Flynn’s Turkey lobbying adds to Trump woes

Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s controversy continues to dog the White House. Flynn scandal has become towering predicament for Trump’s presidency.
Trump fired Flynn in February as he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to Washington Sergey Kislyak before Trump took office. In 2015, Flynn received $30,000 to attend Moscow events, where he shared table with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a function organized by Kremlin-controlled RT television network. But there is more than meets the eyes.
It’s no secret that Obama was on the fence about Syria strike without Congress approval. The former president sent special forces to Syria but not on a combat mission. They were deployed to provide training and assisting local forces. Without the trained ground forces, the war against IS extremist has been dragging. Every attempt to take on IS in Syria’s Raqa failed due lack of ground forces willing to attack the militant group. The Kurds, though driven by their own interest, are ready to take part in the operation. The US and Russia see Kurdish fighter as viable option. But Turkey is objecting to Kurds role in Raqa fight. Ankara associates Syrian Kurdish militia with PKK in Turkey. Turkey has even called on President Donald Trump to get rid of Brett McGurk, the US envoy for the global coalition to counter IS, over his backing for Kurdish groups.
At the fag end of his presidency, Obama greenlighted Kurds offensive. Ten days before Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of United States, Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice informed Flynn about the Raqa decision. But because the Obama administration was mindful that the offensive certainly wouldn’t happen until after Trump took office, Rice asked Flynn for the go-ahead. But Flynn declined and it was put on hold attack. Trump didn’t reverse that decision until some weeks after Flynn was fired.
Now a report has emerged that answers why Flynn was averse to the previous administration’s idea of using Kurds in the fight to take Raqa from IS extremists. Flynn blocked a decision to retake the IS capital of Raqa with Kurdish forces at the behest of Ankara after he received more than $500,000 from a Turkish source. He had gotten the amount from Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin, who has close ties to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The payment was made in the name of public relations and research work vilifying exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan’s betenoir. By blocking the Raqqa attack, Flynn was almost certain to directly serve Turkish national interests the moment he had a chance to do so.
The pressure mounts on Trump as more and more skeletons are tumbling out of Flynn’s closet. If the story behind Turkish payment to Flynn is proved, it could lead the former security advisor to in prison. Though he was not public official yet, Flynn talked to Rice as a public official only. The bribery of a public official is a huge crime. Flynn’s bribery case demonstrates, as if, US national security carries a much lower price tag.