Former Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice has called for the Trump administration to release transcripts of phone calls between Michael Flynn, her successor under President Trump, and then-Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak.
Rice, through a spokeswoman, renewed her call for the transcripts to be publicly released after acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell declassified an email Rice sent to herself documenting a meeting in January 2017 about Flynn’s contacts with Kislyak.
“In the interest of transparency, Ambassador Rice again calls upon the Director of National Intelligence to release the unredacted transcripts of all Kislyak-Flynn calls,” spokeswoman Erin Pelton said in a statement on behalf of Rice. “The American people deserve the full transcripts so they can judge for themselves Michael Flynn’s conduct.”
My statement on behalf of @AmbassadorRice on the declassification of her Jan 20, 2017 email. pic.twitter.com/9fXQCeBjbV
— Erin Pelton (@erin_pelton) May 19, 2020
Flynn’s interactions with Kislyak were the focus of the email Rice sent to herself on Inauguration Day in January 2017, the contents of which were fully declassified Tuesday.
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Rice’s spokeswoman pushed back on the GOP’s criticism, saying the email was evidence that no members of the administration interfered in the FBI’s probe.
“[T]he email makes clear that the Obama Administration did not change the way it briefed Michael Flynn – but rather that President Obama asked Director Comey ‘to inform him if anything changes in the next few weeks that should affect how we share classified information with the incoming team,’ ” the spokeswoman said.
“In fact, Ambassador Rice briefed Michael Flynn for over 12 hours, on four separate occasions and led the National Security Council in preparing and delivering to him over 100 separate briefing memos. Ambassador Rice did not alter the way she briefed Michael Flynn on Russia as a result of Director Comey’s response.”
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Susan Rice calls for Flynn-Kislyak transcripts to be released https://t.co/lbO2u3uXBq pic.twitter.com/nRvaSm8Ctx
— The Hill (@thehill) May 20, 2020We’ve seen Susan Rice’s memo. We’ve seen the list of requested unmaskings by Obama officials.
Now could we see the transcripts of all the Kislyak-Flynn calls?— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 20, 2020
As the Trump people polemically declassify selected items in an effort to rehabilitate Gen. Flynn … it seems increasingly odd that they don't declassify the Flynn-Kislyak call itself. Why not let everybody see it? It's no secret to the Russians after all
— David Frum (@davidfrum) May 20, 2020
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