Obama officials testify on links between Russia and Trump

Donald Trump wants to make something clear. The US President on Twitter, yesterday:

The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?

Not so fake news, it seems, after former acting attorney-general Sally Yates made an appearance on Capitol Hill. The Wall Street Journal, yesterday:

Former acting attorney-general Sally Yates told congress on Monday she personally warned a top White House official that then national security adviser Mike Flynn had misled the vice-president and other administration officials about his conversations with a Russian diplomat and was at risk of being blackmailed.

You may remember Yates from when Trump fired her. The Wall Street Journal, February 2:

The White House has fired acting attorney-general Sally Yates for telling government lawyers not to defend an executive order signed by Donald Trump suspending immigration from seven countries … The White House said Ms Yates “has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States”.

But the President was convinced he’d foiled his old nemesis. Trump on Twitter, yesterday:

Sally Yates made the fake media extremely unhappy today — she said nothing but old news!

Old news? Maybe. But lots of people will be interested to hear the US’s former top law officer say Trump’s top security aide was under the thumb of Russia … Yates’s testimony to the US congress, Monday:

… that created a compromise situation, a situation where the national security adviser essentially could be blackmailed by the Russians.

But whatever. Barack Obama also hired Mich­ael Flynn. What’s the big deal? Trump on Twitter, yesterday:

General Flynn was given the highest security clearance by the Obama Administration — but the Fake News seldom likes talking about that.

Obama actually fired Flynn … and told Trump to beware. The New York Times, yesterday:

Mr Obama, who had fired Mr Flynn as the head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, told Mr Trump that he would have profound concerns about Mr Flynn becoming a top national security aide, said the administration officials, who were briefed on the Oval Office conversation. Mr Trump later ignored the advice, naming Mr Flynn to be his national security adviser.

It wasn’t all bad news for Trump. He says the former head of US intelligence debunked the Russia story. The President on Twitter, yesterday:

Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows — there is “no evidence” of collusion w/ Russia and Trump.

James Clapper didn’t quite say there was no evidence … An exchange between GOP senator Lindsey Graham and Clapper at a US Senate committee hearing, yesterday:

Graham: General Clapper, during your investigation on all things Russia, did you ever find a situation when a Trump business interest in Russia gave you concern?

Clapper: Not in the course of the preparation of the intelligence community assessment.

Graham: Since then? At all? Any time?

Clapper: Senator Graham. I can’t comment on that because that impacts the investigation.