Why the White House Dreads a Flynn Indictment

[babylonsister]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/11/why-a-flynn-indictment-would-be-so-scary-for-the-white-house/545039/

Why the White House Dreads a Flynn Indictment

Unlike the Paul Manafort case, charges against the former national-security adviser would touch the White House itself and could ensnare the president.

David A. Graham
12:10 PM ET Politics

snip//


Whatever the superficial similarities between the Manafort and Flynn situations, though, the key difference is that a Flynn indictment would put the Mueller probe in the White House. Manafort was pushed out of the campaign in August and never worked in the Trump administration (though he is said to have remained in contact with Trump for months). Flynn, however, worked in the White House for almost a month. That means he could have discussed many of the potential areas for charges—from conversations with Kislyak to Gulen to who knows what—with any number of White House staffers on any level. Mueller could call them in for questioning. Even if none of those staffers did anything illegal, and at this point there’s no indication they did, the threat of testimony will create new stress and distraction in a White House already riven with both. They’ll also all need lawyers, and good expensive ones; the Papadopoulos plea-deal is a vivid illustration of the dangers of talking to federal agents. (Trump has offered to contribute $430,000 to legal fees, but the more staffers involved, the faster that will be used up.)

Moreover, a Flynn investigation would move things much closer to Trump himself. The president distanced himself from Manafort—former Press Secretary Sean Spicer claimed he played a “very limited role” in the campaign—but not from Flynn. Trump allowed Flynn to stay in the administration even after it became clear he had lied to Pence, and also after a conversation between then-Acting Attorney General Sally Yates and White House Counsel Don McGahn. Yates would not divulge the contents of that late-January conversation when she testified to Congress in May, but if Flynn did lie to the FBI, it appears likely that Yates told McGahn then.

Then, after Flynn’s departure, Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey if he could let Flynn go, saying he was a good guy, according to sworn testimony Comey offered to Congress. “General Flynn at that point in time was in legal jeopardy,” Comey said in June. “There was an open FBI criminal investigation of his statements in connection with the Russian contacts, and the contacts themselves, and so that was my assessment at the time.” Then, several months later, Trump fired Comey, a decision he attributed to Comey’s investigation into Russian interference in the election.

That creates two separate occasions on which Trump could potentially have obstructed justice—first by meddling in the FBI’s probe into Flynn, then by firing Comey altogether. As the law professor Ryan Goodman writes at Just Security, it would be possible to make an obstruction-of-justice case against Trump in the absence of charges against Flynn, but it’s much more straightforward to make such a case if there’s actual evidence of a case that Trump was attempting to obstruct. Actual criminal charges against Flynn would provide that.

No wonder the Trump team was pleased that Manafort, rather than Flynn, took the first hit—but that relief could be short-lived. Even if one takes Trump’s staunch denials of collusion with Russia entirely at face value, that doesn’t mean Robert Mueller can’t go after him on obstruction of justice or something else entirely. A Flynn indictment is the shortest path to that outcome.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/11/why-a-flynn-indictment-would-be-so-scary-for-the-white-house/545039/

[Sneederbunk]

1. I like it when the WH dreads.

[lagomorph777]

8. I always say "When bad things happen to bad people, that's a good thing."

Of course I mean it in terms of legal & political jeopardy.

[Adrahil]

2. The Mueller investigation is already in the White House.

The only reason we haven't seen a Flynn indictment yet is because they are negotiating a deal.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. I don't think a deal is forthcoming. Flynn tried to shop one months ago and got crickets.

Schindler thinks that Mueller has everything covered that Flynn might blab about.

If you're surprised that #MoscowMisha is cooked, you've not been paying attention. Sr & Jr are both going down on a bunch of charges. /2

Flynn, like Manafort, desperately wanted a deal from Mueller, but they had 0 to offer that DoJ didn't already have. So, they're screwed. /3

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029804212

[ProudMNDemocrat]

3. All fingers point to the Orange One........

Which is why the news of a Flynn indictment must come now while Trump is away. The indictment heard around the world will surely sour the rest of Trump's trip to Asia and have the media hounding his every step.

[monmouth4]

4. Sounds so delicious when you put it that way..LOL. n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. Orange is the new orange. . . . nt

[meow2u3]

19. With or without horizontal stripes?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. Hmm, green fattening horizontal stripes would bug the eyes out. . . . . nt

[underpants]

5. Flynn puts it in the campaign AND the WH. Same with Jared.

Jr puts them in the campaign as well. That dumbass already confirmed what everyone already thought was his laughably stupid tweet of the email chain.

[OnDoutside]

6. IF Flynn gets indicted for the Turkey dealings, and Trump pardons him, can Mueller charge him with

something else subsequently ?

[BigmanPigman]

7. I am hoping that he turns on Jared. That would be the

arrest that will cause the Moron to have a full blown meltdown (especially if Ivanka has to decide who she will support).

[SergeStorms]

11. Why Daddy, of course!

There's that inheritance to guard, and the business decisions Jared makes don't exactly fill everyone with hope. Move over Malaria, Daddy's little girl is coming home!

[kentuck]

9. Yep. Trump will no longer be able to say he is not under investigation.

If Flynn is indicted...

[SayItLoud]

10. tRUMP $400K legal help

The $430Kkon tRUMP says he will contribute to aides legal fees @ 500$ an hour for attny fees comes to 900 hours of fees. No costs. Just hours. Divide that by the number of low, mid level aides who need lawyer-ing up and it is a laughably small "contribution". I don't think any decent attny would work on the come waiting for tRUMP to pay up. He has a history he can't escape.

[SergeStorms]

13. That's how much....

it'll cost EACH of them for Attorneys fees by the time this is over. Donnie's going to have to pony up a whole lot more money to keep those mouths shut.

[Honeycombe8]

15. Good. I wonder if firing Yates will come into play in some way.

Since she was one of the few who had direct evidence of Flynn's problematic past and current activities.

[Ilsa]

16. It's almost a shame that MSM exposed Manafort's dealings during the campaign.

Manafort would have remained campaign manager, and DOTUS probably would have made him Chief of Staff. Manafort would have been running his unwitting agent in the Oval Office from within the WH. I think they'd all be gone by now if Manafort had stayed on.

[mikeysnot]

18. If the MSM just did their fucking job we would not have this idiot as president.

Remember Gary Hart, Democratic Presidential Hopeful? Just pictures of him on a boat frolicking with a bikini clad young lady that was not his wife ended his campaign.

This guy:

3 wives, cheated on the first two for sure, maybe his latest
Multiple bankruptcies
Couldn't run a casino, because it was a front for money laundering
Was being sued for fraud from his Trump University, but was allowed to call Hillary "crooked", settled out of court for 25 million AFTER ELECTION.
Mocked Mexican's
Mocked Vietnam Vets
Mocked Prisoners of war
Mocked Handicapped
Mocked Women


Caught on tape bragging about committing sexual assault, dismissed it as "locker room talk"

I could go on....

Solution:
DO NOT PAY FOR YOUR TV SERVICE. If you have cable or satellite service, cancel. I went to my provider and told them why. Save 100 bucks a month, bought plane ticket to West Coast and had fun with my money...

[lindysalsagal]

17. Any hearing or testimony incriminate 45, he'll resign first.

He has to: He's filthy to the core.

I would not be surprised to hear some day that people near him have disappeared, if you know what I mean. Not surprised at all.

[Nevernose]

21. Manafort phoned Pence daily during transition

Was a major part of appointing Flynn, in fact, as was Pence (despite all his denials and lies).

The best part? Manafort was under a surveillance warrant at the time.

If these guys are dirty, Mueller should have them seven ways from Sunday.

[niyad]

22. I noticed some piece that headlined flynn as an Obama aide. they are desperate.