It’s a pretty big deal in both directions in that it is an admission that he is guilty of serious crimes and a suggestion that he is willing to testify against either people higher up than himself or people guilty of bigger crimes. As has been pointed out, few people would be better positioned that Flynn to expose almost everything.
Out of curiosity, who specifically would authorize immunity? The Attorney General? Because, um…
I believe the Senate can authorize it, but I could be mistaken.
Edit: Also.
https://twitter.com/TimOBrien/status/847588412093849601
Such a snowflake.
You have to dig a bit through that tweet chain, but if you do, you eventually get to Flynn’s lawyer’s statement.
Wouldn’t really shock me. I’m completely cynical about most politicians, yet I never expected to see an administration as crooked and corrupt as Nixon’s again in my lifetime. But to quote Marge Simpson, Trump not only crossed that line, he vomited on it.
Meanwhile … on the other side of the world, on the US-controlled island of Saipan:
FBI Visits Office of Saipan Casino Run by Trump Protege
Agents from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation visited an office belonging to the operator of a casino on the remote U.S. island of Saipan that has attracted attention for its huge revenues, according to a local legislator and residents.
FBI personnel, accompanied by uniformed police officers, arrived Thursday morning at a local office used by Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd., the Hong Kong-based company that owns the Best Sunshine Live casino, local residents said. They stayed for several hours, with local police blocking access to the building…
Its board members include James Woolsey, who ran the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in the early 1990s and was among national-security advisers to Trump’s presidential campaign. Former FBI director Louis Freeh and Ed Rendell, a former Pennsylvania governor and Democratic National Committee chairman, sit on an advisory committee, as does Haley Barbour, the ex-Mississippi governor and Republican National Committee chairman who’s now a prominent lobbyist.
Casinos are of course the perfect place for money laundering. Could be completely unrelated, or … (One wag on the 'net said it couldn’t possibly be connected to Trump because the casino is making money.)
Edit: It’s pretty silly of the headline to call Woolsey a “Trump protege.” If anything, when it comes to politics, Trump is a Woolsey protege. I think someone looked up “crony” in the thesaurus and then picked a word randomly.
I don’t know, even people with the best of characters would be reluctant to give up such a strong position of power voluntarily. It isn’t Trumps personality to resign because people are telling him it’s the proper thing to do, unless an impeachment is imminent and certain.
Beyond rumours and suggestive circumstantial evidence I just don’t see such consequences for Trump being (at least yet) imminent or certain.
Jesus. This is like one of those schemes where former and now well-connected veterans of the Vietnam conflict set up some sort of operation from the Golden Triangle back to The World smuggling that sweet 999 Thai horse.
It isn’t his personality to be impeached and possibly go to prison either.
We also know almost nothing because it’s all classified for the most part, but we can safely assume Trump knows.
And it isn’t like Steele is out of the loop or some random guy. He was the RNC chair after all.
A bit of perspective on Flynn asking for immunity:
Every defense lawyer does it, especially if he thinks the media speculation last week was really a leaked idea from somebody against Trump. He’s trying to pull a Huma — ask for carte blanche immunity for mistakes Flynn may have made (likely unrelated to Russia inquiry, but connected to his belated Turkey lobbying disclosure) in exchange for the lure of testimony Flynn might give. Flynn then doesn’t give any testimony of consequence since he now has full immunity. The reason is because his only risk is perjury once given immunity, so you don’t say anything adverse about anyone else when a smart defense lawyer might convince someone was perjury. The government is well aware of this, and OTHER than Hillary Clinton’s case, they never do this without a proffer. Even then, they usually only give use-and-fruits immunity that is worthless against unrelated charges. No sane lawyer lets his client proffer because a proffer can be used against you if you ever choose to testify in your own defense, except in special cases where you have complete confidence your client has little risk. Flynn is actually sending word he is going to take the 5th on everything (a smart decision given the whole town is out to crucify him), and won’t talk without carte blanche immunity, which he and his lawyer know the government is never going to give (because it requires specialized approvals it won’t get). What looks like a hostile signal to Trump is actually a self-defense signal that Flynn won’t be saying anything at all.
I think the Trump protege is someone else that is running the casino, and used to work at Trump casino’s in Atlantic City. Woosley, Rendell, and others have some other connection to the casino (too lazy to go back to the story and look it up).
Can you explain that one? I can’t quite grok it from the tweet thread itself.
This story hit earlier today:
And that response supposedly popped up on it later
Yep!
Hard to stay rationale in the crazy hope Trump could be gone.
And yes, on policy there is no functional difference with Pence in charge, but the damage done to the GOP would be glorious.
If anything can be salvaged from the bizarro world we find ourselves in, it’s that the Republican party goes down in flames, with or without Trump.
(I have no idea why I’m feeling this crazy surge of optimism, must be the cold meds.)
Too much to hope for. There are way too many people who just want to be on a team, and there’s no other team to be on.
If Trump ever gets the boot, you’ll just see rank and file Republicans come out and try to sell the idea that they never liked him and always thought he was bad for the party.
Then the destruction of America will continue with Pence in charge. But at least he (likely) won’t try to help Russia and China drive towards a post-Western world order.
