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DonViejo

(60,536 posts) Mon Mar 19, 2018, 11:29 AM Mar 2018

What Michael Flynn Could Tell the Russia Investigators

The former national security adviser mingled business with government. That could help Robert Mueller look for similar overlaps among Trump insiders.

By David Kocieniewski and Lauren Etter
March 19, 2018, 4:00 AM EDT

It started with helping a friend pitch the Pentagon on a smartphone chip and moved on to more ambitious plans to sell nuclear reactor security in the Middle East and then to high-priced lobbying for the Turkish government.

Michael Flynn, who joined Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as a top military adviser, never believed the candidate would win and often treated the election like a business opportunity, associates say. Now, as Special Counsel Robert Mueller bears down on Trump, Flynn is a key cooperating witness.

A three-month Bloomberg investigation has found that Flynn, who was fired for having lied to the FBI and the vice president about his contacts with Russians, had a slew of other problematic entanglements. Previously unreported documents, including Pentagon contracts, emails and internal company papers, point to overlapping business conflicts around the world.

Self-dealing is, in some ways, at the core of the Mueller inquiry, which is looking at money laundering, contact with foreign (especially Russian) officials and a blending of personal profit with public policy. During the campaign, the transition and his few weeks as national security adviser, Flynn was in Trump’s inner circle. While it remains unclear what he’s providing Mueller, his history of mingling business with government could point investigators to look for similar overlaps among other Trump insiders.

“These conflicts of interest and hidden deals are highly relevant to what was going on with the Russians,” said Nick Akerman, a former Watergate prosecutor, noting that Flynn was in close touch with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak while also being close to Trump. “His hidden business entanglements and his back channel communications with foreign governments raise a lot of possibilities.”

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-03-19/what-michael-flynn-could-tell-the-russia-investigators

4 replies

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Highlight:

What Michael Flynn Could Tell the Russia Investigators (Original Post) DonViejo Mar 2018 OP

K&R for visibility. (Recs without kicks are of limited value.) nt tblue37 Mar 2018 #1

republicans serve their own bank accounts Achilleaze Mar 2018 #2

Kick and question: OneGrassRoot Mar 2018 #3

Why is that LA GOP candidate Omar Navarro- inviting Flynn to endorse him? dawg day Mar 2018 #4

tblue37

(65,394 posts)

1. K&R for visibility. (Recs without kicks are of limited value.) nt

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Mar 19, 2018, 12:03 PM

Mar 2018

Achilleaze

(15,543 posts)

2. republicans serve their own bank accounts

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Mar 19, 2018, 12:07 PM

Mar 2018

Not America.

Deplorable.

OneGrassRoot

(22,920 posts)

3. Kick and question:

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Mar 19, 2018, 12:09 PM

Mar 2018

Both Flynn and Manafort have behaved, publicly, as though they're innocent and have zero remorse, yet anyone with any sense knows they're guilty AF. Flynn's statement after the indictment was made public came across very much as a reluctant witness.

Given the level of corruption we're dealing with here - global crime families and oligarchs -- do you think they HAVE to say such things publicly and behave in a certain way publicly to give the impression they're not giving away the store and are still loyal to the TrumPutins?

I get into the weeds of it all and even wonder if Mueller's team may encourage it, hoping the TrumPutins will be even more arrogant and careless, thinking no one is going to betray them.

dawg day

(7,947 posts)

4. Why is that LA GOP candidate Omar Navarro- inviting Flynn to endorse him?

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Mar 19, 2018, 03:00 PM

Mar 2018

It was really strange. It makes clear that many of these GOPers don't care about any reality (like Flynn pleading guilty and testifying against the GOP president) and just about dog whistle stuff, like Flynn talking tough (though he couldn't wait to sell the country out) and having that great straight nose-- I swear, that nose is the most important thing to the GOP. "Sure, he's a traitor to the country AND to Trump, but have you seen that nose of his? That is the nose of a righteous man!"

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