January 20, 2017

From Russia, with Love

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a52268/michael-flynn-russia/
"According to a senior U.S. government official, Flynn phoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak several times on Dec. 29, the day the Obama administration announced the expulsion of 35 Russian officials as well as other measures in retaliation for the hacking. What did Flynn say, and did it undercut the U.S. sanctions? The Logan Act (though never enforced) bars U.S. citizens from correspondence intending to influence a foreign government about "disputes" with the United States. Was its spirit violated? The Trump campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Ignatius goes on to give Flynn the benefit of a whopping doubt, speculating that, perhaps, Flynn's call was to soothe ruffled feathers in Moscow over what the current president did. (In my mind, it wasn't Flynn's place to do that, either.) In any case, the murky connections between the incoming American administration and the rapidly solidifying Russian autocracy appear to be expanding the closer the incoming American administration gets to becoming the actual administration. I am not reassured that anyone is yet at the wheel."