Flynn deserves nation’s gratitude
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee: “Michael Flynn served in the U.S. military for more than three decades. Washington can be a rough town for honorable people, and Flynn — who has always been a soldier, not a politician — deserves America’s gratitude and respect for dedicating so much of his life to strengthening our national security. I thank him for his many years of distinguished service.” David Rothkopf, Foreign Policy: “The scandal that brought Flynn down is almost certainly the earliest of real consequence to hit a fledgling presidency. From Flynn’s apparently illegal communications with the Russian government to President Trump’s conducting of what should have been secret business in the middle of a dinner party at his Florida club, no White House has ever shown such contempt for the norms of operational security.” Frida Ghitis, CNN.com: “Flynn’s departure after just three weeks in office is a dramatic political blow to the administration, but it will do nothing to make the issue disappear. To the contrary, it adds urgency to the matter. After all, there is no proof that the phone calls were an independent, unauthorized activity, and talk of lifting sanctions — the subject of the conversations — fits neatly with Trump’s controversial pronouncements on the campaign trail.” Rob Maness, Independent
Journal Review: “Unfortunately, America lost a highly qualified outsider who really understands the Islamic jihad enemy we face and was willing to disrupt the bureaucracy in order to defeat that enemy. I am confident President Trump will replace him with someone as capable. My greatest concern is why media and folks in Congress are not more worried about the illegal leaks of classified information from the intelligence community that resulted in Flynn’s situation.” Eli Lake, Bloomberg View: “It’s possible Flynn has more ties to Russia that he had kept from the public and his colleagues. It’s also possible that a group of national security bureaucrats and former Obama officials are selectively leaking highly sensitive law enforcement information to undermine the elected government.”