Further Links Between Trump Administration and Kremlin Uncovered

Today, more evidence has been uncovered for the bizarre, alleged links between the Trump administration and the Russian government. An unidentified official reported to the Associated Press that retired general Michael Flynn, Trump’s choice for national security advisor, maintained contact with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. This contact, the official alleges, included a phone call on December 29th, the day that President Obama expelled supposed Russian spies and sanctioned two Russian intelligence organizations.

Sean Spicer, the Trump administration’s spokesman, confirmed the phone call, but claims that it occurred on Dec. 28th, and that its only purpose was to arrange a meeting between President Putin and President-elect Trump. Spicer explains that the conversation began a few days earlier, when Flynn and Kislyak exchanged holiday wishes over text.

At stake between the rival narratives is whether Flynn violated The 1799 Logan Act, which specifically forbids negotiation between unauthorized officials and foreign governments having a dispute with the U.S. Up to this point, allegations of violating the Logan Act have mostly centered around Cuba, with John Sparkman, George McGovern and Jesse Jackson all having been accused of negotiating with the Castro regime. Nancy Pelosi’s Iranian travels have also incurred ire from Republicans along these same lines. Still, this is not the first instance in which Trump’s administration has been charged with violating the act. Trump himself was accused of violating the act during his campaign by Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe, who tweeted:

Trump’s “jokes” inviting an adversary to wage cyberwar against the U.S. appear to violate the Logan Act and might even constitute treason.

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) July 28, 2016