The abrupt departure of General Michael Flynn from the Trump administration Monday night was the first casualty in what is certainly going to be a tumultuous four years. Flynn had been highly regarded by Trump during and immediately after the campaign.
Allegedly, Flynn either compromised or could have compromised national security when he had a private conversation about Obama's sanctions against Russia before the inauguration. While I think that is simple poppycock, that the story had been embellished by the national media and Democrat operatives, I do have a problem with how it all came down.
When the story first leaked, Flynn told Vice President Pence that it was not true, that he had indeed not had conversations about sanctions with the Russian ambassador. With that, Pence went public in support of Flynn. What the source of the ensuing information is, I am not certain; some think it was the National Security Agency. But, someone came forth with factual information on the telephone call to show that Flynn had indeed discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador.
Therein lies the first rule of executive leadership: If you make a mistake, don't try to lie your way out of it; admit it, apologize for it, suffer the consequences and move on. Flynn, being the National Security Advisor to Trump, had a high level of responsibility to be candid and truthful. The coverup was far more of a sin than the discussion of sanctions.
I'd like to be able to say that Flynn was a victim of foul play and that a Democrat Party "mole" within the Trump Administration was actually to blame for Flynn's firing; while that may have been the case, Flynn in reality fired himself.
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