Obama ethics czar: Flynn ‘surely will roll over’ on Kushner in Mueller probe
Former Obama administration ethics chief Norman Eisen tweeted Thursday that he believes former national security adviser Michael Flynn “surely” will provide special counsel Robert Mueller with “dirt” on senior White House adviser Jared Kushner.
Reports emerged Thursday night that Flynn had alerted White House lawyers that he would no longer be discussing the ongoing investigation, fueling speculation that he is cooperating with prosecutors or negotiating a plea deal.
“BAD NEWS FOR TRUMP,” Eisen tweeted. “Flynn may or may not have dirt on the Prez, but he surely will roll over on Kush, who will flip like a pancake on daddy-in-law’s obstrution. [sic] They are gonna have to start frisking Jared for a wire in the Oval.”
{mosads}
“I negotiated a cooperation deal for a target with Mueller’s office when he was US Atty and lemme tell ya, he’s not gonna give one to Flynn unless he implicates someone up the ladder. That means Kushner, Don Jr., or Big Daddy,” he continued. “They are all having indigestion tonight.”
Speculation has roiled for weeks that Mueller may have “flipped” Flynn — convinced him to act as an informant on bigger fish in the special counsel’s investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. election.
Fueling that speculation is the fact that despite what some experts say is almost-indisputable evidence of wrongdoing — and reports that Mueller has gathered enough evidence to indict — no charges have been filed against the onetime intelligence officer.
Flynn, who stepped down after a mere 24 days in the White House, is seen as vulnerable for a number of reasons.
According to multiple outlets, he is under investigation for an alleged quid pro quo with the Turkish government, in which Flynn would have been paid millions of dollars in exchange for the extradition of a Muslim cleric living in the U.S.
Federal records show that Flynn did not register $530,000 he was paid during the 2016 campaign for work he did that the Justice Department said principally benefitted Turkey — a potential violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Heightening the personal drama, Flynn’s son is also thought to be a focus of the Mueller probe — a potential tool that the special counsel could use to put pressure on Flynn.
The termination of the information-sharing arrangement with the White House alone does not prove that Flynn is cooperating with Mueller.
Defense lawyers often share information during investigations, but stop if there is a conflict of interest — if one client is cooperating with prosecutors while another is still under investigation, for example.
But some lawyers will withdraw from such agreements as soon as they begin negotiating with prosecutors — negotiations that could potentially fall apart.
The White House has insisted that Flynn has no incriminating information to offer on Trump.
“I think [Trump] would be sad for them, as a friend and a former colleague, if the process results in punishment or indictments,” White House lawyer Ty Cobb told The New York Times in an interview last month, referring to Flynn and his son. “But to the extent that that happens, that’s beyond his control.”
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