March 5, 2017 --

While the media is straining to use the firing of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as basis to oust President Donald J. Trump, LPR wonders how a conversation between Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the U.S. became public knowledge. That is, was U.S. intelligence keeping electronic tabs on the ambassador and that is how we learned about the conversation – or was it, in this circumstance, keeping tabs on Flynn?

If we caught Flynn because of surveillance on the Russian ambassador, do we have any basis for outrage if the Russians do surveillance on us – that is, are we supposed to be able to eavesdrop on the Russians – but how dare they do the same to us? (And LPR here has a question for Senator John McCain: why was it okay for you to involve yourself in Ukrainian matters – to the point of having appeared in Kiev at the Maidan demonstrations to stir up trouble – which apparently, you succeeded in doing?)

If intelligence had been doing surveillance on Flynn, when did the surveillance start? Did it begin some time earlier – when it looked like Trump was going to be the Republican candidate for president? All the stuff about Russian involvement in our politics – is that a smokescreen to cover up intelligence monitoring of the Trump campaign? What does Hillary Clinton and former President Obama know – and when did they know it?

LPR would here advise Republicans to apply a variation of the Tessio rule, taken by LPR from “The Godfather.” The Tessio Rule, as propounded by Don Corleone, holds that the close associate who proposes a meeting with the enemy is the traitor (as Tessio was in the novel). The LPR variation – the side accusing others of nefarious conduct in a presidential election is the side that engaged in the nastiness. (See also: “The Spy Who Came In From the Cold,” where the loyal East German counterintelligence official got framed by British intelligence to protect their East German mole.)

LPR also recommends that the Trump administration check the files of all U.S. intelligence agencies – but that must be happening (even if the public will not be informed).

By the way, President Trump, how about using your lawful authority to overhaul the I.R.S. and get to the bottom of Loislerner-gate?