- The problem for Trump is that there is a whole lot of smoke already surrounding his campaign
- Whether this President likes it or not, the Russia story isn't going away anytime soon
What she knew
begin quote from:
Cillizza: Yates is about to bring back the Russia story
Sources: Yates to contradict White House about Flynn
Sally Yates is about to bring back the Russia story in a big way
Story highlights
Washington (CNN)Former
acting Attorney General Sally Yates will testify in front of a Senate
subcommittee Monday about what and when she told the Trump White House
in regard to Michael Flynn's ties to Russia.
Yates'
testimony will push the story of the Trump campaign's alleged ties to
Russia back into the headlines, especially, if expected, she asserts
that she warned Trump campaign officials that Flynn, the now-deposed
national security adviser, was not telling the full truth about his
contacts with Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak.
Both White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and press secretary Sean Spicer have asserted that Yates passed along information about which the White House counsel checked out and found nothing.
President
Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that the Russia investigations on
Capitol Hill -- and the idea that senior members of his campaign were
closely involved with Russian intelligence officials -- are "fake news,"
a theme he kept up on Twitter Sunday.
He made a similar point on
Monday, accusing the Obama administration of not properly vetting Flynn
when he led the Defense Intelligence Agency during his predecessor's
term: "General Flynn was given the highest security clearance by the
Obama Administration - but the Fake News seldom likes talking about
that."
He quickly added: "Ask Sally
Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the
newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. (counsel)."
The problem for Trump is
that there is a whole lot of smoke already surrounding his campaign and
its ties to Russia -- with Flynn at the center of it all. Flynn was
forced to resign after lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his
conversations with Kislyak, but since that time, we've learned he
reportedly didn't properly report a speech he gave to a RT-TV, a Russia
propaganda arm, and that he was paid at least $500,000 to represent Turkey's interests during the 2016 campaign.
Late last week, The Washington Post reported that Flynn has been warned
by Trump transition officials about the danger of speaking with Kislyak
-- a detail CNN has now confirmed.
Polling suggests there is significant suspicion regarding the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia. In an April Washington Post-ABC News
poll, 56% of those tested said that Russia tried to influence the
election. Of that group the bulk -- 39% -- said the Trump campaign
"intentionally" helped Russia's meddling.
The
CIA and FBI have confirmed their belief that Russia sought to meddle in
the election and that the country's interference was aimed at trying to
keep Hillary Clinton from winning. There's no evidence yet that there
was any sort of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
The
re-emergence of the Russia investigation comes after, arguably, one of
the better weeks of the Trump presidency -- capped by the House's
passage of the American Health Care Act on Thursday.
Depending
on what Yates says -- and how the White House reacts -- any momentum
built from last week (and I am somewhat skeptical there was much) could
disappear into thin air. Regardless, Yates' testimony -- and the latest
news about Flynn -- is a reminder that the Russia story just isn't going
anywhere anytime soon.
Trump and
his administration are clearly frustrated by the Russia drumbeat. But
their dismissive approach could well come back to bite them in regards
Flynn this week and potentially in the future.
Whether
this President likes it or not, the Russia story isn't going away
anytime soon. Given that, he and his senior team have to figure out a
better message than they've had to date.
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