Flynn kept FBI interview concealed from White House, Trump

[pnwmom]

Source: NBC News

WASHINGTON A year ago today, Donald Trumps newly swornin national security adviser, Michael Flynn, met privately in his West Wing office with FBI investigators interested in his communications with Russia's ambassador, without a lawyer or the knowledge of the president and other top White House officials, according to people familiar with the matter.

Flynn's FBI interview on Jan. 24, 2017, set in motion an extraordinary sequence of events unparalleled for the first year of a U.S. presidency. A national security adviser was fired after 24 days on the job, an acting attorney general was fired ten days after the president took office, an FBI director was allegedly pressured by the president to let go an investigation into the ousted national security adviser, and then eventually fired.

An attorney general recused himself from a federal investigation into Russia's meddling in a U.S. election and possible collusion with the sitting president's campaign, and a special counsel was appointed.

The developments ensnared the president in an obstruction of justice inquiry, which resulted in his top intelligence and law enforcement chiefs cooperating in some form with that probe.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/flynn-kept-fbi-interview-concealed-white-house-trump-n840491

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Interesting that Michael Flynn kept his FBI interview secret from Trump. A scheduler in Flynn's office put the meeting on his calendar after receiving a call from the FBI requesting it. Apparently no one thought to include an attorney, either a government attorney or one working personally for Michael Flynn. His statements at that meeting were what led to his perjury charge.

One of the 2 FBI agents who interviewed Flynn was Peter Strzok.

[Iliyah]

1. Uh huh

[BumRushDaShow]

2. The question will now be

whether Drumpf finally throws Flynn under the bus for that "lack of loyalty".

[Backwoodsrider]

3. this Russiar investigation is all because Flynn did not have attorney present at FBI questioning?

Just wondering if they try that as defense?

seriously maybe a guilty conscience is more like it

[Mc Mike]

4. So, when did he start wearing a wire?

[skylucy]

28. Aha! That was my first thought too.

[creeksneakers2]

5. I don't believe it.

Two days before the interview the Wall Street Journal reported that Flynn was under investigation. That no doubt set off panic at the White House. I believe Trump told Flynn to lie. Flynn had a pretty good idea what the FBI was coming for when they came to meet him. There was no attorney so the White House could claim ignorance of what was going on.

[roscoeroscoe]

6. Good points

Your comments make sense!

[GusBob]

7. Flynn was operating with alot of hubris--they believed they could get away with it because they won

I don't think they were in a panic mode that early in the administration. They felt, that because they won the election and they were in charge, that they were golden and immune from any taint.

They also were rookies that had no idea how Washington worked, so they made a lot of dumb decisions and errors

[creeksneakers2]

9. Flynn's call was exposed in press reports before the interview.

It was a big deal then. Trump reacts viciously about any challenge to his power. He must have gone through the roof when the scandal broke and they learned there was an FBI investigation.

I do agree they had no idea how Washington worked. Nobody can figure out why Flynn lied to the FBI when being a former DIA director he knew very well that those calls are recorded. The best explanation I can come up with was that Trump told Flynn that if any trouble starts with the FBI over lying Trump could fix it. That's what Trump later tried to do with Comey. Trump didn't know there were honest people in Washington.

[PatSeg]

15. Yes, that's what is confusing about Flynn

He DID know how DC worked and having been a DIA director, he surely knew that phone calls to and from foreign parties, especially Russians, were being recorded. He knew what the FBI knew, yet still he lied. How could he believe someone like Trump could fix it?

Obviously there must be much more to this story than we know at this point.

[pnwmom]

22. Flynn apparently knew more about how Russia worked than how the WH worked --

despite his years in the Clinton administration -- and he thought having Sessions in place would protect him.

[hexola]

8. Perhaps - but the WH might not have known about the interview.

And Trump told him to lie...

All conditions can be true.

[Merlot]

10. I was wondering how the WH could NOT know FBI were there

flymflan flynn could have taken that meeting outside of the WH. flynn is no "rookie," he knows how washington and the fFBI work...and how lying to the FBI usually works out well for the FBI.

[creeksneakers2]

25. Could be

But they must have all known something was coming.

[lagomorph777]

23. Flynn's crimes were the reasons Trump hired him.

And when Sally Yates informed Trump of Flynn's lies, he responded by firing Yates. This story, even if possibly true in the narrowest sense, it won't help Trump one little bit.

[Botany]

11. I don't buy it.

Didn't Sally Yates tell the W.H. that Flynn was under investigation?

[lagomorph777]

24. Yup, and Trump responded by firing ... Yates.

So yeah, Trump knew all about this, probably even before the FBI interview.

[L. Coyote]

12. "DOJ Inspector General ... his office DOES have the messages"

Link to tweet

And the big new "news" from Wohl, Peter Strzok's lawyer donated to Hillary ... OFFS!

[Delmette2.0]

13. Peter Strzok

I have always wondered what was so special about just those two FBI employees (Peter and Lisa) that they were targeted by 45. I guess the other agent didn't text any opinions about 45 with a friend.

45 is such a mean little chickenshit. He literally can't defend anything he has done so he has to find someone else's minor offense and blame them for his problems.

[BobTheSubgenius]

14. Seems a little linear and simplistic.

I can't believe there weren't several eddies of activity going on at this time, and that the one involving Flynn was the sole catalyst.

[iluvtennis]

16. Peter Strzok was one of interviewers, now I understand why Trump was tweet slamming Strzok yesterday

[Orrex]

17. This is all well and good, but it misses the bigger question.

Namely, why did Hillary Clinton personally murder all those brave Americans at Benghazi?

[MLAA]

20. Exactly!

[Pepsidog]

18. Lets see the text messsges from Sen. Johnson and Rep. Gowdy who so ferociously attack the FBI

Since when are FBI agents forbidden to have private opinions about political matters? Strock did not become the FBI’s leading counterintelligence agent by being a partisan hack. And now all we will hear about is Strock and Page and their alleged bias. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Sen. Johnson or Rep. Gowd’s texts were exposed. I am so sick of being on the defensive.

[Iggo]

19. Yeah, that's the ticket!

[BadGimp]

21. RE: One of the 2 FBI agents who interviewed Flynn was Peter Strzok.

Any bets on how long it takes the GOP to pounce on this as proof of a Democratic Take Down?

[Irish_Dem]

26. The FBI agents interview him at the WH and it is supposedly secret? nt

[pnwmom]

27. Not hard to believe, with the chaos author Wolffe described. nt

[Irish_Dem]

29. Ok that makes sense. WH Russian KGB meetings didn't cause a stir either.

It must have been a mad house, and an incompetent, naive one.