There’s not much middle ground here. In reading the single-count criminal information against Michael Flynn, I was struck by an immediate thought. If this is all there is, then Flynn is the victim of a monstrous injustice. If not, then brace yourselves. We’re still only seeing the tip of the Mueller investigation iceberg. First, read the information here:
Just in: Robert Mueller has charged former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn with “willfully and knowingly” making “false, fictitious and fraudulent statements” to the FBI regarding conversations with Russia’s ambassador. pic.twitter.com/WqvDmytYiZ
— David Wright (@DavidWright_7) December 1, 2017
ABC also reports that Flynn is willing to testify against Trump and members of the Trump family. Now, before everyone starts yelling “collusion,” the report said nothing about why Trump allegedly directed him to reach out to Russia. If it was contact for election collusion, that’s dire. I also think that’s highly unlikely. If it was contact to set the stage for post-election relations and cooperation, that’s far less problematic — unless members of the Trump administration (or Trump family) have been lying to the FBI about those contacts. So, we could be looking at less of a criminal conspiracy and more of a festival of lies surrounding a non-conspiracy. That’s at least consistent with the guilty pleas (Flynn and Papadopoulos) so far. Stay tuned.