Flynn, Trump lawyers cease sharing info on Mueller probe
Lawyers for Michael Flynn have informed President Trump’s legal team that they can no longer share information about special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election interference, a possible sign that the former national security adviser is cooperating with federal investigators.
A Trump administration official, whowas not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Flynn’s lawyers have stopped sharing information with Trump’s team, but described the move as routine and said that it would not affect the president.
The New York Times said the cessation in contact could signal amove by Flynn to cooperate with the Russia investigation or negotiate a deal for himself.
Trump’s outside lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said the move could be a signal Flynn and his attorneys are pursuing a plea deal with Mueller.
“This development did not catch us by surprise at all. In all probability, they are entering into plea discussions,” Sekulow told USA TODAY. “We do not interpret this development as being adverse to the president at all.”
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates pleaded not guilty to charges this month that they secretly worked on behalf of pro- Russian factions in Ukraine, then laundered millions of dollars in profits.
Until the arrangement was discontinued this week, Flynn’s and Trump’s legal teams had been communicating about the case. Such arrangements are not uncommon for defense lawyers during investigations, but must be discontinued when that would pose a potential conflict of interest. It is considered unethical for lawyers towork together when one client is cooperating with prosecutors and another is still under investigation.