The scandal involving former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russia could become a new Watergate.
That’s what veteran newsman Dan Rather wrote in a viral Facebook post Tuesday.
“On a 10 scale of armageddon for our form of government, I would put Watergate at a 9. This Russia scandal is currently somewhere around a 5 or 6, in my opinion, but it is cascading in intensity seemingly by the hour,” Rather writes.
“When we look back at Watergate, we remember the end of the Nixon Presidency. It came with an avalanche, but for most of the time my fellow reporters and I were chasing down the story as it rumbled along with a low-grade intensity,” Rather posted. “This Russia story started out with an avalanche and where we go from here no one really knows. Each piece of news demands new questions.”
The 85-year-old former “CBS Evening News” anchor also slammed the White House’s credibility.
“The White House has no credibility on this issue. Their spigot of lies — can’t we finally all agree to call them lies — long ago lost them any semblance of credibility. I would also extend that to the Republican Congress, who has excused away the Trump Administration’s assertions for far too long,” Rather writes. “This is not fiction. It is real and it is serious. Deadly serious. We deserve answers and those who are complicit in this scandal need to feel the full force of justice.”
The Washington Post reported last week that Flynn had discussed sanctions imposed by the Obama administration with Russia’s ambassador to the US in December. This contradicted what Flynn later told Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with the Russians. The White House was warned by the Justice Department weeks ago that Flynn had misled Pence and could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail.
Flynn resigned Monday evening. He is the most short-lived national security adviser in history.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg has been named acting national security adviser while Trump chooses someone to replace Flynn. Kellogg is one of three candidates under consideration to fill the role permanently.