INFORMATION WANTS TO BE FREE:

Leaks are coming out of the White House at a seemingly record pace, many of which have painted a picture of a dangerously ignorant and ill-equipped president who is narcissistic to the extreme, unable to let go of even the smallest of slights. But some of these leaks have halted a Trump appointment and controversial policies in their tracks, and it's a lesson showing how whistleblowers and leaks to the press are vital for democracy.

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign late Monday--just three weeks into the job--following the revelation that he lied to both the Trump administration and the public when he said he did not discuss outgoing President Obama's sanctions on Russia with that country's US ambassador just after the election. Multiple outlets have reported over the past few days that intercepts of the phone calls showed that he in fact did, despite personally telling Vice President Mike Pence the opposite.

But here's the important part: It turns out it wasn't the lying that got him fired; it's that his lying leaked to the press. The Washington Post reported that the acting attorney general told the White House weeks ago that transcripts showed Flynn likely misled administration officials. It wasn't until the public found out he lied--based on a torrent of leaks from inside the administration in the past week--that Flynn was forced out.

The Flynn episode is just the latest and most high-profile case in which the Trump administration has been forced to reverse course because of leaks to journalists. 

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