The Role the Intelligence Community Played in Flynn's Downfall

Was there a concerted effort by the intelligence community to get rid of Michael Flynn? CBN News' David Brody tackled that issue and more on The 700 Club. Watch above.

As President Donald Trump meets Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, controversy continues to swirl around the resignation of his national security advisor.

Michael Flynn's controversial communication with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. occurred before he and President Trump took office. He may have violated a federal law known as the Logan Act, which forbids such contact - although it's not likely he'll face charges under that law.

The president reportedly knew about the phone conversation for nearly three weeks.

Democrats are demanding an investigation, but Republicans suggest any investigation must also ask the question, "What did President Obama know, and when did he know it?" 
 
That's because FBI monitoring of Flynn's private communications required permission from someone -- either the president at the time, Barack Obama, or a warrant issued by a federal judge. 

Shaky Intelligence
 
On Capitol Hill, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a frequent Trump critic, expressed concern saying, "Obviously there's an administration that is in significant disarray as far as national security is concerned."

But The White House insists the only threat to the nation's security may be coming from leaks of sensitive or classified information.

Flynn's resignation was not only a matter of the president's inability to trust the word of his national security advisor, but also his inability to trust the intelligence community.

In the case of Flynn, the president wants to know who provided the information to The Washington Post . Was it an Obama holdover in the intelligence community acting politically to damage the new president and his administration?

Trump, Netanyahu Meeting

Meanwhile, at the White House Wednesday, foreign security threats will top the agenda for both the United States and Israel.

Israel's prime minister is meeting with President Trump to discuss Iran, Syria, and the Palestinians.

The meeting between long-time friends will be the first since Trump became president.

For the past eight years, relations with Israel have been turbulent at times, even though President Obama frequently said Israel could trust him.

"When the chips are down, I have Israel's back," Obama insisted. 

Despite Obama's words of support, Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies told CBN's John Jessup that relations between the former president and Netanyahu were terrible.  

"They really didn't agree on much if anything at all. The good news though despite all of that was that the ties at kind of the grassroots level were still very strong. Congress still maintained a good relationship with the Israelis. The Pentagon had a good relationship with Israel," Schanzer explained. 

Israel questioned Obama's support yet again after he refused to veto a United Nations resolution critical of Israeli settlements late last year, and before that, his nuclear deal with Iran.

"It has been said better no deal than a bad deal, better no deal than a terrible deal," Netanyahu said before the agreement was signed. 

Iran Nuke Deal, Two-State Solution, Settlements

Discussions about Iran and the nuclear deal are expected to dominate the Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
 
They'll also discuss the war in Syria. And both may--at least publicly--avoid talking about a two-state solution that leads to a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

That's because Netanyahu faces opposition from ultra-conservatives back home who have threatened to leave his government coalition if he appears too willing to accommodate Palestinian demands for peace. 
 
Netanyahu appeared upbeat when he arrived in the United States saying, "President Trump and I see eye-to-eye on the dangers emanating from the region, but also on the opportunities."

They are unlikely, however, to agree on every issue. 

Trump recently told an Israeli newspaper that Israel's expansion of so-called settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank "don't help the process" with the Palestinians and going forward is not a "good thing for peace."

Both leaders are reportedly expected to demand that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas break ties with Hamas. The U.S. and Israel have designated the group a terrorist organization.