You’ve likely seen the overnight headlines: US counter-intelligence agents have been scrutinizing Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s contacts with Russia, both during the presidential campaign and on the crucial date of December 29th, 2016, the day President Obama leveled a series of new sanctions on Russian in response to their election year subversion campaign.
We should start with an important note of context and caution. The third paragraph of The Wall Street Journal article where this story appears contains this key passage: “It isn’t clear when the counterintelligence inquiry began, whether it produced any incriminating evidence or if it is continuing. Mr. Flynn, a retired general who became national security adviser with Mr. Trump’s inauguration, plays a key role in setting U.S. policy toward Russia.”
In other words, based on this article, we cannot say that Flynn is being investigated. The scrutiny may have concluded. It may have found nothing amiss. It is also important to note that counter-intelligence investigations operate by very different rules from criminal investigations, though they may become criminal investigations.
With all this said, this is an almost belief-defying set of facts. To do his or her job the National Security Advisor must have access to literally all of the US government’s secrets. Their role is to bring together and synthesize the information coming from every part of the US government touching on national defense, security and diplomacy. The Pentagon, the various intelligence services, diplomacy emerging from the State Department – the NSC Advisor must have a full view into all of those. Nothing can be secret or hidden from the them because what is secret from the National Security Advisor is essentially secret from the President.
Any restrictions on the National Security Advisor’s right to know, let only any question about his loyalty or ties to foreign governments, makes his position untenable. In terms of the impracticality of the situation, as opposed to the consequences, it is almost tantamount to the President himself being under such scrutiny.
