Hindsight is not just 20/20 vision—it also serves as context for dishonest people.
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser for roughly two weeks before resigning, has a lot of explaining to do. Just a few weeks ago Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and additional changes remain a possibility.
Given what we know about Flynn’s coziness with and fondness for Russia, his above post-briefing interview with Fox News in 2016—including a meandering non-answer to the question about Russia—is telling to say the least.
“All this noise about Russia is just nonsense,” he told Fox outside Trump Tower. “Russia doesn’t have the same belief in the way the world ought to work as we do.”
He never answered the direct, solid question posed by Shannon Bream.
What’s even more telling now is how he reportedly conducted himself during that security briefing. According to NBC News, Flynn was combative and repeatedly challenged the intel officials, to the point where Gov. Chris Christie had to tell him to “calm down.” Was his demeanor out of general mistrust of President Obama, or agitation that the IC was telling them to be careful with Russia?
Couple things here:
• Gen. Flynn’s comments to Fox do not align with the way the meeting reportedly went.
• Gov. Christie’s having to shush Flynn during that briefing could be of interest to Mueller—and could potentially turn Christie into a witness.
• Gen. Flynn dismissal of Russian influence is obviously a “tell” given how chummy he was and continued to be throughout the campaign and transition.
We don’t know a lot about what happened during that security briefing. Christie and Flynn both deny it happened, but the sourcing, although anonymous, seems credible to me. And now that we know what we know about Flynn, his actions during this meeting could provide even more context for his guilty plea.
Will we ever know what actually happened? Likely not, but I’ll keep digging. If you or someone you know has information about this meeting, please use any of my secure contact options. Watch this space. 🔵
Will Pollock
is an Atlanta-based freelance multimedia journalist focusing on pop-culture, politics, journalism & media, retail, real estate, travel, politics, and human interest.
He is the author of two books (Pizza for Good & Leaving Triscuit), with more on the way. Sign up for the mailing list, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram–and check out the book links below.
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