Michael Flynn tells FBI he’ll testify in Donald Trump’s Russia scandal in exchange for immunity
Donald Trump’s former campaign adviser and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has notified the FBI, as well as the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, that he’s willing to testify in the Trump-Russia scandal in exchange for immunity. This news has been first reported by the Wall Street Journal this evening, and marks a major inflection point in the scandal that may now quickly cause other dominoes to fall.
Michael Flynn is already known to have lied to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian Ambassador (lying to the FBI is a felony). He’s also admitted to having been on the take from the government of Turkey, which was a crime he didn’t register the arrangement at the time, as legally required. He may or may not have been prosecuted for these crimes anyway, as perjury isn’t always prosecuted, and the details of his foreign agent status are murky. The real question this raises is what other more serious crimes Flynn committed by conspiring with Russia to rig the election. His request for full immunity suggests that his role was serious enough that he fears prison time if his role in the Russia scandal comes out.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the FBI has not yet decided whether to take Michael Flynn up on his offer. The bureau would probably first need to hear what Flynn is willing to admit to during testimony, and whether that information is valuable enough to advance the investigation as it works its way up to Donald Trump himself (WSJ link). But considering how much of a central figure Flynn appears to have been in the Trump-Russia scandal, his testimony could be a linchpin for taking Trump down. This may also set off a race among Trump’s other co-conspirators to see who can get the best immunity deal first. Six days ago I wrote that I suspected Flynn and the FBI were dealing. Contribute to Palmer Report
