million per year. Flynn was forced to resign as Trump's advisor after failing to disclose talks he had with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak about sanctions the U.S. had placed on Moscow and for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.
As the nation's leaders so often like to remind us, we live in an extraordinary democracy where anyone can grow up to be president. When this bizarre period in the American story is written, there will be the inevitable comparisons to other scandalous episodes in the twisted Kabuki theater of contemporary American politics. Nixon had his Watergate, Reagan his Iran/Contra scandal, Bill Clinton his Monica... all different affairs certainly, but none with the magnitude of Trump-gate i.e. interesting enough to hold the attention of Madison Avenue, tightly gripped in the tentacles of an attention deficit, somnambulant culture.
Acting on the advice of his lawyer, General Flynn has declared his interest in a deal that will grant him immunity from possible criminal prosecution in exchange for his testimony that may benefit the Congressional inquiry into Russian computer hacking of last year's presidential election. The attorney has said that his client has "a story to tell."
What may, or may not, come to be known as Trump-gate will likely end up as an odd footnote in the tragic-comedy we refer to as our political system. At least one critical thought remains: for a short period of time, the citizens of the United States of America were taken in by a wealthy, cynical flim-flam artist and his coterie of billionaire sycophants.
A word to the wise and not so wise: In operating a democratic republic where anybody can "grow up to be president," be careful to closely examine the fine print. The ultimate meaning of it all lingers in the shadows, demanding an answer to the inevitable questions: will any Trump loyalist see the inside of a jail cell?
1.Nonsense; humbug.
2. A deception; a swindle.
tr.v. flim·flammed, flim·flam·ming, flim·flams
To swindle; cheat.
"When you are given immunity, that means you've probably committed a crime."
-- Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (Sept. 2016)
Lieutenant General Michael Flynn was a sought-after speaker in Russia when he was nominated to be National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump. As a former military man, Flynn had knowledge of strategic matters that were of particular interest to his Russian audiences (and to the regime in Turkey), earning him in the neighborhood of $1.3 million per year. Flynn was forced to resign as Trump's advisor after failing to disclose talks he had with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak about sanctions the U.S. had placed on Moscow and for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.
As the nation's leaders so often like to remind us, we live in an extraordinary democracy where anyone can grow up to be president. When this bizarre period in the American story is written, there will be the inevitable comparisons to other scandalous episodes in the twisted Kabuki theater of contemporary American politics. Nixon had his Watergate, Reagan his Iran/Contra scandal, Bill Clinton his Monica... all different affairs certainly, but none with the magnitude of Trump-gate i.e. interesting enough to hold the attention of Madison Avenue, tightly gripped in the tentacles of an attention deficit, somnambulant culture.
Acting on the advice of his lawyer, General Flynn has declared his interest in a deal that will grant him immunity from possible criminal prosecution in exchange for his testimony that may benefit the Congressional inquiry into Russian computer hacking of last year's presidential election. The attorney has said that his client has "a story to tell."
What may, or may not, come to be known as Trump-gate will likely end up as an odd footnote in the tragic-comedy we refer to as our political system. At least one critical thought remains: for a short period of time, the citizens of the United States of America were taken in by a wealthy, cynical flim-flam artist and his coterie of billionaire sycophants.
A word to the wise and not so wise: In operating a democratic republic where anybody can "grow up to be president," be careful to closely examine the fine print. The ultimate meaning of it all lingers in the shadows, demanding an answer to the inevitable questions: will any Trump loyalist see the inside of a jail cell?
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