Flynn could prove to be key asset in Mueller's U.S. campaign probe, sources say

[rooster59]

Flynn could prove to be key asset in Mueller's U.S. campaign probe, sources say

By John Walcott and Karen Freifeld

 

White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (C) arrives prior to a joint news conference between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S. on February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Files

 

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lawyers for former national security adviser Michael Flynn have halted communications with U.S. President Donald Trump's legal team, a potentially critical step in the probe into contacts between Trump's election campaign and Russia, sources familiar with the investigation said on Friday.

 

Flynn's lawyer, Robert Kelner, called John Dowd, Trump's private lawyer, on Wednesday to say the matter had reached a point where the two could no longer could discuss it, two people familiar with the call told Reuters on Friday.

 

The New York Times first reported that the two sets of lawyers had stopped communicating.

 

Flynn, a retired Army general, is a central figure in a federal investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into whether Trump aides colluded with alleged Russian efforts to boost his 2016 presidential campaign.

 

It was not clear whether Kelner made the call because he had negotiated a plea agreement with Mueller for Flynn to cooperate in the probe, or because Flynn had decided to engage with Mueller, said two other sources.

 

"No one should draw the conclusion that this means anything about General Flynn cooperating against the president," Jay Sekulow, another attorney for Trump, said on Thursday.

 

Dowd on Friday declined to comment on the matter, as did Peter Carr, Mueller's spokesman. Kelner also declined to comment. White House officials also have declined to comment.

 

The cooperation of Flynn, who was a top campaign adviser before becoming Trump's national security adviser in the White House, would be a major asset in Mueller's investigation.

 

In March, as he unsuccessfully sought immunity for his client to testify to House and Senate investigations into the issue, Kelner said, "Mr. Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he certainly wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit."

 

Two sources familiar with Mueller's investigation said Flynn may be able to provide insight into three major areas of inquiry.

 

These are: any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 campaign; money laundering and other possible financial crimes by Trump aides; and whether Trump sought to obstruct justice when he fired former FBI Director James Comey in May, as Comey was probing the Trump campaign's dealings with Russia.

 

Russia has denied interfering in the election. Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia by his campaign and has called the inquiry a witch hunt.

 

QUESTIONS FOR FLYNN

 

Two congressional officials involved in separate probes into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia said one key area of investigation is whether Flynn or other advisers to Trump ever suggested U.S. economic sanctions on Russia could be lifted in exchange for favorable business deals.

 

Possible deals include a proposed commercial nuclear power project involving Russian firms that Flynn in recent years worked to promote to potential clients in the Middle East, sources familiar with the project told Reuters.

 

"At this point, there is no evidence of an effort to negotiate that kind of deal, but Flynn is near the top of the list of people who probably would know if there was any such effort," said one of the congressional officials, also speaking on the condition of anonymity.

 

Trump fired Flynn on Feb. 13, after disclosures that Flynn had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with then Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak in December, the month before Trump took office, and later misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.

 

Flynn has acknowledged contacts with Kislyak dating back to 2013, but beyond saying they covered a variety of subjects has said nothing about the content of their conversations during Trump's campaign and after his election.

 

Flynn has been under scrutiny by the special counsel in a number of areas, sources familiar with the investigation have said.

 

Mueller has been investigating whether Flynn knowingly made false statements to the government about his foreign travels, income, and contacts on his security clearance form.

 

Flynn also has come under scrutiny for work on behalf of Russian clients, and over whether his work for a businessman with ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was lawful.

 

Mueller has been investigating Flynn's son, Michael Flynn, Jr.'s, involvement in some of his father's business dealings in Russia, Turkey, and elsewhere, the sources said, and that could provide a potent additional incentive for Flynn to cooperate.

 

Barry Coburn, a lawyer for Flynn's son, declined to comment.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-25

[Boon Mee]

Hasn't this witch hunt gone on long enough without a shred of any guilt for Trump et. al? 

Perhaps Muller subscribes to the Joe Stalin school of thought : "Show me the man and I'll show you the crime" 

[ilostmypassword]

1 minute ago, Boon Mee said:

Hasn't this witch hunt gone on long enough without a shred of any guilt for Trump et. al? 

Perhaps Muller subscribes to the Joe Stalin school of thought : "Show me the man and I'll show you the crime" 

And you don't think it's at all odd that after dismissing Flynn for lying, Trump has not only said nothing unfavorable about him but even sent him a message to "Stay Strong" Why is he treating Flynn with such exceptional kindness?

[siamike]

1 hour ago, Boon Mee said:

Hasn't this witch hunt gone on long enough without a shred of any guilt for Trump et. al? 

Perhaps Muller subscribes to the Joe Stalin school of thought : "Show me the man and I'll show you the crime" 

Are you in hurry? Got a plane to catch?   Compared to past impeachment proceedings, (i.e. Nixon & Clinton) Mueller is moving at super sonic speed.  The public has already learned that Trump has been lying all along about Russia being fake news.  Mueller is simply building several rock solid cases & gathering undeniable evidence which will stand up to any and all scrutiny.  Have patience, Trump will most likely not be the POTUS by the end of next year, and depending on how "dirty" Mike Pence is, he may not become the POTUS.  

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, Boon Mee said:

Hasn't this witch hunt gone on long enough without a shred of any guilt for Trump et. al? 

Perhaps Muller subscribes to the Joe Stalin school of thought : "Show me the man and I'll show you the crime" 

Stop. Several have already admitted guilt and are cooperating with the investigation. It's not all about Trump. Time to catch up.

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Stop. Several have already admitted guilt and are cooperating with the investigation. It's not all about Trump. Time to catch up.

Yes, and it's also, perhaps most importantly because we're probably stuck with trump for at least one term, about uncovering the full truth about the Russian interference in the 2016 election so that all involved can be held accountable and also so that action can be taken to prevent their aggression in the future. But unfortunately trump is not at all interested in such prevention. So this all is quite a DARK story of American democracy corrupted and compromised, from within and without. 

Edited November 25, 2017 by Jingthing

[craigt3365]

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes, and it's also, perhaps most importantly because we're probably stuck with trump for at least one term, about uncovering the full truth about the Russian interference in the 2016 election so that all involved can be held accountable and also so that action can be taken to prevent their aggression in the future. But unfortunately trump is not at all interested in such prevention. So this all is quite a DARK story of American democracy corrupted and compromised, from within and without. 

I'm holding out hope for obstruction of justice. Seems to be the biggie right now. And for good reasons. Can't wait to see what Flynn coughs up. LOL

[Jingthing]

Who knows? There aren't leaks. But I have noticed the trumpists are obsessed with denying the collusion thing as if that's the only possible culpability of trump and those close to him. There is so much more. For example, trump's finances. In fact, it's my understanding that collusion isn't even technically illegal. 

Edited November 25, 2017 by Jingthing

[rudi49jr]

2 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Hasn't this witch hunt gone on long enough without a shred of any guilt for Trump et. al? 

Perhaps Muller subscribes to the Joe Stalin school of thought : "Show me the man and I'll show you the crime" 

 

To quote Bachman Turner Overdrive: "b-b-b-baby, you just ain't seen n-n-n-nothing yet!"

[Morch]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Who knows? There aren't leaks. But I have noticed the trumpists are obsessed with denying the collusion thing as if that's the only possible culpability of trump and those close to him. There is so much more. For example, trump's finances. In fact, it's my understanding that collusion isn't even technically illegal. 

 

There aren't leaks.

 

Yes, for the most part. Guess people forgot how investigations are supposed to be carried out.

[rudi49jr]

12 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

There aren't leaks.

 

Yes, for the most part. Guess people forgot how investigations are supposed to be carried out.

Remember 'Deepthroat' in Watergate? Thanks god for leaks ...

[Morch]

1 minute ago, rudi49jr said:

Remember 'Deepthroat' in Watergate? Thanks god for leaks ...

 

As in leaks from within the investigation...

[siamike]

11 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Who knows? There aren't leaks. But I have noticed the trumpists are obsessed with denying the collusion thing as if that's the only possible culpability of trump and those close to him. There is so much more. For example, trump's finances. In fact, it's my understanding that collusion isn't even technically illegal. 

Although most everyone is using "collusion" as a short-hand for crimes allegedly committed by the Trump campaign, Collusion is not a federal crime (except in the unique case of antitrust law).  On the criminal side, the word that would best describes an agreement between the Trump campaign and Russia to commit any number of crimes (say, election fraud) would be “conspiracy”—something that the recent release of Donald Trump Jr.’s email chain might support.

Politico did an informative article on collusion as it applies to the Trump-Russia case: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/12/what-is-collusion-215366

 

[rudi49jr]

30 minutes ago, siamike said:

Although most everyone is using "collusion" as a short-hand for crimes allegedly committed by the Trump campaign, Collusion is not a federal crime (except in the unique case of antitrust law).  On the criminal side, the word that would best describes an agreement between the Trump campaign and Russia to commit any number of crimes (say, election fraud) would be “conspiracy”—something that the recent release of Donald Trump Jr.’s email chain might support.

Politico did an informative article on collusion as it applies to the Trump-Russia case: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/12/what-is-collusion-215366

 

I think collusion with the Russians is the least of Trump's worries now. Flynn seems to be about ready to strike a deal with Mueller and throw Trump under the bus to get a lighter sentence. Watergate will pale in comparison, I'm quite sure. 

[craigt3365]

Congrats to Muller. Hard for Trump supporters to not like him. He's doing what Trump promised to do, but never did.

 

https://www.rawstory.com/2017/11/the-mueller-effect-how-the-special-counsel-might-be-draining-the-swamp-better-than-trump-ever-could/

'The Mueller effect’: How the special counsel might be ‘draining the swamp’ better than Trump ever could

 

According to The Post, Mueller’s probe has so far resulted in a massive uptick of individuals and firms who work for foreign interests to either file or amend foreign agent registrations. The report even claims that there are more people registering as foreign agents now than in the same amount of time over each of the last 20 years.

 

[rudi49jr]

37 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Congrats to Muller. Hard for Trump supporters to not like him. He's doing what Trump promised to do, but never did.

 

https://www.rawstory.com/2017/11/the-mueller-effect-how-the-special-counsel-might-be-draining-the-swamp-better-than-trump-ever-could/

'The Mueller effect’: How the special counsel might be ‘draining the swamp’ better than Trump ever could

 

According to The Post, Mueller’s probe has so far resulted in a massive uptick of individuals and firms who work for foreign interests to either file or amend foreign agent registrations. The report even claims that there are more people registering as foreign agents now than in the same amount of time over each of the last 20 years.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. Trump is an embarrassment to the American presidency and to the American people, and he needs to be taken down asap.

[selftaopath]

15 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Stop. Several have already admitted guilt and are cooperating with the investigation. It's not all about Trump. Time to catch up.

Richard Painter pointed out on AM Joy that Congress is negligent in their duties. They are elected to put America/ U.S. Constitution first but alas they are spineless and complicit in 45's destruction of U.S. democracy. Richard Painter is a Republican and I think he has more integrity than all of the Republican Party.... party of Moore and the other guy.

[mtls2005]

Unless the U.S. or another countries' clandestine services choose to release SIGINT directly involving illegal/treasonous communications between DJT and foreign powers, I can't see him being prosecuted for "conspiracy"? Now if he's left a financial paper trail of cash from Russia to himself he could face other sorts of charges.

 

I think it's safe to say that dozens of his campaign staff, cabinet, WH staff (past/present) will face charges.

 

Trump's lawyers will use the "he said, he said" (locker-room talk) defense for anything Flynn Sr. says.

[craigt3365]

19 minutes ago, selftaopath said:

Richard Painter pointed out on AM Joy that Congress is negligent in their duties. They are elected to put America/ U.S. Constitution first but alas they are spineless and complicit in 45's destruction of U.S. democracy. Richard Painter is a Republican and I think he has more integrity than all of the Republican Party.... party of Moore and the other guy.

And thus, the extremely low approval ratings for congress. Change is desperately needed.

[craigt3365]

7 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Unless the U.S. or another countries' clandestine services choose to release SIGINT directly involving illegal/treasonous communications between DJT and foreign powers, I can't see him being prosecuted for "conspiracy"? Now if he's left a financial paper trail of cash from Russia to himself he could face other sorts of charges.

 

I think it's safe to say that dozens of his campaign staff, cabinet, WH staff (past/present) will face charges.

 

Trump's lawyers will use the "he said, he said" (locker-room talk) defense for anything Flynn Sr. says.

That may happen as they seem to have connected the dots between Trump jr, his communications with foreign hostile parties and the POTUS. Trump tweeted it.

 

It'd be absolutely fantastic if tweets are part of Trump's downfall.  LOL

[lannarebirth]

24 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

And thus, the extremely low approval ratings for congress. Change is desperately needed.

What Congress is doing now is just partisan politics. What they did a year ago, freezing out a legitimate Supreme Court nominee was unconstitutional and bordered on a Consttitutional Crisis and were it in my power I'd have impeached every god damned oned of them.

[Tug]

Donald should have gotten a permit for that laundry he has been running not to mention conspiring with a hostile foreign government to rigg our election 

[impulse]

3 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Congrats to Muller. Hard for Trump supporters to not like him. He's doing what Trump promised to do, but never did.

 

https://www.rawstory.com/2017/11/the-mueller-effect-how-the-special-counsel-might-be-draining-the-swamp-better-than-trump-ever-could/

'The Mueller effect’: How the special counsel might be ‘draining the swamp’ better than Trump ever could

 

According to The Post, Mueller’s probe has so far resulted in a massive uptick of individuals and firms who work for foreign interests to either file or amend foreign agent registrations. The report even claims that there are more people registering as foreign agents now than in the same amount of time over each of the last 20 years.

 

And if HRC had been elected, she and her political machine know all the tricks that would allow them to continue to work in the shadows.  Another reason we need citizen leaders who come to DC to serve for a finite time frame, then go home instead of latching onto the government tit and learning how to keep a low profile doing it.  In his noobiness, Trump hasn't learned all the dirty tricks that allow our elected officials and the corporations they work for to collude and conspire with impunity.

 

I'm not a fan of Trump.  Never have been.  But I'm a huge fan of what he has done and is doing for the country, even if he himself is being dragged along kicking and screaming.  Hopefully, he can hang on long enough to keep the door open for better citizen leaders in the near future.  But pol's on both sides of the aisle want that door to slam shut.

 

Edited November 26, 2017 by impulse

[mtls2005]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

In his noobiness, Trump hasn't learned all the dirty tricks that allow our elected officials and the corporations they work for to collude and conspire with impunity.

Trump was suckled at the teat of Roy Cohn, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Lee Atwater. Calling him a political noob is quite disingenuous.

 

 

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Trump was suckled at the teat of Roy Cohn, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Lee Atwater. Calling him a political noob is quite disingenuous.

 

If only he listened to anyone...

[Morch]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

If only he listened to anyone...

 

If he did, then you wouldn't be able to push the notion that's his term implies something positive (if in a roundabout way) for the political redemption of the USA.

[jcsmith]

On 11/25/2017 at 3:30 PM, Boon Mee said:

Hasn't this witch hunt gone on long enough without a shred of any guilt for Trump et. al? 

Perhaps Muller subscribes to the Joe Stalin school of thought : "Show me the man and I'll show you the crime" 

Getting a little close to home?

[Jingthing]

Getting a little close to home?

Yeah the word is that trump should be worried now but not yet panicked. Imagine that Twitter troll in a panic. His baseline is angry paranoid maniac on a good day with golfing.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[sebastion]

Trump will get his 2nd term.

They haven't dug up dirt in the past 12 months then they never will. Unless it's manufactured.

Flynn won't flip and lie to save himself. He know that trump will pardon his loyals much like the previous presidents have done.

The whole debacle is just a distraction for the previous administrations crimes.

 

I love the hate for him. It only empowers his support.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

[ilostmypassword]

18 minutes ago, sebastion said:

Trump will get his 2nd term.

They haven't dug up dirt in the past 12 months then they never will. Unless it's manufactured.

Flynn won't flip and lie to save himself. He know that trump will pardon his loyals much like the previous presidents have done.

The whole debacle is just a distraction for the previous administrations crimes.

 

I love the hate for him. It only empowers his support.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

It's interesting that Flynn, who clearly betrayed the trust of the Trump administration, has never been criticized by Trump. In fact, Trump even counseled him to "Stay strong." Seems a trifle strange. Unless of course, Trump is doing his level best to pacify Flynn.