Best-selling author predicted Flynn's departure

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The establishment media have finally drawn blood from the Trump administration.

The resignation of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as President Donald Trump's national security adviser is being celebrated by the left and its allies in the media.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has undertaken a determined effort to shut down the leaks plaguing the new government.

Yet the Trump administration may actually be better off for having lost Flynn.

New York Times best-selling author Joel Richardson, who has become an expert in Middle East geopolitics while writing hugely influential books such as "The Islamic Antichrist" and "Mystery Babylon," was a critic of the general since the beginning of the Trump administration.

Indeed, in an episode of his TV series "The Underground" several months ago, Richardson heavily criticized Flynn because of his ties to foreign powers.

And in a Facebook post on Dec. 7, Richardson called for the Trump administration to cut ties with Flynn, because "he'll be gone within the first year."

Richardson expressed mixed feelings about being proven right in an interview with WND, as he voted for Trump and said his support for removing Flynn should not be taken as opposition to the new administration.

"Of course, I don't celebrate having predicted this," he told WND. "Although Flynn resigned, it appears as though President Trump is continuing to stand by him. That said, I think there is little question that if Flynn was innocent, that the president would not have accepted his resignation."

Flynn explained in a letter that he resigned because he "inadvertently" provided "incomplete information" to Vice President Mike Pence regarding phone calls with the Russian ambassador.

America's relationship with Russia, and opposition by many Democrats and neoconservatives to any attempt to repair the relationship, is at the center of the controversy.

But Richardson opposed Flynn not because of supposed ties to Russia, but because of the general's relationship with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Turkey.

In "The Underground" episode titled "The Trump Administration and Turkey," Richardson blasted Flynn for reportedly owning a company that lobbied for an obscure Dutch company with ties to Turkey's government and President Erdoğan himself. Richardson characterized the hiring of Flynn as a betrayal of Trump's promise to "drain the swamp" by removing lobbyists from government positions.

"On Election Day, Flynn published a fairly lengthy opinion piece, and a very strong opinion piece, in the online news website called The Hill, a real prominent website," said Richardson. "Specifically, he was urging the U.S. to support Turkey and Turkey's controversial president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. … Those who follow my program know I am no fan of President Erdoğan. He is a dictator and I am likening him to an emerging Adolf Hitler. … This guy is dangerous."

One of the greatest mysteries in Scripture – solved at last! Discover the terrifying truth behind the shadowy identity of one of the greatest horrors of the end times. New York Times bestselling author Joel Richardson reveals the secret of "Mystery Babylon." Available now in the WND Superstore.

Flynn claimed in the article that Turkey was "our strongest ally" against ISIS.

"It depends what you mean by 'strongest,'" responded Richardson. "Our best ally has been the Kurds, whether in Syria, whether in Iraq, or anywhere. The Kurds have been the greatest ally, the strongest ally; they've been doing the most. They've got girls out there fighting ISIS. … Turkey on the other hand … Turkey was the primary entity that allowed ISIS to come into being."

As Richardson observed, Turkey has a long history of attacking the Kurds when it claims it is about to attack ISIS.

"Saying Turkey is our strongest ally in the fight against ISIS is a lie," said Richardson. "ISIS has been Turkey's junkyard dog. It has been Turkey's proxy in its regional conflict against the Kurds, against Bashar al-Assad and against the Iranians."

Richardson noted the Iranians are also using proxies in various regional conflicts, but Turkey's main proxies have been, for years, ISIS and the so-called "Syrian rebels" linked to al-Qaida.

Richardson said that for Flynn to write an article claiming Turkey is a great ally, and to do so after having his company receive Turkish money, is "nonsense." He further called it "nonsense" for Flynn to liken Fethullah Gulen, an Islamist critic of Erdoğan, to violent terrorists such as Osama bin Laden. While Gulen is an Islamist, Richardson maintained, to put him in the same camp as violent jihadists is simply "ignorant."

After outlining the kinds of dictatorial policies Erdoğan has used to stay in power, Richardson reminded the audience of the Turkish president's statement, "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers."

Gulen is an Islamist, said Richardson, but so is Erdoğan. What's more, as Richardson explained, Erdoğan has openly outlined about his expansionist aims for Turkey, including seizing parts of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Syria and other nations. Erdoğan is also known for claiming the legacy of the old Ottoman Caliphate.

"This expansionist, imperialist arrogance is profoundly dangerous," warned Richardson. "And if our top governmental leaders don't recognize it, then what in the world is going on? The church has to speak up."

Richardson concluded his episode of "The Underground" by calling for Flynn's removal.

"Going forward in the days ahead, as the United States deals with radical Islam, we need a wise approach," he said. "We need a godly approach. We need an informed approach. And as much as it pains me to say this, Gen. Flynn doesn't represent any of these things, and he needs to be fired."

Now that Flynn is out, Richardson restated his overall support for the Trump administration and called on all Christians to pray for the success of the president and his government.

"My hope is for the success of this administration," Richardson said. "I think if they will walk in integrity and continue on the path of prayer and relying on the Lord, then perhaps there will be much good fruit for this nation. We are called to pray for this administration, particularly as the media and left continues to rage against every advance that is made. Needless to say, this is the mandate of the body of Christ. There is unquestionably a war taking place in the heavens over this nation."