Mike Flynn is looking to get himself out of hot water by snitching on his friends. As the Federal Bureau of Investigation and congressional officials continue their investigation into the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia, Flynn has indicated that he would be willing to be interviewed in exchange for a grant of immunity from prosecution.
Flynn was an adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and later, as national security adviser, he was one of Trump’s top aides in the White House. As the Wall Street Journal notes, he was privy to sensitive foreign policy deliberations and directly involved in discussions about the possibility of lifting sanctions the Obama administration had imposed on Russia.
Officials said that Flynn made his offer through his lawyer to the FBI as well as the House and Senate intelligence committees, but his lawyer, Robert Kelner, declined to comment on the issue.
According to the Journal, it is unknown whether Flynn offered to speak about specific aspects of his time working for Trump, but his request for immunity is an indication that he may be in legal jeopardy following his short time as national security adviser.
As previously reported by The Root, Flynn resigned from his position as national security adviser in February after it was revealed that he lied to Vice President Mike Pence and other top White House officials about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
The FBI had been examining Flynn’s phone calls as suspicions had grown about his interactions with Russian officials and his management of the National Security Council. There was a risk of blackmail because Flynn attempted to cover his tracks with his bosses, but Russians knew what had been said in the phone calls, and if they wanted him to do something, they could have threatened to expose his lie if he failed to cooperate, according to the report.
In addition, the Army has been investigating whether Flynn received money from the Russian government during a 2015 trip to Moscow because such a payment could violate the Constitution’s emoluments clause. Defense officials have also said that Flynn, who is a retired three-star general, did not file the required paperwork for the Moscow trip.
WSJ reports that Democratic leaders are asking to see a copy of the security clearance Flynn had to file before joining the Trump White House in order to confirm whether he disclosed sources of foreign income.
Also in question is whether or not Flynn violated the emoluments clause by accepting money from RT, the Russian news outlet, which, according to U.S. intelligence officials, is part of a state-funded media apparatus.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal.