Former Trump official Michael Flynn is waiting for a judge to sentence him for making one false statement to the FBI. It centers on a phone call between Flynn and the Russian Ambassador to the US, which was recorded by US intelligence agencies. That was the beginning of the end of Flynn as a planned part of taking down President Trump.
Here's what happened:
1. The FBI got a transcript of Flynn's conversation.
2. FBI Director James Comey strategized to send agents to the White House to talk to Flynn. They had the transcript and would know if he didn't follow it exactly.
3. Flynn was asked by Deputy Director McCabe if agents could chat with him for a couple of minutes about his conversation with the ambassador.
McCabe told him he didn't need a lawyer; it wasn't an official interview, but i
f Flynn did get a lawyer, then they would escalate the matter and get the entire Department of Justice involved.
4. Flynn agreed to talk to them without his lawyer.
5. Agents had the transcript and were able to catch Flynn in what they call a "lie."
However, they reported back that they believed Flynn wasn't aware that he lied because he didn't show any telltale signs of lying. Comey later told this to Congress.
6. When Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel to investigate Trump-Russia collusion, he made Flynn a target.
7. Flynn was told he faced up to five years in prison for lying. If Flynn didn't plead guilty and cooperate with Mueller's investigation, they threatened to go after his son.
8. Flynn then officially admitted to lying about asking Ambassador Kislyak to help limit the Russian government's response to Obama's sanctions for election meddling; and Kislyak's response, which was that Russian would not immediately retaliate.
Notably, in his recent appearance before an audience at the 92nd Street Y on New York City's Upper East Side, former FBI Director Comey bragged about how he strategized to trap the Trump White House. He said because they were not organized, unlike Bush or Obama, he "sent a couple of guys over" to interview Flynn.
The audience laughed at Comey's description of the setup to entrap Flynn, who is a decorated 33-year Army veteran, and served as a paratrooper, Army Ranger, intel officer, and three-star general.
All three of these FBI officials have been fired:
Andrew McCabe
for lying under oath and leaking to the media;
Peter Strzok
for his anti-Trump text messages that showed bias as an FBI agent;
James Comey
for his mishandling of the probe into Hillary's emails.
Judge Emmet Sullivan was to rule on Flynn's sentence on Thursday. Mueller had recommended little to no jail time because Flynn had thoroughly cooperated with Mueller's investigation. However, the following was uncovered that changed the Judge's mind on ruling so quickly:
- There were several reports ("FD-302"s) written about the Flynn interview. They reveal that FBI Deputy Director Andy McCabe wanted Flynn to be relaxed, not suspicious, when he was interviewed. That's why agents advised Flynn he wouldn't need a lawyer and didn't advise him that any false statements he made could constitute a crime.
- Flynn's interview was on January 24, three days after Trump's inauguration. There are several footnotes about the report of the interview dated Aug. 22, 2017. That could indicate that another 302 was constructed seven months later, written by someone other than the two agents involved in the interview.
When Judge Sullivan learned that the
FBI changed interview notes and tricked Flynn, he ordered that any and all FBI documents related to the interview be turned over.
On Friday afternoon, Mueller's office released redacted documents concerning Flynn's interview. Mueller claims that nothing said by FBI agents to Flynn coerced him into making false statements.
It's important to remember that Flynn's call to the Russian Ambassador was perfectly legal, as was its content, according to an FBI report from January, 2017. The call was leaked to the media and Flynn's name was "unmasked" (revealed) even though both of those actions are illegal or clearly against protocol.
Flynn's sister tweeted two days ago,
"Did Anyone Ever consider that information He had was Top Secret! And could Not be shared with some random FBI idiots!!?"
These statements may explain why Michael Flynn wasn't forthcoming with the FBI in the first place.
Why this Matters: The sentencing could be pushed back--it was scheduled for Tuesday--or Sullivan could toss the charges against Flynn and overturn his plea deal if the judge concludes the FBI interfered with Flynn's constitutional right to counsel.
In 2009, Judge Sullivan threw out a DOJ case against Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), saying he had never seen such mishandling and misconduct before because they improperly withheld evidence. The Judge's actions came after Stevens lost his re-election bid, and in 2010, Stevens died in a plane crash.
Continue praying for the DC swamp to be drained of people who have an agenda to overturn an election and believe that
anything
goes in order to meet that end. Praise God who doesn't take pleasure in wickedness.
