Both Donald trump and Michael Flynn are in the news. They are in some ways bound together. But no one knows quite how. I have imagined the two men meeting at a time close to now late at night in the Rose Garden on the White House Grounds. This is all Fiction. It relates to the fact that Flynn is probably about to talk to the government about what he knows. My imagined conversation with a few explanatory notes in italics follows.
Scene One
"Donald, one word for it all," Flynn begins. "The law sucks."
Trump says two words I shall not print. They are directed at "them", meaning everyone ranged against them real or imagined.
Flynn continues. "Where do those (expletives) get off? What harm did anyone do? You know what I mean."
"Absolutely. Judges. Courts. Weasels. Trash. You want to talk diversity?"
Note this coming week may see an actual meeting between Flynn and his interrogators.
We get paid
Flynn is next to speak.
"So here I am, screwed, what do I tell them? The truth will kill me. Of course, I got paid. I'm a businessman. We get paid. Duh."
"Tell them anything you want. Tell them to go to hell. Tell them their laws are stupid. I'll tell you how we'll get through this. Say we did nothing wrong."
Trump pauses then speaks again.
"Wait. I have an idea. Expose the hypocrisy of the law. That's it. You watch. I am gonna get Franklin Graham on this.
Hell, the Pope! Get a heads up from Jesus. He had no use for lawyers. You want some ice cream?"
"Sure. Ice cream is good."
Two points. I do not believe Trump thinks that anything was wrong about anything he has done whether it was harmful or not. I know from the testimony of hundreds he has a very short attention span.
Intermission
Flynn and Trump get up and walk to an entrance.
"Come on, Mike. I don't care anymore about this secrecy garbage. I hate the law. Always have."
"You hurt someone, that's different. That really is against the law. But you're right. All this secrecy and filling out forms and records is stupid."
"Go in here."
Note that we must assume that the Secret Service is not far off. Nothing can be kept from the watchful eyes of someone. This must drive Trump mad.
Upstairs
They enter the West Wing and Trump orders ice cream.
They go up to the Oval Office.
Flynn says, "We should do something about lawyers. Now, about tomorrow."
"What about tomorrow?"
"What do I say? I have to say something. They already know everything. All they want is for me to admit it. Should I just say no and take the consequences?"
"If you admit it, what happens?"
"Hurt and harm I don't want to cause."
"And if you don't say anything?."
"Hoosgow."
Jail is what Flynn faces if any of the crimes that can be surmised from existing knowledge are admitted.
Little kids
"I should just spirit you away. Hell, I am the (expletive) president."
"I feel like a little kid."
"Yeah, I know. Me too sometimes. I don't like proper. I hate the law."
Trump and Flynn share a love of conspiracy theories and other preferences. Both have been seen as quite immature.
The fifth
Flynn speaks.
"I have an idea. I'll plead the fifth again."
"And what?"
"Nothing. Take what comes. I'll write a book about the law. Or play I'm nuts. I don't want to be in jail with -- "
"Exactly. Let me ask you one thing. Can you keep me out of it?"
These men are like most people who are accustomed to privilege. The idea of being thrown in one of our prisons is most likely anathema.
Tweet
Flynn agrees but has a question.
"Let's put it this way, I will. By the way, is this being recorded?"
Silence.
At 6 the next morning Trump sends out the following tweet. "Some laws are meant to be broken, just like some lawyers and judges, I could name. MAGA"
Trump says make America great again. Time will tell if the defense imagined here will, in fact, see the light of day. Remember this is not news. For a news account, see the embedded tweet.
