Flynn is, as many predicted, flipping on Trump to save his son. Excellent.
<img src="/uploads/default/original/3X/0/a
Makes headlines all over the world
Lawyers for Mr Flynn, who is a key figure in Mr Mueller’s investigation, had been sharing information about the probe with President Trump’s legal team.
The New York Times, citing four unnamed people involved in the case, say this cooperation agreement has now ended. CNBC say they have confirmed the move.
It indicates Mr Flynn may be cooperating with prosecutors or may be negotiating a deal, reports say. This is because lawyers must stop sharing information when one client is cooperating with prosecutors and another is still under investigation.
Trump-Russia investigation: Michael Flynn's lawyers 'split from Trump'
and
The decision was communicated this week, said a person familiar with the decision who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The New York Times first reported the decision.
In large criminal investigations, defense lawyers routinely share information with each other. But it can become unethical to continue such communication if one of the potential targets is looking to negotiate a deal with prosecutors.
Lawyers for Flynn and his son, Michael Flynn Jr, declined to comment on Thursday. Flynn’s son has also come under investigation from Mueller’s team of prosecutors.
Trump lawyers believe Flynn poised to cooperate in Russia inquiry – reports | Trump-Russia investigation | The Guardian
Trump: Not worried as Flynn signed a contract with me first which makes Mueller’s deal totally illegal. Besides, I have so much stuff on Flynn that he will be in jail for a very very long time.
FOX: No Pardon for Flynn and his criminal son.
Still no witches, just crooks.
I’m beginning to wonder if the GOP mislabeled Mueller’s investigation.
Please don’t let him pull an Ollie North…
Almost forgot…
Lock him up! Lock him up!
The irony is such that it puts me at a loss for words…
Sonny Boy Williamson - Don’t Start Me to Talkin’
I feel a tweet storm brewing, with high pressure centered over Mar-a-Lago FL.
Which came first – Donnie telling Flynn he can’t help with legal fees, or Flynn turning on the boss to save his son?
The turkey dinner at Mar-a-Lago is causing major league heartburn.
Yes, and it’s about damn time! Now they will get Kushie, and little Donny too!
I know there are bigger fish to fry.
But I’d hate like hell to see this traitor walk.
There are some subtle, but on closer inspection, big differences between the NYT/WAPO pieces and CNN. I think between Seth Abramson’s and Renato Marriotti’s tweet threads, we get a clear picture.
Flynn’s dance with the FBI and later the Mueller investigation began at the end of March, not recently, as the NYT’s (and WAPO’s) writing may suggest or imply. The FBI had enough to get a grand jury started and probably enough to indict/prosecute in late March/early April itself. As of late March, we know the FBI had proof that Flynn lied to FBI investigators regarding disclosure forms and in an interview relating to his interaction with the Russians. The FBI had also learned about his discussions with the Turks about kidnapping Fethullah Gulen. Comey also knew that Trump was eager to quash the investigation into Flynn and probably suspected that the two may have been coordinating strategies. We know this is likely true now, as we learned for the first time that Flynn was in fact cooperating and sharing information with Trump’s attorneys. Whether this was ethical or not is arguable, but at some point Flynn’s attorneys believed their client’s situation was adverse to Trump’s (and other defendants) and that created an ethical conflict which caused them to formally abandon the agreement. The more likely scenario is that Flynn was playing three angles: 1. buying time to see if Trump & the GOP Congress could quash the investigation, 2. keeping options open with the FBI/Mueller to get a favorable deal, and 3. angling for a pardon.
During the interim months, a fully staffed Office of Special Counsel has dug into Flynn hard and has additional evidence on the initial claims that Comey first investigated plus more. Flynn is potentially exposed for lying to FBI agents in an interview (Papado style), making false statements in declaration forms, FARA, Logan Act, conspiracy to violate election laws (FECA), kidnapping, bribery, possible mishandling of classified info to espionage, trafficking in stolen materials and attempted hacking (or conspiracy to commit).
After the Papadopoulos guilty plea, Flynn began to lean more towards getting a final deal w/Mueller. So, unlike the NYT/WAPO, CNN may have it right that Flynn is prepared to plead guilty, just as Papado did about 6 months after he first started cooperating and negotiating with the FBI/Mueller. Flynn finally accepted that a pardon would not be forthcoming. It was never in Trump’s interest to grant a pardon. There was the OOJ risk, and the working theory (that I have) that Cobb believes for Trump to limit or avoid liability, Flynn, Manafort, Gates and Kushner need to take most of the fall, while Trump uses the privileges accorded to the office of the POTUS to shield himself from direct prosecution, and uses the GOP majority in the House to shield himself from impeachment/removal.
Nonetheless, we’re at a big step here, as it seems a Flynn guilty plea is more likely now. By avoiding a trial with Flynn and instead going straight to a guilty plea with full cooperation, it enables Mueller to roll up a lot of people.
WaPo confirms NYT scoop:
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 23, 2017
A lawyer for Michael Flynn informed an attorney for Trump that he can no longer discuss the special counsel’s investigation, a sign that Flynn may be preparing to cooperate in the probe. https://t.co/bWw0px9l5B
Boom!!
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) November 23, 2017
A Split From Trump Indicates That Flynn Is Moving to Cooperate With Muellerhttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/23/us/politics/flynn-mueller-russia-trump.html pic.twitter.com/3W8mSAhtS6
(THREAD) Here's a brief itemization of the factual errors in the New York Times' breaking news story, below, about Michael Flynn possibly having signed a cooperation deal with Bob Mueller. The errors are inexplicable, and it's important they be called out. https://t.co/KYQvl4gFpP
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) November 24, 2017
THREAD: What does today's news that Flynn's lawyers are no longer sharing information with the Trump legal team tell us about the state of Mueller's investigation? (Hint: It tells us a lot.)
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) November 24, 2017
If Flynn, a top level surrogate in the Trump campaign, has flipped, then Sessions, Kushner, Jr., among others have a lot to worry about.
I suspect Sessions is about to regain his memory, Kushner will “find” more documents, and Jr. will come up with more smoking e-mails. And Trump himself will end his little fling with LaVar and start claiming he barely even knew Flynn.
Took a while to get started…but finally the white dominos start to fall…
Did Flynn change his Facebook status and unfriend Trump? Because that would be telling.