Presumably in advance of Sally Yates’ testimony next week, members of the Trump transition team are saying tonight that they knew Michael Flynn was in contact with the Russian ambassador and warned him about it. They even got Obama officials to put together a profile on Kislyak for him — but they’re not sure he ever read it.
Flynn was named National Security Advisor anyhow.
If the transition team knew that Flynn was a problem, why didn’t they tell Mike Pence when he became head of the transition team?
If they did tell him, why did he go on national TV and repeatedly lie about it? He lied to Chuck Todd, for heaven’s sake. Chuck Todd. How could he? (/s)
Raw Story is up with a story already, with appropriate hat-tippage to Rachel Maddow, who hasn’t believed Pence all along.
Flynn was fired for lying to Pence but now it seems the entire campaign and transition team also lied to Pence. Conversely, Pence could have known and gone on “Face the Nation” and lied to protect the new White House.
“Either they were criminally negligent — or they weren’t and they knew,” Maddow said in March.
When it comes to Pence, Maddow refused to believe the claim that Pence knew nothing.
Mike Pence has proclaimed that his greatest loyalty is to his faith — “I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican,” Pence said. “In that order” — so what does he do now? Either he was lied to and disrespected by his President and his entire staff, or he has been caught lying repeatedly. (I’m pretty sure God had something to say about bearing false witness.)
If Pence were truly a man on conscience and principle, he would have no choice but to resign. But I don’t actually believe Pence is either.