Deballed connections

The leading legislators of the United States again questioned the relationship between Russia and assistants to President Donald Trump. Moreover, the number of Republicans interested in this issue is increasing. Republican and democratic leaders of the Senate Law Committee asked the US Prosecutor General Jeff Seashens and the director of the FBI James Komi on February 15 to provide documents and hold a briefing regarding Michael Flynn's resignation details. The national security adviser left his post after it became known that he was discussing US sanctions against Russia with the ambassador of the Russian Federation Sergei Kislyak before the assistant took office. Numerous opponents of President Trump predict his imminent impeachment.

The Kremlin lost a valuable partner in the person of Michael Flynn, but, as the Atlantic magazine writes with reference to a source in the State Department, Flynn did not agree on Flynn, and the Kremlin has other conductors who dream of concluding a major strategic package with Russia.

Michael Flynn

The Obama administration in December received a decryption of Flinn’s intercepted telephone conversations with the Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak, and their content was so alarmed by Obama’s assistants that they considered it appropriate not to devote Flynn and his people in the transition team of Trump to details of tickling issues related to Russia. So the head of the Obamovsky National Security Council, Suzan Rice, did not notify Flynn in advance of the prepared anti -Russian sanctions associated with hacker attacks; Already a post -fact, after the announcement of the sanctions, he was informed of Denis McDonou, head of the White House apparatus.

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Donald Trump about Michael Flynn's resignation

As for Trump, he published the following tweet on Wednesday morning: "Fake media are blinded by hatred and went crazy with their conspiracy theories. MSNBC and CNN cannot be watched." Then another tweet: "The Russian trace is nonsense, nothing more than an attempt to cover the numerous mistakes made by Hillary Clinton during a failed election campaign." At a later joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Israel, Netanyahu Trump developed the thesis that Michael Flynn fell victim to the bullying, unleashed by the media. The president’s key thought came down to the fact that the media were “unfair” to his former assistant. This statement was commented on in an interview with Radio Liberty, the expert of the Gudzon Institute Richard Vaits:

Richard Vaits

- I would use another word instead of “unfair” - very harsh. The Washington media clearly did not like him, as his apparatus of military-political departments and numerous brain trusts in the capital did not like him. From their point of view, he was the most anti -Pathetic character in the team of Trump. Let me remind you that Obama took him off the post of head of military intelligence for open insurance. And Trump was not accidentally appointed him to a position that does not require the approval of the Senate, realizing that he may not pass by a post that requires approval. If Tillerson was not easy in the Senate, then Flynn would be one hundred times heavier. After the elections, but before the inauguration of the new president, in violation of the unwritten Washington rules, he undertook to conduct his own diplomatic game, advised Russia through Kislyak not to respond to the last package of Obamov’s sanctions. Well, to top it all, he simply lied to the vice president, who, publicly entrusted for him, put himself in a stupid position.

-In my opinion, the reason for the collapse of the lieutenant general is still somewhat different. See: the administration receives from the Prosecutor General the decryption of the negotiations of Flynn and Kislyak. The legal adviser of the White House quickly concludes that there are no signs of a criminal offense in the case. But it is clear from the transcript that Flynn was not 100 % honest with his bosses and that the word “sanctions” appeared in his conversation with the Russian ambassador. However, whether it was a full -fledged discussion or passing mention, a discussion issue. And since different interpretations are possible, then Trump has nowhere to rush, and for several weeks he does not take any steps. He does not even inform the vice president of the pence of what is happening. Maybe in the hope that the question will resolve by itself. At the same time, Flynn is constantly asking if he discussed sanctions with Kislyak, and the general stubbornly stands on his own: he did not discuss. The fracture occurred only a week ago, after the publication of the last interview with Flynn Washington Post, in which he, as they say, gave Slabin, saying: if his memory serves me, did not discuss, but who knows, maybe he was mentioned. That is what, it seems to me, was not forgiven that he could not withstand the tension and split.

The volume of leaks over the past few weeks has reached unprecedented scope, as well as the political effect of these leaks

-I proceeded from the fact that the last nail into the coffin of Flynn was driven out by the fact that he “set up” the vice president of Pence. Did Flynn split due to the fact that he was constantly pressed by the media? And, tired of this, disqualified himself in the eyes of the authorities? I don’t know, Flynn is actually a strong nut. But everything can be, such a version cannot be excluded.

- Now about leaks. Twit Trump: "Information is illegally transmitted by the New York Times and Washington Post. It is transmitted by intelligence agents, maybe the NSA or FBI. Just like in Russia." We omit the comparison with Russia, although the mention of the Russian Trump in the unflattering light is worth a lot. According to Washington standards: did Trump's reign became more in one incomplete month of the reign of Trump and have the significance of the flow of information increased?

- I would say that the volume of leaks over the past few weeks has reached an unprecedented scope, as well as the political effect of these leaks: Flynn’s business is a good confirmation of this. I do not evaluate the reliability of the drained information, only its number. I have never seen anything like it in Washington. I was struck by the details of Trump's unpleasant conversation with the Australian Prime Minister or Putin, in particular, the critical remark of Trump against the Obamovsky START-3 on reducing strategic offensive weapons. Why plums became more frequent, it’s hard to say, maybe Trump himself is partly to blame.

- A huge array of leaks flows smoothly into chaos, which critics also accuse Donald Trump with might and main, stating that not a single administration in the past knew such confusion that reigns in his White House. Do you agree with such a verdict?

In the absence of a fundamental compromising evidence, Trump shines a complication of relations with Congress, but not impeachment

- Agree. And I can only hope that with the departure of Flynn the situation will improve, because from conversations with people who know him well, I made it the impression that he is a very bad manager. The article, which appeared in the New York Times last weekend, smeared Flynn on the wall as a manager. It said that his device has no idea what he should do, and actually perceives Tvites Trump as a guide to practical action. At the moment, all key ministers are on the ground, and it must be assumed that this will ensure a normal process of interagency coordination of decisions.

- Some political opponents of Trump say about impeachment. Is there something in this or is the desired just given out as real?

-The latter, if only in any of the electronic interceptions we will not hear how Trump through Kislyak thanks Russia for the assistance provided to him in the elections, and does not promise to reward it with generous diplomatic concessions. In the absence of such a fundamental compromising evidence, Trump has a complication of relations with Congress, but not impeachment, because incompetence is not a prerequisite for the early termination of powers of the head of state. Theoretically, the Cabinet of Ministers has the right to set aside the president, replacing him with the vice president if the president has moved by reason, but this is a completely different crankshaft.

Sergey Kislyak

- And in conclusion about Russia. Twoit Trump: "Russia captured Crimea during the reign of Obama. Obama was too soft with Russia?" To which Senator John McCain replied: "Yes, he was too flexible. Therefore, let's go the other way: we will give Ukraine defensive weapons and leave the sanctions." What has been noted by Russia since Trump entered? It was rumored that Moscow, in order to blur Trump, is supposedly ready to reconsider its negative attitude to the creation of security zones in Syria.

The Kremlin, in my opinion, is still waiting, without making sudden moves, until the dust settles

-It appeared that Putin seemed to agree to the prolongation of START-3, but Trump did not like this idea. On the other hand, last week in the Black Sea, another rendezvous of an American warship with Russian fighters took place, who took a flight over a missile cruiser who participated in international exercises near the coast of Romania. The American captain called the actions of the Russian pilots "unsafe." According to the New York Times, Russia, in violation of the medium -range missiles, secretly deploys a new type of cruise missiles, increasing the threat of NATO. Well, the Russian intelligence ship was noticed on Wednesday near the base of American submarines in Connecticut. We know that at first after the election of Trump, the image of America in the eyes of Russians improved markedly; Now Flynn's departure in Russia is trying to present as an anti -Russian conspiracy. The Kremlin, in my opinion, is still waiting, without making sudden moves, until the dust settles. The upcoming meetings of the main military leaders and the main diplomats of both countries, which will be held respectively in Baku and Bonn, will give fresh food for thought, and we will have a reason to talk again.