US President-elect Donald Trump (L) stands with Trump National Security Adviser Lt. General Michael Flynn (R) at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, where he is holding meetings on December 21, 2016. (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
Feb 15, 2017
We've said it before and we'll say it again: there MUST be an investigation by an independent, bipartisan commission of Russia's ties to Donald Trump and his associates and that nation's interference in our elections. Emphasize independent and bipartisan. That commission must have full subpoena power to call witnesses and make them testify under oath or risk prosecution. Hearings must be held out in the open, and televised live for the nation and the world to see. That's what a democracy is all about.
The resignation of national security advisor Michael Flynn and Tuesday night's news of repeated contacts between Trump associates and Russian intelligence make such an inquiry even more imperative. On Friday, winging his way to Mar-a-Lago on Air Force One, Trump told the press he knew nothing about the previous night's Washington Post report that Flynn had secretly discussed lifting sanctions against Russia with Russia's ambassador to the United States. But on Tuesday, press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that Trump had known about Flynn's phone calls - and his lies about it - weeks ago.
Why was nothing done until the media broke the story? And why did Trump lie? As the National Lampoon joked back during the Watergate era, rephrasing the crucial questions aimed at Richard Nixon: "What did the president know and when did he STOP knowing it?"
Is it possible Trump and Flynn had been talking all along and keeping it to themselves? Who authorized Flynn to speak with the Russian ambassador on Trump's behalf in the first place? The president himself or chief strategist Steve Bannon? Or someone else? Was Flynn a lone gun? Who can tell with all the lies?
And another thing: if the White House has known what was going on for weeks, why was Flynn still attending intelligence briefings as late as Monday? That's what White House resident spin doctor Kellyanne Conway told the Today's show Matt Lauer on Tuesday. Otherwise, Conway - who shortly before his resignation told the press that Flynn still had Trump's confidence - was her usual duplicitous self. Why the media keep turning to her for answers no one can trust is yet another indignity inflicted on the American public in this unfolding saga.
There is nothing as dangerous to democracy - with its need for checks and balances of power to protect the integrity of our system - as one-party rule.
And where are the Republican patriots willing to come forward and place country and democracy over party and a venal lust for power? Other than John McCain, they've been mum or simply said ta-ta and thanked Flynn for his service. Late Tuesday, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it's "highly likely" the Senate intelligence committee will investigate Flynn's discussions with the Russian ambassador, but does anyone really think a Republican-dominated inquiry, with strings pulled back stage by McConnell, will dig for the truth and let the facts fall where they will?
Jason Chaffetz, chair of the House Oversight Committee, says he won't investigate the Flynn affair - "I think that situation has taken care of itself." How about that for respecting the public's need to know? And Rep. Chris Collins of upstate New York, the man with the dubious distinction of being the first member of Congress to endorse Trump's candidacy, told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Tuesday morning, "I think it's just time to move on." When asked why so many of his GOP colleagues were silent he suggested, "Well, [it's] Valentine's Day, and I guess they're having breakfasts with their wives."
Takes your breath away, doesn't it?
There is nothing as dangerous to democracy - with its need for checks and balances of power to protect the integrity of our system - as one-party rule. Unless there are responsible Republicans who will break ranks and join the Democrats in calling for an independent and bipartisan joint commission to investigate these astonishing developments in a fair and impartial way - with televised hearings - one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest, assaults on democracy in our 240-year history will go unpunished except for a few culprits like Flynn.
Americans must know whether the candidate of one party worked with a foreign power to influence the election against his opponent.
We repeat: This noxious scandal requires an open, independent, bipartisan investigation with public hearings. Now. No patriot can settle for anything less.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is a veteran journalist, broadcaster, and author. Former managing editor of Moyers & Company and BillMoyers.com, his previous shows on PBS included NOW with Bill Moyers and Bill Moyers Journal. Over the past three and a half decades he has become an icon of American journalism and is the author of many books, including "Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues," "Moyers on Democracy," and "Healing and the Mind." He was one of the organizers of the Peace Corps, a special assistant for Lyndon B. Johnson, a publisher of Newsday, senior correspondent for CBS News, and a producer of many groundbreaking series on public television. He is the winner of more than 30 Emmys, nine Peabodys, three George Polk awards.
Michael Winship
Michael Winship is the Schumann Senior Writing Fellow at the progressive news outlet Common Dreams, where he writes and edits political analysis and commentary. He is a Writers Guild East council member and its immediate past president and a veteran television writer and producer who has created programming for America's major PBS stations, CBS, the Discovery and Learning Channels, A&E, Turner Broadcasting, the Disney Channel, Lifetime, Sesame Workshop (formerly the Children's Television Workshop) and National Geographic, among others. In 2008, he joined his longtime friend and colleague Bill Moyers at Bill Moyers Journal on PBS and their writing collaboration has been close ever since. They share an Emmy and three Writers Guild Awards for writing excellence. Winship's television work also has been honored by the Christopher, Western Heritage, Genesis and CableACE Awards.
We've said it before and we'll say it again: there MUST be an investigation by an independent, bipartisan commission of Russia's ties to Donald Trump and his associates and that nation's interference in our elections. Emphasize independent and bipartisan. That commission must have full subpoena power to call witnesses and make them testify under oath or risk prosecution. Hearings must be held out in the open, and televised live for the nation and the world to see. That's what a democracy is all about.
The resignation of national security advisor Michael Flynn and Tuesday night's news of repeated contacts between Trump associates and Russian intelligence make such an inquiry even more imperative. On Friday, winging his way to Mar-a-Lago on Air Force One, Trump told the press he knew nothing about the previous night's Washington Post report that Flynn had secretly discussed lifting sanctions against Russia with Russia's ambassador to the United States. But on Tuesday, press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that Trump had known about Flynn's phone calls - and his lies about it - weeks ago.
Why was nothing done until the media broke the story? And why did Trump lie? As the National Lampoon joked back during the Watergate era, rephrasing the crucial questions aimed at Richard Nixon: "What did the president know and when did he STOP knowing it?"
Is it possible Trump and Flynn had been talking all along and keeping it to themselves? Who authorized Flynn to speak with the Russian ambassador on Trump's behalf in the first place? The president himself or chief strategist Steve Bannon? Or someone else? Was Flynn a lone gun? Who can tell with all the lies?
And another thing: if the White House has known what was going on for weeks, why was Flynn still attending intelligence briefings as late as Monday? That's what White House resident spin doctor Kellyanne Conway told the Today's show Matt Lauer on Tuesday. Otherwise, Conway - who shortly before his resignation told the press that Flynn still had Trump's confidence - was her usual duplicitous self. Why the media keep turning to her for answers no one can trust is yet another indignity inflicted on the American public in this unfolding saga.
There is nothing as dangerous to democracy - with its need for checks and balances of power to protect the integrity of our system - as one-party rule.
And where are the Republican patriots willing to come forward and place country and democracy over party and a venal lust for power? Other than John McCain, they've been mum or simply said ta-ta and thanked Flynn for his service. Late Tuesday, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it's "highly likely" the Senate intelligence committee will investigate Flynn's discussions with the Russian ambassador, but does anyone really think a Republican-dominated inquiry, with strings pulled back stage by McConnell, will dig for the truth and let the facts fall where they will?
Jason Chaffetz, chair of the House Oversight Committee, says he won't investigate the Flynn affair - "I think that situation has taken care of itself." How about that for respecting the public's need to know? And Rep. Chris Collins of upstate New York, the man with the dubious distinction of being the first member of Congress to endorse Trump's candidacy, told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Tuesday morning, "I think it's just time to move on." When asked why so many of his GOP colleagues were silent he suggested, "Well, [it's] Valentine's Day, and I guess they're having breakfasts with their wives."
Takes your breath away, doesn't it?
There is nothing as dangerous to democracy - with its need for checks and balances of power to protect the integrity of our system - as one-party rule. Unless there are responsible Republicans who will break ranks and join the Democrats in calling for an independent and bipartisan joint commission to investigate these astonishing developments in a fair and impartial way - with televised hearings - one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest, assaults on democracy in our 240-year history will go unpunished except for a few culprits like Flynn.
Americans must know whether the candidate of one party worked with a foreign power to influence the election against his opponent.
We repeat: This noxious scandal requires an open, independent, bipartisan investigation with public hearings. Now. No patriot can settle for anything less.
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is a veteran journalist, broadcaster, and author. Former managing editor of Moyers & Company and BillMoyers.com, his previous shows on PBS included NOW with Bill Moyers and Bill Moyers Journal. Over the past three and a half decades he has become an icon of American journalism and is the author of many books, including "Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues," "Moyers on Democracy," and "Healing and the Mind." He was one of the organizers of the Peace Corps, a special assistant for Lyndon B. Johnson, a publisher of Newsday, senior correspondent for CBS News, and a producer of many groundbreaking series on public television. He is the winner of more than 30 Emmys, nine Peabodys, three George Polk awards.
Michael Winship
Michael Winship is the Schumann Senior Writing Fellow at the progressive news outlet Common Dreams, where he writes and edits political analysis and commentary. He is a Writers Guild East council member and its immediate past president and a veteran television writer and producer who has created programming for America's major PBS stations, CBS, the Discovery and Learning Channels, A&E, Turner Broadcasting, the Disney Channel, Lifetime, Sesame Workshop (formerly the Children's Television Workshop) and National Geographic, among others. In 2008, he joined his longtime friend and colleague Bill Moyers at Bill Moyers Journal on PBS and their writing collaboration has been close ever since. They share an Emmy and three Writers Guild Awards for writing excellence. Winship's television work also has been honored by the Christopher, Western Heritage, Genesis and CableACE Awards.
We've said it before and we'll say it again: there MUST be an investigation by an independent, bipartisan commission of Russia's ties to Donald Trump and his associates and that nation's interference in our elections. Emphasize independent and bipartisan. That commission must have full subpoena power to call witnesses and make them testify under oath or risk prosecution. Hearings must be held out in the open, and televised live for the nation and the world to see. That's what a democracy is all about.
The resignation of national security advisor Michael Flynn and Tuesday night's news of repeated contacts between Trump associates and Russian intelligence make such an inquiry even more imperative. On Friday, winging his way to Mar-a-Lago on Air Force One, Trump told the press he knew nothing about the previous night's Washington Post report that Flynn had secretly discussed lifting sanctions against Russia with Russia's ambassador to the United States. But on Tuesday, press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that Trump had known about Flynn's phone calls - and his lies about it - weeks ago.
Why was nothing done until the media broke the story? And why did Trump lie? As the National Lampoon joked back during the Watergate era, rephrasing the crucial questions aimed at Richard Nixon: "What did the president know and when did he STOP knowing it?"
Is it possible Trump and Flynn had been talking all along and keeping it to themselves? Who authorized Flynn to speak with the Russian ambassador on Trump's behalf in the first place? The president himself or chief strategist Steve Bannon? Or someone else? Was Flynn a lone gun? Who can tell with all the lies?
And another thing: if the White House has known what was going on for weeks, why was Flynn still attending intelligence briefings as late as Monday? That's what White House resident spin doctor Kellyanne Conway told the Today's show Matt Lauer on Tuesday. Otherwise, Conway - who shortly before his resignation told the press that Flynn still had Trump's confidence - was her usual duplicitous self. Why the media keep turning to her for answers no one can trust is yet another indignity inflicted on the American public in this unfolding saga.
There is nothing as dangerous to democracy - with its need for checks and balances of power to protect the integrity of our system - as one-party rule.
And where are the Republican patriots willing to come forward and place country and democracy over party and a venal lust for power? Other than John McCain, they've been mum or simply said ta-ta and thanked Flynn for his service. Late Tuesday, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it's "highly likely" the Senate intelligence committee will investigate Flynn's discussions with the Russian ambassador, but does anyone really think a Republican-dominated inquiry, with strings pulled back stage by McConnell, will dig for the truth and let the facts fall where they will?
Jason Chaffetz, chair of the House Oversight Committee, says he won't investigate the Flynn affair - "I think that situation has taken care of itself." How about that for respecting the public's need to know? And Rep. Chris Collins of upstate New York, the man with the dubious distinction of being the first member of Congress to endorse Trump's candidacy, told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Tuesday morning, "I think it's just time to move on." When asked why so many of his GOP colleagues were silent he suggested, "Well, [it's] Valentine's Day, and I guess they're having breakfasts with their wives."
Takes your breath away, doesn't it?
There is nothing as dangerous to democracy - with its need for checks and balances of power to protect the integrity of our system - as one-party rule. Unless there are responsible Republicans who will break ranks and join the Democrats in calling for an independent and bipartisan joint commission to investigate these astonishing developments in a fair and impartial way - with televised hearings - one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest, assaults on democracy in our 240-year history will go unpunished except for a few culprits like Flynn.
Americans must know whether the candidate of one party worked with a foreign power to influence the election against his opponent.
We repeat: This noxious scandal requires an open, independent, bipartisan investigation with public hearings. Now. No patriot can settle for anything less.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.