Michael Flynn. Pic here. Carlos Barria / Reuters file
So Mr. “Lock Her Up” has become Mr. “Don’t Lock Me Up.”
Former National Security Adviser – and loose cannon Lt. Gen. (retired) Michael Flynn – has pled guilty to a single count of lying to the FBI as special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation and Russkiegate intensify.
Flynn – who had been influence-peddling around the globe when he hitched his wagon to Trump’s dim star – is, of course, guilty of more than lying to the FBI about speaking to the Russians while Barack Obama was still president. But the fact that Flynn got off lightly indicates that he’s singing like a canary in one of those mines President Trumpet won’t be saving. Flynn got off relatively easily, because he leads right up the ladder to Jared Kushner, Donald J. Trump Jr., Vice President Mike Pence and El Presidente himself.
The White House was reportedly blindsided by Friday’s momentous developments. Blindsided? It’s a measure of how clueless, incompetent and overmatched this Big Apple circus is that its members can profess to be shocked by a possibility that has been discussed for months.
Look for a Twitter eruption this weekend from Trumpet to distract from the desperation at hand. As one funny poster wrote, there must be a black NFL player kneeling or a Muslim throwing kitties off a roof somewhere for Trumpet to feed to his base. Or maybe he can go at it with Kim Jong-un again.
No matter. All the tweets in the world won’t change the lying and obstruction that seem to be at the heart of the investigation. One name to keep in mind – Eric Schneiderman. He’s the New York state attorney general who is working with Mueller's team. Why is that important? Because no presidential pardons can be applied to state convictions.
Meanwhile, it looks like the Senate has the votes for a tax plan that harms the poor and the middle class – increasing their taxes by $5.3 trillion over 10 years while decreasing the tax on the corporate and wealthy classes by $5.7 trillion so that they can buy or buy back more stock.
So forgive me if I’m particularly outraged by the idea that remunerations to those sexually harassed by Congressmen come from tax money, my money and yours. Don’t get me wrong: I have no qualms with the victimized women getting whatever they can from abusing men. Sexual harassment is about power, and there is no power – as Alexander Hamilton himself said – without money. But I want it to come from the men’s own wallets.
I want it to hurt.