Putin's dinner with Michael Flynn - 'I didn't even really talk to him'

[webfact]

Putin's dinner with Michael Flynn - 'I didn't even really talk to him'

REUTERS

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with representatives of foreign companies and business associations at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia, June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Savostyanov/TASS/Host Photo Agency/Pool

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin hardly spoke at all with former U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn when they sat together at a Moscow dinner in 2015, NBC News quoted the Kremlin leader as saying on Sunday.

 

Flynn's ties to Moscow are under scrutiny in the United States amid allegations of possible Russian interference in the 2016 election. An oft-published photo of him sitting next to Putin at a gala dinner seems to hint he had close relations.

 

Flynn has declined to testify to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee about his Russian ties, invoking his constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination.

 

Putin, speaking to NBC News' Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly, said he recalled the dinner in question as a routine event.

 

"I made my speech. Then we talked about some other stuff. And I got up and left. And then afterwards I was told, 'You know there was an American gentleman, he was involved in some things. He used to be in the security services'," Putin said.

 

"That's it. I didn't even really talk to him. That's the extent of my acquaintance with Mr Flynn," he added.

 

The December 2015 dinner was in honour of the Russian television network Russia Today (RT), a Russian government-funded global network that U.S. officials consider a state-run propaganda outlet and purveyor of disinformation about the U.S.

 

French President Emmanuel Macron, standing next to Putin in Paris last week, publicly denounced Russia Today and the state-funded Sputnik news agency as "agents of influence ... and of lying propaganda" that had spread "fake news" against him during his campaign for Paris's top post in May.

 

A preview of NBC's interview with Putin was released to the media on Sunday. In it, the Kremlin chief was asked about the nature of his relationship with the retired U.S. Army general who is the subject of several investigations at home.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump fired Flynn in February for failing to disclose the content of his talks with Sergei Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to the United States, and misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.

 

U.S. intelligence agencies reported in January that Putin oversaw a campaign of computer hacking, fake news and propaganda intended to swing the election to the Republican candidate Trump over his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

 

Putin has denied conducting such a campaign. Trump has denied any collusion between Russia and his campaign and has questioned the veracity of the U.S. intelligence finding.

 

(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Editing by Tom Heneghan)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-05

[klauskunkel]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Putin's dinner with Michael Flynn - 'I didn't even really talk to him'

"You know, Beef Stroganoff - I had my mouth full all the time, couldn't talk at all."

[boomerangutang]

".....but I was holding his hand under the table."

[Emster23]

"I didn't really talk to him. I used a translator."

[boomerangutang]

Look at that word "really" in the headline.

 

It brings back recollections of when I had American girlfriends.  When we were breaking up, they would say things like, "You know, you never REALLY tried to make this relationship work."

 

or , "I really wanted to tell you the truth, but......."

[boomerangutang]

"I never really glanced over at his dick while we were peeing together in the men's room."

[darksidedog]

"I didn't really talk with him. Everything needed was in the dossier we gave him.

[mike324]

to even sit at the same table with Putin, you Really need to be doing something big in Russia -  and for Putin to Really not know who sits beside him, thats not a Really good lie given that he was a former intelligence agent 

[Rob13]

Of course they didn't talk. It was dinner. Business matters were handled at more appropriate time and location.

[ilostmypassword]

2 minutes ago, Rob13 said:

Of course they didn't talk. It was dinner. Business matters were handled at more appropriate time and location.

Of course. Michael Flynn and Vladimir Putin, 2 sticklers for etiquette.

[Rob13]

1 minute ago, ilostmypassword said:

Of course. Michael Flynn and Vladimir Putin, 2 sticklers for etiquette.

They use the cone of silence for top level meetings like that.

[Berkshire]

I don't understand why the media is even talking to Putin.  All the guy is going to do is lie, so it provides a platform for him to broadcast his lies all over the world.  And of course, there's going to be some idiot out there who actually believes him.   

[thaihome]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

I don't understand why the media is even talking to Putin.  All the guy is going to do is lie, so it provides a platform for him to broadcast his lies all over the world.  And of course, there's going to be some idiot out there who actually believes him.   

It was ex-Fox News commentator Megyn Kelly's debut on NBC news. It's all about ratings.

TH 

[Mad mick]

5 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

"You know, Beef Stroganoff - I had my mouth full all the time, couldn't talk at all."

Ha ha very good . Flynn who believes him or putin .

[pegman]

4 hours ago, darksidedog said:

"I didn't really talk with him. Everything needed was in the dossier we gave him.

Exactly, very detailed written instructions (marching orders) in exchange for the General and Trump's Swiss bank account numbers in which to send wired funds. 

[boomerangutang]

4 hours ago, darksidedog said:

"I didn't really talk with him. Everything needed was in the dossier we gave him.

Or the dossier Flynn gave Putin. Perhaps outlining all the nice things the Trump and Kushners would do for Russia, if Russia helped you-know-who get elected.  

 

2 hours ago, Berkshire said:

I don't understand why the media is even talking to Putin.  All the guy is going to do is lie, so it provides a platform for him to broadcast his lies all over the world.  And of course, there's going to be some idiot out there who actually believes him.   

                     Interesting that both Trump and Putin are saying the same things about 'fake media.'   An outside observer might actually surmise that they both had things to hide.   .......perish the thought!

[ncc1701d]

3 hours ago, Berkshire said:

I don't understand why the media is even talking to Putin.  All the guy is going to do is lie, so it provides a platform for him to broadcast his lies all over the world.  And of course, there's going to be some idiot out there who actually believes him.   

I don't understand why putin bothers to talk to the media. If it were me I'd just say I don't care and it's a matter for the Americans. 

[Redline]

This is such a joke and great fun for Putin.  Along with the entertainment, he gets US intelligence~win/win for Putin

[LawrenceN]

Putin lies like most of us breathe.

[Andaman Al]

8 hours ago, mike324 said:

to even sit at the same table with Putin, you Really need to be doing something big in Russia -  and for Putin to Really not know who sits beside him, thats not a Really good lie given that he was a former intelligence agent 

And not just at the same table, but sat NEXT to him. And Putin says he was told afterwards 'oh there was an American there'. How much BS is that. Putin would have known and been briefed on everyone sat at his table, he is ex KGB for gods sake, and a President AND a multi multi billionaire oligarch. Nobody sat at his table without his personal request or authorisation.

[Thakkar]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

'I didn't even really talk to him'

"...what's the point; we tend to finish each other's sentences anyway"

[In the jungle]

The money talked.

 

 

[boomerangutang]

4 hours ago, Redline said:

This is such a joke and great fun for Putin.  Along with the entertainment, he gets US intelligence~win/win for Putin

                                He gets more than US intel.  He likely gets more billions (he's already one of the richest people in the world) ...from opening up the Russian arctic region to drilling by Exxon.  I'm sure Tillerson and the Trump family won't have any investments in that, ha ha ha.  

 

                              Additionally,  Russia gets US hands-off in Ukraine from ass-kissing Trumpsters, and an opening to getting back former Soviet States.   Some T.Visa poster posted months ago (when that topic was mentioned) that Russia doesn't want its former Soviet States back in the bosom of 'Mother Russia.'   Oh really?  That's like saying China doesn't really want Taiwan.   

 

42 minutes ago, Andaman Al said:

And not just at the same table, but sat NEXT to him. And Putin says he was told afterwards 'oh there was an American there'. How much BS is that. Putin would have known and been briefed on everyone sat at his table, he is ex KGB for gods sake, and a President AND a multi multi billionaire oligarch. Nobody sat at his table without his personal request or authorisation.

.....and on his right side, no less.   Seat of honor.   You know the expression, 'right hand man.'

 

Interesting that Green Party candidate Jill Stein is shown in that same photo, sitting at the same table.

[JHolmesJr]

Like sitting at the same table with putin at an official function is a crime. 

 

Ho hum. 

[Thakkar]

At this point, Putin is just plain trolling.

 

Or, he is running some sort of bizarre social experiment to see just how much BS the 36% of Americans who still support Trump will swallow.

 

I would've thought it's a pointless experiment, since, having watched Trump on the campaign trail for months, and voted for him anyway, they clearly have an insatiable appetite for BS.

[Andaman Al]

10 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

Like sitting at the same table with putin at an official function is a crime. 

 

Ho hum. 

When paid 40k as an undeclared foreign agent working for Russia then yes, it's a crime. But lets let the lawyers and judges sort that one out eh!

[Rob13]

9 minutes ago, Thakkar said:

At this point, Putin is just plain trolling.

 

Or, he is running some sort of bizarre social experiment to see just how much BS the 36% of Americans who still support Trump will swallow.

 

I would've thought it's a pointless experiment, since, having watched Trump on the campaign trail for months, and voted for him anyway, they clearly have an insatiable appetite for BS.

Or payback for all the meddling the US has done in Russia over the years. 

[JHolmesJr]

1 hour ago, Andaman Al said:

When paid 40k as an undeclared foreign agent working for Russia then yes, it's a crime. But lets let the lawyers and judges sort that one out eh!

Yes Id love to see the contract. and so would the lawyers.

 

I love the way the article headline is written…so disingenuous…like it was just flynn and putin in a shady restaurant.

 

The guy was sitting in a packed ballroom at an official event….he knew he was being filmed….id like to think US military men have a little more smarts than what you're suggesting…lol.

Edited June 5, 2017 by JHolmesJr

[Trouble]

31 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

Yes Id love to see the contract. and so would the lawyers.

 

I love the way the article headline is written…so disingenuous…like it was just flynn and putin in a shady restaurant.

 

The guy was sitting in a packed ballroom at an official event….he knew he was being filmed….id like to think US military men have a little more smarts than what you're suggesting…lol.

I too think Flynn has more smarts.  From the comments here one would think the Flynn was handing over all the DIA top secret documents, making him a traitor.  Flynn is anything but that.  My take is that Flynn got some contracts from RT for interviews and analysis, just as all the guests on FOX, MSNBC, and CNN get for providing 
"analysis" of events.  Since the US government considers RT a propaganda organ of the Russian State, that seems to be a problem.  My take is that FOX, MSNBC, and CNN are also not news organizations but propaganda organs funded by advertisers. It is all commentary with little in the way of news except the 4 or 5 things of the day in which these organizations give their view of things.  As I understand it the dinner was an PR event.  

 

The Megyn Kelly interview was a nothing interview and what would one expect Putin to say under such circumstances.  Putin is a very shrewd person and was probably correct about one thing in that hackers, in theory, could make intrusions look like they came from anywhere.  Quite frankly it seems like the US intelligence agencies should either put up the evidence or shut up.  I am sure the Russian intelligence agencies have a pretty good idea of what capabilities the American agencies are capable of.  Seems like the American agencies are less willing for the American public to know. Putin was also dead on with regard to American meddling in elections elsewhere.  So where is the "news" here? The fact that the story about Russian meddling in our elections has gone on for months now without one bit of information made public or leaked makes me think there is nothing more than a hacking into the DNC server and release of some emails.  Is that all there is?

[pegman]

6 hours ago, Trouble said:

I too think Flynn has more smarts.  From the comments here one would think the Flynn was handing over all the DIA top secret documents, making him a traitor.  Flynn is anything but that.  My take is that Flynn got some contracts from RT for interviews and analysis, just as all the guests on FOX, MSNBC, and CNN get for providing 
"analysis" of events.  Since the US government considers RT a propaganda organ of the Russian State, that seems to be a problem.  My take is that FOX, MSNBC, and CNN are also not news organizations but propaganda organs funded by advertisers. It is all commentary with little in the way of news except the 4 or 5 things of the day in which these organizations give their view of things.  As I understand it the dinner was an PR event.  

 

The Megyn Kelly interview was a nothing interview and what would one expect Putin to say under such circumstances.  Putin is a very shrewd person and was probably correct about one thing in that hackers, in theory, could make intrusions look like they came from anywhere.  Quite frankly it seems like the US intelligence agencies should either put up the evidence or shut up.  I am sure the Russian intelligence agencies have a pretty good idea of what capabilities the American agencies are capable of.  Seems like the American agencies are less willing for the American public to know. Putin was also dead on with regard to American meddling in elections elsewhere.  So where is the "news" here? The fact that the story about Russian meddling in our elections has gone on for months now without one bit of information made public or leaked makes me think there is nothing more than a hacking into the DNC server and release of some emails.  Is that all there is?

What has been leaked is likely what the investigators want released. Why would they release anything more than that while the investigation is ongoing? This isn't a political hack job like what Starr, to his disgrace, conducted into Whitewater. The crime here is the collusion between Trump and Russia. Not that there was election interference. Your shallow attempt to muddy that distinction, like the right media are also doing,  is likely to be dismantled by Comey Thursday.