WSJ: Flynn's Offer to Sing

[jserraglio]

WASHINGTON—Mike Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, has told the Federal Bureau of Investigation and congressional officials investigating the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia that he is willing to be interviewed in exchange for a grant of immunity from prosecution, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.

As an adviser to Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, and later one of Mr. Trump’s top aides in the White House, Mr. Flynn was privy to some of the most sensitive foreign-policy deliberations of the new administration and was directly involved in discussions about the possible lifting of sanctions on Russia imposed by the Obama administration.

He has made the offer to the FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees through his lawyer but has so far found no takers, the officials said.

Mr. Flynn’s attorney, Robert Kelner, wouldn’t comment on details of his discussions involving Mr. Flynn, but noted he is a decorated Army veteran with a lifetime of public service. “General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit,” Mr. Kelner said.

It wasn’t clear if Mr. Flynn had offered to talk about specific aspects of his time working for Mr. Trump, but the fact that he was seeking immunity suggested Mr. Flynn feels he may be in legal jeopardy following his brief stint as the national security adviser, one official said.

Representatives for the FBI and Senate Intelligence Committee declined to comment. Officials with the House Intelligence Committee didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Flynn was forced to resign after acknowledging that he misled White House officials about the nature of his phone conversations with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential transition.

Mr. Flynn’s communications with the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak, have been scrutinized by the FBI, which is examining whether Trump campaign personnel colluded with Russian officials who are alleged to have interfered with the presidential election, according to current and former U.S. officials. Russia has denied the allegations.

Mr. Flynn also was paid tens of thousands of dollars by three Russian companies, including the state-sponsored media network RT, for speeches he made shortly before he became a formal adviser to Mr. Trump’s campaign, according to documents obtained by a congressional oversight committee.

At a House Intelligence Committee hearing last week, Democratic lawmakers requested a copy of the security-clearance form that Mr. Flynn was required to file before joining Mr. Trump in the White House, to see if he disclosed sources of foreign income.

And they have asked the Defense Department to investigate whether Mr. Flynn, a retired Army general, violated the Constitution’s emoluments clause by accepting money from RT, which U.S. intelligence officials say is part of a state-funded media apparatus, without authorization, according to a letter several Democratic lawmakers sent Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis in February.

Mr. Kelner, Mr. Flynn’s attorney, decried the “unfounded allegations, outrageous claims of treason” and other charges by lawmakers and media commentators.“No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution,” he said.

Congress and the executive branch have the power to grant immunity from prosecution in exchange for witness testimony or cooperation in an investigation. People granted immunity still can be prosecuted for perjury if they give false information.

Traditionally, investigators grant immunity when they believe a witness’s information is important to the investigation and might not be able to be obtained otherwise. During the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, the FBI granted limited forms of immunity to some of her aides. Mrs. Clinton wasn’t charged in the matter.

A grant of immunity from Congress would require approval from two-thirds of the congressional committee requesting testimony or a majority vote in the full House or Senate. Congress would then need to notify the attorney general and get the approval of a district court judge.

Mr. Flynn, 58 years old, also has drawn questions about whether he properly disclosed aspects of his work after he left military service.

Earlier this month, Mr. Flynn filed registration forms acknowledging he had previously worked as a foreign agent on behalf of Turkish government interests. The Wall Street Journal reported that while serving as an adviser to the Trump campaign, Mr. Flynn met with top Turkish government ministers and discussed removing a Muslim cleric from the U.S. and taking him to Turkey, according to former Central Intelligence Agency Director James Woolsey, who attended, and others who were briefed on the meeting. The Turkish government has accused the cleric of being behind an attempted coup last year.

A spokesman for Mr. Flynn disputed the account, saying “at no time did Gen. Flynn discuss any illegal actions, nonjudicial physical removal or any other such activities.”

Mr. Flynn is one of at least four people associated with the Trump campaign who are part of a wide-ranging counterintelligence investigation by the FBI, according to the current and former U.S. officials.

The other three—former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and former Trump advisers Roger Stone and Carter Page—all have volunteered to speak to the House and Senate committees and haven’t asked for immunity from prosecution, according to the individuals, committee officials and representatives for the individuals.

Aruna Viswanatha and Byron Tau contributed to this article.Write to Shane Harris at shane.harris@wsj.com, Carol E. Lee at carol.lee@wsj.com and Julian E. Barnes at julian.barnes@wsj.com

[lennygoran]

Flynn once said this:
"When you are given immunity, that means you probably committed a crime,” Flynn, then a top campaign aide to Donald Trump, said on “Meet the Press.”

Nope he should be forced to testify even if it means waterboarding! Regards, Len

[lennygoran]

Here's Trump's tweet on the matter. Regards, Len

[jserraglio]

Here's Trump's tweet on the matter. Regards, Len

In the face of the FBI's ongoing investigation, Trump's "witchhunt" tweet flirts with obstruction of justice. One reason why Comey announced the existence of the FBI investigation last Monday might have been to head off anticipated interference by the Chief Executive. If I were Flynn, I would read this tweet as a signal that my former boss will be there for me down the line.

[lennygoran]

If I were Flynn, I would read this tweet as a signal that my former boss will be there for me down the line.

That would sure be unfortunate but you could be right. Regards, Len

[Chalkperson]

A Presidential Pardon. but will Trump still be President then, he was cracking today, in the Trade announcements.

[lennygoran]

A Presidential Pardon. but will Trump still be President then

Chalkie my worst fears-- I think he will still be president and the pardon seems a real possibility. Regards, Len

[jserraglio]

I think he will still be president and the pardon seems a real possibility.

Indeed, Fox News has DJT's back and is fighting back with the Leaks Narrative the GOP is pushing to counter the Russia scandal (see the March 31 Fox story printed below). Trump might already be washed up as an effective chief executive, as Obama predicted months ago. But assuming that Trump is not himself implicated in the Russia business (a huge assumption), he should:

-- shut up with tweets on the matter (obstruction of justice)
-- order an unmodified, unlimited hangout, releasing all Russia-related info
-- fire anybody in any way implicated, even Messrs Bannon and Kushner

In short, he needs a lawyer. Then he might still recover his effectiveness. Don't count on him to do any of the above. Instead Trump might hang on till 2020 as a lame-duck and polish his golf game while Ryan, Pence, Mattis & McMaster run the show. Then I'd like to see someone like Joe Biden in the WH.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03 ... -says.html

The U.S. intelligence official who “unmasked,” or exposed, the names of multiple private citizens affiliated with the Trump team is someone “very well known, very high up, very senior in the intelligence world,” a source told Fox News on Friday.

Intelligence and House sources with direct knowledge of the disclosure of classified names told Fox News that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., now knows who is responsible -- and that person is not in the FBI.

For a private citizen to be “unmasked,” or named, in an intelligence report is extremely rare. Typically, the American is a suspect in a crime, is in danger or has to be named to explain the context of the report.

“The main issue in this case, is not only the unmasking of these names of private citizens, but the spreading of these names for political purposes that have nothing to do with national security or an investigation into Russia’s interference in the U.S. election,” a congressional source close to the investigation told Fox News.

The unmasking of Americans whose communications apparently were caught up in surveillance under the Obama administration is a key part of an investigation being led by Nunes, who has come under fire from Democrats for focusing on that aspect.

Nunes has known about the unmasking controversy since January, when two sources in the intelligence community approached him. The sources told Nunes who was responsible and at least one of the Trump team names that was unmasked. They also gave him serial numbers of reports that documented the activity.

This was long before Trump sent out his now-infamous March 4 tweets claiming then-President Barack Obama “wiretapped” Trump Tower during the 2016 election.

Nunes had asked intelligence agencies to see the reports in question, but was stonewalled.

He eventually was able to view them, but there was only one safe place to see the documents without compromising the sources’ identities -- the old executive office building on White House grounds, which has a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) required to view classified or top secret reports. The White House did not tell Nunes about the existence of the intelligence reports, but did help him gain access to the documents at his request, the source said.

The White House, meanwhile, is urging Nunes and his colleagues to keep pursuing what improper surveillance and leaks may have occurred before Trump took office. They’ve been emboldened in the wake of March 2 comments from former Obama administration official Evelyn Farkas, who on MSNBC suggested her former colleagues tried to gather material on Trump team contacts with Russia.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Friday her comments and other reports raise “serious” concerns about whether there was an “organized and widespread effort by the Obama administration to use and leak highly sensitive intelligence information for political purposes.”

“Dr. Farkas’ admissions alone are devastating,” he said.

Farkas parted ways with the White House in 2015 and defended herself on Twitter, saying she didn’t personally “give anybody anything except advice” on Russia information and wanted Congress to ask for facts.

The communications collected from Trump team associates apparently were picked up during surveillance of foreign targets. But an intelligence source familiar with those targets said they were spied on long before Trump became the GOP presidential nominee in mid-July.

In addition, citizens affiliated with Trump’s team who were unmasked were not associated with any intelligence about Russia or other foreign intelligence, sources confirmed. The initial unmasking led to other surveillance, which led to other private citizens being wrongly unmasked, sources said.

"Unmasking is not unprecedented, but unmasking for political purposes ... specifically of Trump transition team members ... is highly suspect and questionable,” an intelligence source told Fox News. “Opposition by some in the intelligence agencies who were very connected to the Obama and Clinton teams was strong. After Trump was elected, they decided they were going to ruin his presidency by picking them off one by one."

Nunes first revealed on March 22 in a press conference that the U.S. intelligence community “incidentally collected” information on Trump’s transition team, putting the information and names into various intelligence reports. His committee had been investigating whether Russia interfered in the U.S. election as well as how names of private citizens from these reports were leaked.

House Intelligence Ranking Member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., criticized Nunes for his handling of the investigation, claiming he should never have briefed Trump. Nunes apologized the following day, but said he briefed the president because the information he found was not related to Russia.

The minority members on the House Intelligence Committee were expected to visit a National Security Agency facility on Friday to view the same reports Nunes has seen, an intelligence source told Fox News.

Malia Zimmerman is an award-winning investigative reporter focusing on crime, homeland security, illegal immigration crime, terrorism and political corruption. Follow her on twitter at @MaliaMZimmermanAdam Housley joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in 2001 and currently serves as a Los Angeles-based senior correspondent.

[lennygoran]

But assuming that Trump is not himself implicated in the Russia business (a huge assumption), he should:-- shut up with tweets on the matter (obstruction of justice)
-- order an unmodified, unlimited hangout, releasing all Russia-related info
-- fire anybody in any way implicated, even Messrs Bannon and Kushner

Adam Schiff was finally able to see something yesterday at the white house grounds-I hope the same things Nunes saw-I hope he'll have something to say on all this soon. Regards, Len

[jbuck919]

Someone today (or recently) in the NY Times suggested that Flynn will need protective custody to avoid becoming the victim of Putin's next poisoned pellet.

[lennygoran]

Someone today (or recently) in the NY Times suggested that Flynn will need protective custody to avoid becoming the victim of Putin's next poisoned pellet.

Don't think I don't worry about Sally Yates-the sooner she appears the better! As for Schiff I found this so if Schiff is correct Nunes really screwed up bad! Regards, Len

Got my answers-Schiff did comment after seeing the same material as nunes.


Adam Schiff Views Intel Docs Shown to Devin Nunes Last Week

by Daniel Arkin and Ken Dilanian

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said Friday he viewed materials at the White House that are "precisely the same" as those given to the Republican committee chairman last week in an episode that drew intense criticism.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, said he saw no reason why intelligence documents were shared with his GOP counterpart — chairman Rep. Devin Nunes — instead of the full panel, and called on the information to be provided to the committee. He said "it was represented to me that these are precisely the same materials that were provided to the chairman over a week ago."

"If the White House had any concern over these materials, they should have been shared with the full committees in the first place as a part of our ordinary oversight responsibilities," Schiff said in a statement posted on Twitter Friday. "Nothing I could see today warranted a departure from the normal review procedures."

Nunes, R-California, last week claimed a secret source had provided him with information suggesting Trump and his associates may have been "monitored" by U.S. intelligence during the transition. Nunes then went to the White House to brief them on the findings. Trump has accused former President Barack Obama of having his "wires tapped" at Trump Tower prior to the election, without providing evidence.

Nunes later conceded that he could not be sure Trump was monitored — and on Thursday, new questions were raised when the New York Times and the Washington Post reported White House officials played a role in providing him access.

Those officials reportedly found the material on classified systems, then shared it with Nunes outside the normal committee channels. NBC News has not confirmed those reports.

Nunes denied that the materials came from anyone affiliated with the White House, and said "those reports are mostly wrong." He said "this is something that I've known about for a very long time."

A spokesman for Nunes has said he met with the source of the information at the White House last week, a day before he announced the possible incidental surveillance to reporters.

"There were people that probably knew about this, knew about me being there, but the fact of the matter is that doesn't make them the source of my information," Nunes told NBC affiliate KSEE in Fresno.

Related: Flynn and Nunes Fallout Over Russia Probe Grows Ominous for Trump White House

Nunes, who served on the executive committee of Trump's transition team, has been criticized for his clandestine visit to the White House last week. Democratic lawmakers have accused him of being too cozy with the administration — even as the committee he chairs is tasked with investigating alleged Russian meddling in the presidential election.


http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politic ... ek-n741451