Mike Flynn already told us in September what it means when someone asks for immunity
Ousted National Security Adviser Mike Flynn is now offering to testify in Donald Trump’s Russia scandal in exchange for immunity, according to a Wall Street Journal report. As we await word on whether the FBI has accepted or will accept Flynn’s offer, it has political circles abuzz as to what it means when someone asks for immunity. But it turns out Mike Flynn gave us the answer six months ago, in exact words.
Back when Flynn was a Donald Trump campaign adviser, he was trying to make the case that Hillary Clinton must be guilty of something because some people underneath her had requested immunity in the investigation into her email. Flynn spoke on Meet The Press in September of 2016 and told host Chuck Todd the following: “When you are given immunity, that means that you’ve probably commited a crime.”
I’m not an attorney, but my experiences as a political reporter have taught me that Mike Flynn was somewhat overstating the case. For instance, in the very example he used, Hillary Clinton and everyone involved in her email investigation were ultimately fully cleared by the FBI – including those who had asked for immunity. However, Flynn is correct in that under most circumstances, those asking for immunity are indeed guilty of something. In fact Flynn appears to be guilty of at least two specific felonies, even without us yet knowing what additional crimes he committed by conspiring with Russia during the election.
Flynn broke the law by taking money from a Turkish government intermediary and failing to report it to the United States government. Flynn is also confirmed to have lied to the FBI with regard to his phone calls to the Russian government, which would be a felony. But based on legal precedent it’s not clear whether Flynn would be prosecuted for either of those crimes to begin with. Instead it appears he’s seeking immunity from the crimes he committed by conspiring with Russia to rig the election in Trump’s favor, because they’re severe enough that they would put him in prison.
As we wait for the next shoe to drop, here’s the Wall Street Journal report on Flynn asking for immunity (link), and here’s video of Mike Flynn explaining that asking for immunity means you’re probably guilty:
