Yesterday was filled with events that I can only describe as bizarre. Here are a few examples:
1. General Michael Flynn was set to be sentenced for lying to the FBI about what he had said to the Russian ambassador. The prosecutors had recommended no jail time due to Flynn's cooperation with them. The judge, however, decided to use the hearing to blast Flynn for "being a foreign agent while working as National Security Adviser" and lying to the FBI while holding that position. He even asked the prosecutor if what Flynn had done by being a foreign agent could constitute treason. That's bizarre, and I truly mean bizarre. Flynn had done some lobbying work for the Turkish government and had failed to register under the FARA laws. That's not unusual in Washington. For example, Tony Podesta and the Podesta Group acted as agents for Ukraine at the suggestion of Paul Manafort but failed to register as required. Somehow Podesta, the brother of Hillary Clinton's campaign manager has not been indicted or investigated, but Flynn has. Of course, the prosecutors didn't even choose to indict Flynn for this. More important, Flynn has ended his relationship with the Turks long before he became National Security Adviser. That means that what Judge Sullivan said from the bench was factually wrong. Flynn had not been a foreign agent while working as the NSA. And legally, there's no way that failing to register as the agent of an ally of the USA constitutes treason. The judge was completely off the wall.
The judge must have realized how wrong he was. He took a recess and came back and announced that no one should pay attention to his questions and comments. Then he postponed the sentencing of General Flynn for three months.
I've seen a lot a strange things done by judges over the years. This one takes the grand prize.
2. The government announced that it had pledged about ten billion dollars in economic aid to Mexico and some Central American countries that have been the source of the caravans. No one seemed to pay much attention to this. Congress won't appropriate five billion for border security, but ten billion to be given away to the countries that are the source of most of the illegals crossing that border is fine. How does that make sense.
3. At the UN, eight members of the EU issued a statement that the American peace plan for the Arab-Israeli mess had to bring the parties back to the 1967 lines. That's strange. The whole point of the new US plan is that it will supposedly be different from the ones that have failed to carry the day in the past. All of those plans basically used the 1967 lines. Each time, the Israelis accepted those plans but the Palestinians refused. The Palestinians have already said that they won't accept such a plan now. The Israelis are also seeming to move away from accepting such an outcome. Nevertheless, countries like the UK, France and Germany announced that these lines have to be the basis for the plan. Why didn't they just announce that they want any plan to be dead on arrival?
4. According to news reports in the Wall Street Journal, the USA is making plans to remove its forces from Syria. That's bizarre. There are still remnants of ISIS left in eastern Syria although these ISIS forces control no cities. Other reports yesterday say that in the last two months these same ISIS forces had executed 5000 prisoners. Why would the US remove its forces if ISIS has not been totally finished off? It sounds like an Obama move, not a Trump move. I can't believe that the news is correct.
1. General Michael Flynn was set to be sentenced for lying to the FBI about what he had said to the Russian ambassador. The prosecutors had recommended no jail time due to Flynn's cooperation with them. The judge, however, decided to use the hearing to blast Flynn for "being a foreign agent while working as National Security Adviser" and lying to the FBI while holding that position. He even asked the prosecutor if what Flynn had done by being a foreign agent could constitute treason. That's bizarre, and I truly mean bizarre. Flynn had done some lobbying work for the Turkish government and had failed to register under the FARA laws. That's not unusual in Washington. For example, Tony Podesta and the Podesta Group acted as agents for Ukraine at the suggestion of Paul Manafort but failed to register as required. Somehow Podesta, the brother of Hillary Clinton's campaign manager has not been indicted or investigated, but Flynn has. Of course, the prosecutors didn't even choose to indict Flynn for this. More important, Flynn has ended his relationship with the Turks long before he became National Security Adviser. That means that what Judge Sullivan said from the bench was factually wrong. Flynn had not been a foreign agent while working as the NSA. And legally, there's no way that failing to register as the agent of an ally of the USA constitutes treason. The judge was completely off the wall.
The judge must have realized how wrong he was. He took a recess and came back and announced that no one should pay attention to his questions and comments. Then he postponed the sentencing of General Flynn for three months.
I've seen a lot a strange things done by judges over the years. This one takes the grand prize.
2. The government announced that it had pledged about ten billion dollars in economic aid to Mexico and some Central American countries that have been the source of the caravans. No one seemed to pay much attention to this. Congress won't appropriate five billion for border security, but ten billion to be given away to the countries that are the source of most of the illegals crossing that border is fine. How does that make sense.
3. At the UN, eight members of the EU issued a statement that the American peace plan for the Arab-Israeli mess had to bring the parties back to the 1967 lines. That's strange. The whole point of the new US plan is that it will supposedly be different from the ones that have failed to carry the day in the past. All of those plans basically used the 1967 lines. Each time, the Israelis accepted those plans but the Palestinians refused. The Palestinians have already said that they won't accept such a plan now. The Israelis are also seeming to move away from accepting such an outcome. Nevertheless, countries like the UK, France and Germany announced that these lines have to be the basis for the plan. Why didn't they just announce that they want any plan to be dead on arrival?
4. According to news reports in the Wall Street Journal, the USA is making plans to remove its forces from Syria. That's bizarre. There are still remnants of ISIS left in eastern Syria although these ISIS forces control no cities. Other reports yesterday say that in the last two months these same ISIS forces had executed 5000 prisoners. Why would the US remove its forces if ISIS has not been totally finished off? It sounds like an Obama move, not a Trump move. I can't believe that the news is correct.
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