When Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI about contact with a Russian ambassador, it brought Robert Mueller's investigation right into Trump’s innermost circle.
We don't know what's next in the election meddling probe, but the vice grip on Flynn is tight. Trump can't be comfortable, either. Nor, one imagines, is Jared Kushner, one of the 'senior officials' indicated in the legal filing released today. Read the rest
Michael Flynn, former National Security Adviser to President Trump, was charged today with lying to the FBI about his contacts with agents of the Russian government. He is expected to enter entered a guilty plea in court Friday, thought to part of a deal with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller that observers expect will implicate others in Trump's circle and perhaps the president himself.
He was expected to plead guilty to one count of knowingly making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements", reports said. Ahead of Friday morning's court session in Washington DC, two officials were quoted by Reuters news agency as saying he had turned himself in to the FBI.
The former aide is the most senior member of the Trump administration so far to have been indicted by the Mueller investigation.
In October, Mr Trump's former presidential campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was accused of conspiring to defraud the US in his dealings with Ukraine. It also emerged that another ex-aide, George Papadopoulos, had pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents.
Flynn was widely thought to be exposed to more serious charges, and the emerging consensus is that this looks like an extremely good deal for him, with a few months in Club Martha the likely sentence. In return, then, he must have spilled a lot of beans.
Read the rest8/ What this indicates—beyond any serious doubt—is the following: Special Counsel Bob Mueller, the former Director of the FBI, believes Mike Flynn's testimony will *incriminate* the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, or both of these two men.
President Donald Trump “repeatedly urged senior Senate Republicans, including the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to end the panel’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election” earlier this year, according to a New York Times report citing “a half dozen lawmakers and aides.” Read the rest
Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team of investigators are looking into whether former Trump cabinet member Mike Flynn may have been part of an effort to get a hold of Hillary Clinton’s emails, hacked by Russia. Read the rest
As Donald Trump's national security adviser, one of the first moves Michael Flynn made was aligned precisely with the wishes of Turkey. But Flynn had a secret. He'd been paid half a million dollars to represent the interests of the Turkish government. And team Trump knew. Read the rest
A scorching analysis of the unprecedented last few days in America from Joshua Marshall of Talking Points Memo, following the Russia-clouded resignation of Trump national security Michael Flynn, who follows the Russia-scandal resignation of Paul Manafort, and other advisors who've stepped aside under various clouds of suspicion. Read the rest
This is so much bigger than Watergate. America has not seen a political crisis of this magnitude for generations. The other shoe drops on #Flynngate tonight. Trump, Manafort, and Flynn's activities “raise a red flag.” The U.S. government is in "unbelievable turmoil." Who is in charge of America? Read the rest
As Mike Flynn departs amid Russia blackmail suspicions, the dysfunction inside Trump's regime is boiling over. There's talk of multiple investigations into multiple staff members, even blaming Obama 'sleeper cells' inside the White House.
Today's New York Times includes yet another exposé of what an increasingly hobbled hot mess Team Trump is. The piece includes a whopper of a quote from one of our nation's senior-most defense officials. Get a load of this. Read the rest
Do not watch if you have not yet watched seasons one and two of the television show Breaking Bad. Tight, tight, tight, yeah! Created by the very talented video remixer Chris Lohr. Damn, but Mr. White has fallen a long, long way since S1, que no?
(Thanks, Joe Sabia.) Read the rest
