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On Russia


Well, maybe this presidency is more like "The Americans" than reality TV. I don't want to get too newsy at a serious publication like LobbySeven Commentary. And this is not my most original take. But I don't see how we can move on until we get answers with evidence to the following questions:

Michael Flynn:

Did Flynn talk to the Russian ambassador before the election?

For the talks during the transition, did he have permission to have these talks? Was he ordered to have them?

If so, did he have permission to discuss sanctions?

Did he report the results of the calls to Trump (or write a memo etc)?

What was Flynn's testimony to the FBI in the immediate aftermath of the call? (Update: seems he lied to the FBI. That's obstruction of justice, no?)

Flynn cover-up and dismissal:

Did Flynn resign, was he asked to resign, or was he fired?

During the period when the WH was aware that he was a security risk, was Flynn's access to Trump/confidential material/meetings etc curtailed?

What was the decision making process behind such curtailment/lack thereof?

If Flynn's firing/resignation was due to steady loss of confidence, why was he on the Mar-a-Lago trip less than 48 hours previous?

Were the leaks fake or is the news real?

Trump Campaign:

With the awareness that the campaign was a large organization, so it is difficult to account for everybody, what is a list of senior campaign officials who are confirmed to have no contact with Russian nationals?

If there is any senior official not on this list, who are the Russian nationals they spoke to?

What topics did they speak about?

What is the official view of the Trump Campaign (and WH, if different) as to the sources of the hacking of the DNC/Podesta emails?

Was the RNC or any Trump Campaign entity or staff member hacked?

Trump Administration:

Is it appropriate for a Presidential Transition to discuss policy with other countries during the transition phase?

The Trump Campaign pushed to soften language about Russian intervention in Ukraine. What is the Administration's view of said Russian intervention?

Recently, Sec. Mattis made comments about the US commitment to NATO members. Was this intended to signify a change in US policy with respect to NATO Article 5 (collective defense)? If so, what is the new policy?

Does the Administration support any investigation into these issues? If so, what would such an investigation look like?

Irrespective of the previous question, will the Administration co-operate with a Congressional/DOJ investigation? In other words, will it use Executive Privilege?

If the Administration is against any investigation, can AG Sessions impartially determine whether any such investigation is warranted?

Trump Personal:

Who does Trump owe money to? Both personally and through any entity.

Have there been any significant changes to his finances since his declaration of candidacy in summer 2015?

I'm sure I can come up with a lot more - this is just off the top of my head.

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