Deeply Disturbing

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Buried down in the AP story is the rather startling news that National Security Advisor Mike Flynn and his aides have been asking the national security agencies for ideas for how to improve relations with Russia and for evidence of “Polish incursions in Belarus.”

Senior officials have been soliciting guidance from national security agencies on how to improve relations with Russia, asking what Washington could offer Moscow and what Trump should seek from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tillerson requested a briefing on moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, one of Trump’s campaign promises.

According to one U.S. official, national security aides have sought information about Polish incursions in Belarus, an eyebrow-raising request because little evidence of such activities appears to exist. Poland is among the Eastern European nations worried about Trump’s friendlier tone on Russia.

I don’t patrol the Poland/Belarus border myself. But I have not heard and I don’t think anyone has heard that such is happening. It is however the kind of thing you would expect to hear from Russian propaganda sources, a hostile Poland menacing its neighbors to the east.

Late Update: As you can see, the text of the AP article doesn’t explicitly point to Flynn. But this tweet from the reporter Julie Pace, the author of the article, suggests that that’s who we’re talking about – Flynn, or those asking questions on his behalf.

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