Newly released documents indicate that former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn is finally ready to be sentenced, and those documents contain information about the kind of cooperation that Flynn provided to the special counsel. Flynn’s assistance included not just informing Robert Mueller’s team about conversations the Trump campaign had about working with WikiLeaks, but also information related to White House obstruction efforts. That included efforts both before and after Flynn made his guilty plea. The wording of this information indicates it may including some actions not detailed in the special counsel report.
The defendant has assisted with several ongoing investigations: a criminal investigation in the Eastern District of Virginia that is likely to result in criminal charges, the Special Counsel’s Office’s investigation concerning any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald J. Trump, and [REDACTED]
The matter before the Eastern District of Virginia is related to Flynn’s action as an illegal foreign agent for Turkey, and there appear to be no immediate surprises, though some of this section of the document is also redacted.
On Flynn’s cooperation with the special counsel, the document notes his direct knowledge of communication with Russian officials, including his own communication with the Russian ambassador. It also acknowledges that Flynn provided assistance related to WikiLeaks, including recall of conversations in which “an outreach to WikiLeaks was discussed.” Most significantly, the document notes Flynn’s assistance in informing the special counsel’s office of multiple attempts to interfere in the investigation—including providing an email of a conversation by someone in “the administration or Congress” trying to get him to withhold information after he pleaded guilty.
That suggestion that someone in Congress directly reached out to Flynn and attempted to get him to back out of his cooperation agreement would seem to be a stunning development. If Flynn actually has a member of Congress on tape, telling him not to cooperate … that’s enormous.
Both the outreach to WikiLeaks and the conversation attempting to convince Flynn not to cooperate appears to be information not included in the Mueller report, unless it is part of the redacted information.
Thursday, May 16, 2019 · 11:26:10 PM +00:00
·
Mark Sumner
To make that message more legible ….
I understand your situation, but let me see if I can't state it in starker terms. ... It wouldn't surprise me if you've gone on to make a deal with ... the government. If there's information that implicates the President, then we've got a national security issue, ... so, you know ... we need some kind of head's up. Um, just for the for the sake of all our interests if we can. ... Remember what I've always said about the President and his feelings toward Flynn, and that still remains ...
The nature of Flynn’s cooperation in the redacted matter, presumably a case still under investigation, is, not surprisingly, also redacted. But what is visible is likely to increase calls to see the supporting material behind the Mueller report, and is likely to mean that Flynn will be asked to testify again before Congress.
The potential charges against Michael Flynn were extremely significant. That he got a very light charge, and is likely facing no more than a brief sentence or probation, has long suggested that he provided strong cooperation and significant information. This document gives an initial glimpse into the value of just what Flynn provided—and it seems big.
The defendant informed the government of multiple instances, both before and after his guilty plea, where either he or his attorneys received communications from persons connected to the Administration or Congress that could have affected both his willingness to cooperate and the completeness of that cooperation. The defendant even provided a voicemail recording of one such communication.
That … should be fun.