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President Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned Feb. 13 after revelations that he had discussed sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. prior to Trump taking office. (Reuters)

Michael Flynn'sresignation as Donald Trump's national security adviser late Monday night proves that even for this most unorthodox of presidents, some of the old rules of Washington politics still apply.

Flynn and the broader Trump administration had been on defense for the last five days in the wake of a Washington Post report that Flynn had discussed recently-imposed economic sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, despite repeatedly denying having done so. Flynn denied it on the record to The Post and, more damaging for him, to Vice President Pence, who went on a Sunday show to assert that the sanctions had never come up in Flynn's conversations with the Russians.

Talk of Flynn's future dominated this weekend's political talk shows. The Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal all ran stories raising questions about Flynn's ability to survive. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told MSNBC Monday afternoon that Flynn enjoys the full confidence of Trump.

Shortly after, White House press secretary Sean Spicer seemed to contradict Conway, insisting that Trump was evaluating Flynn's future. Hours later, Flynn was gone.

What's remarkable about the Flynn saga was how incredibly routine it was. A deeply damaging story comes out. The White House goes into bunker mode. Conflicting reports from conflicting aides emerge. And then, whammo: resignation.

It was a prototypical Washington scandal that played out like hundreds of similar ones before it. It felt, dare I say it, normal.

Normal is worth noting in a presidency and an administration that has been anything but in its first 24 days. With Conway's statement Monday afternoon, it seemed as though Trump would again zig against the zag of conventional wisdom and keep Flynn on refusing to give in to pressure from the political establishment and national media that he so reviles.

But Trump does value Pence. And he understands that Pence helps him in Washington and with the broader Republican Party. Although Flynn had apologized to Pence for misremembering ahem whether he talked about sanctions with Kisylak, Pence was still stung by the whole episode. Making Pence happy and dispatching with a constant drip-drip-drip of negative headlines trumped Trump's loyalty to Flynn. (Flynn was one of Trump's favored surrogates and often introduced the president on the campaign trail.)

What's remarkable about the whole episode is how unremarkable it actually is. The coverup is worse than the crime. Embarrassing the big bosses has major ramifications. Sacrificial lambs must be offered. The Flynn resignation had all of the beats of a traditional Washington drama. That made it very unique for this White House.

See original here:
Michael Flynn's resignation proves some Washington rules still apply to Donald Trump - Washington Post

New York Times

Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump Try to Bridge Some Gaps While Avoiding Others New York Times WASHINGTON Despite sharp differences on immigration, refugees, trade and climate change, President Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada struck a cordial tone on Monday in their first meeting, alternating between attempting to bridge ... That Viral Photo of Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump Is Not What It SeemsTIME How to Shake Donald Trump's Hand: A Case StudyGQ Magazine Trump defends travel ban as Trudeau looks onCNN Huffington Post -The indy100 -CBS News all 1,119 news articles »

Continued here:
Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump Try to Bridge Some Gaps While Avoiding Others - New York Times

Sensitive national-security operations are being conducted in plain view of Mar-a-Lago club members and guests.

Members and guests arrive for a New Year's Eve celebration attended by Donald Trump and his family at the Mar-a-lago Club in Palm Beach, December 31, 2016. (Reuters / Jonathan Ernst)

As President Donald Trump headed to his private resort in Florida this weekendhis second trip in two weeks, and probably not his last this monthethics experts and multiple senators voiced serious concerns about the presidents conducting business in a bustling, elite, members-only club.

Over the past 48 hours, Trump validated those concerns with gold-plated gusto. He hashed out a response to a North Korean missile launch on a busy patio, as people snapped photos and waiters cleared his salad. He hobnobbed with members and visitors at the club, making it clear that paying the $200,000 member fee at Mar-a-Lago was an easy way to parlay with the most powerful man on earth. And passersby were apparently able to get close to classified documents and the presidential limo whenever they pleased.

Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Tom Udall called earlier this month for more transparency during the presidents visits to Mar-a-Lago, and in particular more information about security arrangements. They released a joint statement Monday that said: Now we have unknown and unvetted Mar-a-Lago members looking over the Presidents shoulder as he conducts our foreign policy. This is Americas foreign policy, not this weeks episode of Saturday Night Live. We urge our Republican colleagues to start taking this Administrations rash and unprofessional conduct seriously before there are consequences we all regret.

CNN reported Sunday night that, one hour before Trump was set to dine with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, North Korea launched a ballistic missile 300 miles into the Sea of Japan. Trump and Abe nevertheless sat down in the center of the Mar-a-Lago patio to review the situation and plot their response over dinner as scores of club members watched:

As Mar-a-Lagos wealthy members looked on from their tables, and with a keyboard player crooning in the background, Trump and Abes evening meal quickly morphed into a strategy session, the decision-making on full view to fellow diners, who described it in detail to CNN.

Trumps National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and chief strategist Steve Bannon left their seats to huddle closer to Trump as documents were produced and phone calls were placed to officials in Washington and Tokyo. The patio was lit only with candles and moonlight, so aides used the camera lights on their phones to help the stone-faced Trump and Abe read through the documents.

Pictures of the bizarre scene quickly began popping up on social media. Instagram user ebain529 posted this on Saturday night, evidently showing National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and senior counselor to the president Stephen Bannon hovering over Trump at a dinner table.

And that was hardly the only time the president made himselfand the working of the US governmentavailable to club members. The president posed for selfies with various guests, including the bridesmaids at a wedding for Carl Lindner IV, an heir to the multibillion-dollar fortune of his late grandfather, a 20th-century mogul and investor who once controlled Chiquita Brands International.

Advisers to the president were also apparently easily accessible. Instagram user katerinacozias posted a photo from brunch at Mar-a-Lago, noting the first lady was also eating there, oh, and of course, Mr. Steve Bannon.

One man even posted a photo alongside the military aide who carries the nuclear football, a briefcase that holds various options for nuclear strikes and launch procedures.

And photos with the presidential limousine, known as The Beast, were also possible.

There are obvious security issues involved herepast presidents usually used a secure SCIF tent to deal with classified national-security information when they were away from the White House, not patio tables at a busy Palm Beach club.

But there are also substantial ethical concerns as well. Trump is essentially selling access to the presidential experience: For $200,000, you, too, can mingle with him and his aides on the weekend, and maybe even take in some key national-security decision-making.

Plenty of presidents had places they go. George W. Bush spent a lot of time on his ranch in Texas, quite famously, said Jordan Libowitz of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. But he wasnt selling membership to his ranch.

The stakes are higher now than ever. Get The Nation in your inbox.

By design or not, all of the attention is serving to enrich Trump and his interests, from which he has not meaningfully divested. All the reporting, all the cameras, are serving as a free ad from his property, said Libowitz. It raises some serious ethical concerns about whether hes using the presidency for his personal benefit.

As we noted Friday, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator Tom Udall sent a letter to the White House last month, demanding information on security protocols at Mar-a-Lago and for a full accounting of the membership list and visitor logs for Trumps resort.

This past weekend, aside from Trump and the Japanese prime minister, Treasury-secretary nominee Steve Mnuchin was also at Mar-a-Lago, according to White House readouts. Monday evening, the Senate may vote to confirm Mnuchin, instantly making him one of the most powerful players in the financial worldand no doubt a man many people on Wall Street would love a word with.

CREW also wants the visitor logs released. When there are times when people can be in front of the president, its important for America to know whos paying thousands of dollars for that opportunity.

Reporters who cover the White House have said they have been told to expect another presidential visit to Mar-a-Lago this weekend.

Link:
Donald Trump Is Selling Access to the 'Winter White House' for $200000 - The Nation.

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Donald Trump grants China's fervent wish - The Economist

Two Democratic Senators have questioned the security of Donald Trumps smartphone, three weeks after it was reported that the president was using an unsecured, off-the-shelf Samsung Android device. Senators Claire McCaskill and Tom Carper both of whom serve on the Homeland Security Committee put a list of questions about Trumps phone habits in a letter to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis dated February 9th and released today.

McCaskill and Carper say that the recent reports suggesting that the president may still be using his old device were troubling in part because it doesnt leave a record of what hes been saying. While it is important for the President to have the ability to communicate electronically, the letter reads, it is equally important that he does so in a manner that is secure and that ensures the preservation of presidential records.

But more of a problem may be Trumps smartphone security. Hackers often target smartphones in an attempt to obtain sensitive, personal information from the user, the letter reads. Security risks associated with the use of an unsecured phone include hackers' ability to access the device to turn on audio recording and camera features, as well as engaging surveillance tools that allow location and other information tracking features, the Senators say. These vulnerabilities are among the reasons why national security agencies discourage the use of personal devices.

The Verge showed last week how hackers could access the messages, microphones, and even cameras of unsecured smartphones, allowing third parties to covertly record information stored on the phone or discussed in its vicinity. Any hackers who used similar methods to break into smartphones in the presidents office could already have seen sensitive information this week, when Trumps aides used their smartphone to illuminate sensitive documents relating to North Koreas recent missile launch.

McCaskill and Carper have given Mattis a deadline of March 9th to issue a reply to their concerns. Its not clear, however, whether the Senators will be able to finally make Trump give up his apparently beloved Android especially if, like Obamas Secret Service-issued BlackBerry, a secure device wouldnt let the president on Twitter.

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Senators question Donald Trump's smartphone security - The Verge