THAT SETTLES THAT
‘Not Exculpatory’: Just-Declassified Transcripts Prove Flynn Lied – ‘He Also Betrayed America’
Newly-declassified transcripts of intercepted telephone calls between Mike Flynn and then-Russia Ambassador Sergei Kislyak prove Trump’s soon-to-be National Security Advisor lied to federal investigators, and his original two guilty pleas were correct.
Friday afternoon newly-sworn in Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe sent declassified transcripts of Flynn’s calls to Congress. Portions of those transcripts have now been released.
They clearly show he was discussing U.S. sanctions then-President Barack Obama had imposed on Russia before Trump took office.
Remember, this was late 2016. Russia had just attacked the U.S. election to help Trump win the White House and was (and is) considered an enemy of the United States.
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who has been clamoring for these transcripts to be released, sums up what Americans should know:
Holy hell. Imagine your country’s democracy was just attacked and the first time you talk to the Ambassador from the attacking country and you don’t condemn them for the attack? Instead, you ask them to go easy on us? Yeah, Flynn lied. He also betrayed America. https://t.co/MLvRdMiOUo
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) May 29, 2020
According to the transcripts, Kislyak had told Flynn in December of 2016, “You might appreciate the sentiments that are raging in Moscow.”
Flynn, then an advisor to the Trump transition team, replied: “I know, I – believe me, I do appreciate it, I very much appreciate it,” as Politico reports.
“But I really don’t want us to get into a situation where we’re going, you know, where we do this and then you do something bigger, and then you know, everybody’s got to go back and forth and everybody’s got to be the tough guy here, you know?”
Flynn then lied about the content of this call and got the VP to do likewise. As Mueller found: “The public statements of incoming Administration officials denying that Flynn and Kislyak had discussed sanctions alarmed senior DOJ officials…”
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) May 29, 2020
Flynn has moved to withdraw his guilty pleas, and Attorney General Barr has moved to drop all charges.
These transcripts make both those actions more difficult.
A sampling, and some commentary from experts:
The Flynn transcripts shows what we always knew – he lied.
He and Kislyak DID discuss sanctions. At length. No way this just slipped Flynn’s mind. pic.twitter.com/FoTLWfTrsS
— Greg Miller (@gregpmiller) May 29, 2020
So the original guilty plea was correct. Flynn lied. Your move, Judge Sullivan. https://t.co/KQZf62iSKZ pic.twitter.com/kBknXwY5nG
— Scott Stedman (@ScottMStedman) May 29, 2020
Verbatim: pic.twitter.com/NAP8fozRV4
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) May 29, 2020
These track exactly with Flynn’s plea deal. He lied to the FBI about his sanctions discussions with Kislyak, and he lied about the discussion on the UN vote.
He lied. Repeatedly. These documents are not exculpatory for Flynn.
They reiterate his guilt for violating 18 USC 1001. https://t.co/KffhZ6uHKA
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) May 29, 2020
Seriously, did Grenell and Ratcliffe think this stuff would make Flynn look good? It shows how he repeatedly lied. He lied to Spicer. He lied to Pence. Then, when FBI got worried about those lies, he lied to the FBI.
Multiple, repeated lies. The final one was subject to 1001.
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) May 29, 2020
Look…I’m not a lawyer but he was specifically asked if they discussed a tit-for-tat exchange and Flynn lied. His charges were lying to the FBI. This proves he lied. I am a little confused about how this helps Flynn. https://t.co/vhYBWWcHC9
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) May 29, 2020
Image via Wikimedia
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