The reason Donald Trump fired Michael Flynn may now be told. It is complete speculation. Call it fake news if you like. But In the words of a former president who Trump hates with a passion, it "makes sense." The Donald fired Flynn because of self-hatred.
Flynn is a mirror image of Trump
The ignominy of looking at Flynn and seeing himself is what motivated the chief executive. He fired a man now admitted to be not merely a formidable liar but one who took lots of cash to represent a foreign power. That power is Turkey, whose loyalty to the US is l Trumpian, that is to say, iffy.
Also iffy is Trump's relationship with Russia. If the self-hatred thesis requires corroboration, consider Flynn's alt-right tendencies and his apparent love of conspiracy theories. There is a deeper similarity, the terrible sense of not being accepted by those you wish were your peers.
A tangled web
Typically, the latest episode of the Flynn saga is so convoluted that it takes the New York Times a whole column just to offer signposts to the mess that was Flynn's Turkey involvement. If that sounds familiar, consider most Trump conflicts. You end up with a tangled web of multiple explanations. Finally, you throw up your hands and either say "That's Donald" or "Out with him!"
Michael Flynn Was Paid to Represent Turkey’s Interests During Trump Campaign https://t.co/sfoP0GKv6r
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) March 11, 2017
Why is it serious?
This matter is serious because we are talking about adults who are at the apex of global power.
Flynn was allegedly hired by Turkey to perform a nonviolent hit job on a Pennsylvania Turkish exile suspected of having favored a coup against Turkey's President Erdogan. Getting through Flynn's story is about as stimulating as trying to sift through the promotional material for Trump University.
At bottom, you use your name and your creds to generate cash.
Trump generated alleged millions or billions on his name. Flynn was more a six figure guy. But the feel is the same. It is serious because sparks can ignite massive fires and hurt millions of people. What links Trump and Flynn is that they both love money and they have never hesitated to play with matches.
The likely outcome
Flynn's admission this week that he worked for Turkey is described by the New York Times as a headache for the White House.
So, ponder two things. The first is the probability that Trump sees himself in Flynn and hates what he sees. The second is that Trump knows he could end up in the same soup.
The president will probably profess to have no knowledge of what Flynn was up to with Turkey. He may also imply that he was a great leader for having "long ago" fired him. He will then turn back to seeing what confusion he can create to distance himself from the intelligence memo that says he hated Obama so much that he acted out his disdain in a Moscow hotel room.
