Flynn gone, not forgotten

Imagine for a moment if former national security adviser Michael Flynn were still occupying a desk at the White House — even as the steady drip, drip, drip of his ties to foreign governments mounted.

That he was dispatched by the White House back in February had more to do with disclosures in the media than to the administration, which still valued a man with serious ethical conflicts.

Yesterday the leaders of the U.S. House committee investigating possible Russian ties to the Trump campaign agreed that Flynn’s acceptance of tens of thousands of dollars in connection with a trip and speech organized by the Russia Today news organization puts him in legal jeopardy.

So, too, his consulting firm’s acceptance of $530,000 from a company tied to Turkey’s government.

As a former Army officer, Flynn was barred from accepting the foreign payments. He also apparently didn’t disclose them on forms required for his security clearance.

Speaking after a closed door briefing by Defense Department officials, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said, “There was nothing in the data to show that Gen. Flynn complied with the law.”

Flynn, of course, was dismissed not because of his photo-op with Vladimir Putin at the RT dinner but because he had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with its ambassador to the United States before taking office — and then lied about it.

The White House knew about the lie after a January briefing by then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates (now scheduled to testify before a Senate committee May 8) but didn’t act until after media reports. Somehow we just don’t think The Washington Post will get a thank you note from Trump — but it should.

What the White House now owes Congress and the American people is a complete rundown of all of Flynn’s contacts with foreign officials during the three weeks he served as national security adviser. He certainly doesn’t merit the cloak of White House protection.