Dumb and Dumber: Flynn and Trump Share Today's Spotlight

Let's start with Donald Trump.

Today he hit the bottom of the "dumbness" barrel. He stood in front of TV cameras in Israel and emphatically proclaimed to the world that he had NOT mentioned the name of Israel when telling the Russians about the spy secrets he knew.  He didn't, he emphasized, identify Israel as his source.

Well, nobody official had yet revealed that the source was Israel. So far it's only been "leaked".

Until Trump shot off his big mouth in front of those TV cameras in Israel.

Now it's official: the USA will betray its spy allies at the drop of a hat. Or even without the drop of a hat. And then acknowledge doing so.

Israel's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, looked stunned for the flicker of a moment. He probably had already figured out that Trump is a dumb bunny, but the depth of the dumbness was still startling. He seemed unable to look at Trump, as if afraid he'd break out in a guffaw.

One of Israeli's big shots had just finished an on-camera interview, explaining to someone at CNN that Israel still is a best buddy with the US in sharing intelligence. As one who is repeating Israel's official stance, he can say that, but it doesn't mean his espionage service or that of any other country will feel comfortable hereafter sharing with us. Probably they will need assurances that Trump will never see their stuff or know where it came from.

In other words, don't let the three-year-old carry the lighted kerosene lamp.

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Now for Michael Flynn as the other half of Dumb and Dumber.

Except he is dumb in the old sense of going silent. In fact, — unlike Trump — he is playing it smart by shutting up. Today his attorneys informed the Senate Intelligence Committee that Flynn is invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and will not conform to their subpoena for his records.

Flynn is probably waiting for an offer of immunity from the FBI in exchange for becoming an informant. The Senate Committee could offer him immunity but it might not cover as broad a reach of naughtiness as the FBI is turning up.

Alternatively, the Senate Committee might not offer him anything. The FBI has probably asked the House and Senate investigating committees to refrain from providing immunity to any of the participants in the Trump & Co/Russian affair.  Why make the FBI's job harder?

So Michael Flynn is smart to dumb up until the FBI makes him an offer he can't refuse. And if the FBI doesn't want to bargain with him, he will at least have avoided convicting himself out of his own mouth.

Which is something his former boss — Donald Trump — has never learned. Trump went on camera and identified Israel as his source. He went on camera only a week ago and told Lester Holt he fired Comey because he wanted to stop the FBI investigation. He brags on a bus to a casual acquaintance about sexually assaulting women. He is a serial confessor of bad acts!

Maybe he'll make a real confession to the Pope?  (Don't hold your breath.)

In the ranking implied by the words "dumb and dumber", clearly one of the Flynn/Trump duo is stupider.

Can you figure out which one?









































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