Former national security adviser Michael Flynn is out with a statement about his guilty plea:
This is obviously a heavily lawyered statement, but it notably states nothing about his loyalty to Donald Trump. In addition, it reaffirms his duty to country and his family (i.e. son).
My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the Special Counsel’s Office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and our country.
People have every right to question Flynn’s patriotism, but his wish to reaffirm his loyalty to his country in this instance suggests that he wants to cast his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller in a positive light. That can absolutely be read as a good step toward bigger convictions.
Additionally, his reference to serving the best interests of his “family” backs up months of speculation about his impetus to keep his son, Michael G. Flynn—who worked hand-in-hand with with his father’s lucrative lobbying firm—out of legal jeopardy. Notably, Flynn Jr. was also not charged today, which could be a big tell. Nor was Flynn Sr. charged on multiple counts, which appeared an incredibly plausible scenario given his vast legal exposure. For instance, he isn’t getting the Paul Manafort treatment.
But overall, just keep asking yourself this key question: Why did Flynn Sr. lie to the FBI in the first place?