Notes unsealed by a federal judge revealed details about the origins of the bureau’s criminal case against the former national security adviser.
President Donald Trump vented outrage Thursday over the FBI’s treatment of Michael Flynn following the release of government records and recent media reports regarding the the bureau’s 2017 investigation into his former national security adviser.
In a remarkable series of nearly 30 tweets and retweets issued within a 12-hour time frame — which came as the number of Americans killed by the coronavirus surged beyond 60,000 — Trump excoriated former FBI Director James Comey, questioned the bureau’s current leadership, and fiercely defended Flynn and other associates ensnared by the far-reaching Russia probe that consumed the early years of his administration.
“What happened to General Michael Flynn, a war hero, should never be allowed to happen to a citizen of the United States again!” Trump wrote online, hours after criticizing CNN’s coverage of the Flynn case in a separate social media post just before midnight.
“.@CNN doesn’t want to speak about their persecution of General Michael Flynn & why they got the story so wrong. They, along with others, should pay a big price for what they have purposely done to this man & his family. They won’t even cover the big breaking news about this scam!” the president tweeted. A spokesperson for CNN did not immediately return a request for comment.
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The four pages of FBI documents, provided to Flynn’s defense attorneys last week, have been seized upon by the president’s defenders and his allies in conservative media in a continued effort to paint the investigation of Flynn and former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe as an excessive, politically motivated ambush on the White House by federal law enforcement officers.
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Flynn served as national security adviser for just 24 days before he was dismissed for a lack of candor about conversations he had with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential transition period before Trump’s inauguration. He reportedly misled Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about the details of those discussions.
“He was unfairly and unjustly targeted by ‘Deep State’ bureaucrats that clearly, with all the evidence now to prove it, wanted to take him down,” Fox News host Sean Hannity said of the Flynn revelations on his Wednesday night broadcast.
One page of handwritten notes contained in the documents — dated the same day Flynn was interviewed by the FBI on Jan. 24, 2017 — appeared to indicate a debate over how forthcoming to be with him or others at the White House about the nature of the bureau’s investigation, warning that if “we’re seen as playing games, WH will be furious.”
The notes also reflect deliberation among FBI officials about whether confronting Flynn with a lie in real time would be helpful to their investigation. “What is our goal? Truth/admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?” the notes read.
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- Discussion
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President Trump calling the probe that resulted in Michael Flynn's pleading guilty before a federal court a “scam” https://t.co/JDhHuITNlv
— POLITICO (@politico) April 30, 2020
Read FBI note in Flynn case by kballuck1 on Scribd
Since the U.S. death toll surpassed 60,000 yesterday, Trump has tweeted about:
-Michael Flynn
-CNN
-MSNBC
-Brian Williams
-Don Lemon
-Joe Scarborough
-Sweden
-Roger Stone
-His poll numbers
-Jim Comey
-Hillary Clinton’s campaign
-Rep. Jim Ryun’s birthday— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) April 30, 2020
Nothing that has come out suggests the facts that he admitted to in the context of his plea are untrue or that his plea was coerced in any way. Nothing that was done to Flynn by the FBI isn’t done to criminal suspects all over the country.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) April 30, 2020
Flynn admitted his guilt in open court. These documents will not convince the judge to allow Flynn to withdraw his guilty plea, which requires a “fair and just reason.” Buyer’s remorse is not good enough.
— Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) April 30, 2020
The focus on the Flynn interview
(which was fine) is an attempt to distract from *the reason he was being interviewed in the first place*: He was a national security threat. And as I explained here, his actions with Russia had consequences for the U.S. https://t.co/vF3jaA0NWM— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) April 30, 2020
Here's my thread taking you through the Flynn "bombshell" that isn't.
Read it, but in short, this isn't entrapment (wtf?) nor is it a "perjury trap."
If FBI thinks you've committed a crime, *of course they're going to target you in an interview.* https://t.co/2JnFt4yPEj
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) April 30, 2020
2) Undermined any punishment of Russia for helping Trump get elected.
And then, yes, lied about it.
But to buy this whole faux scandal you have to believe someone *actively* hiding having been on Turkey's payroll should be National Security Advisor.
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 30, 2020
Excellent thread. https://t.co/gNrUQg7qpt
— David French (@DavidAFrench) April 30, 2020
Is Flynn victim of a political attack launched through an unconstitutional 18th century law? Or did he enter into a plea deal against the backdrop of much wider criminal behavior? The evidence still suggests the latter scenario is closer to the truth. https://t.co/d0b8aDyDh4
— David French (@DavidAFrench) May 1, 2020
The Trump cultists are raising an entire generation of morons who think “entrapment” is when you lie to a cop who identifies himself as a cop and informs you beforehand that lying to him is a crime.
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) May 3, 2020
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