IMMUNITY BID MAY BE SIGNAL FLYNN IS WORRIED
Trump quickly endorses move; lawmakers are moving more cautiously
Michael Flynn’s unusual public pursuit of immunity in exchange for his testimony before two congressional committees investigating Russian interference in the 2016 elections potentially exposes the former White House national security adviser’s vulnerability on several major fronts, from his contacts with Moscow to his previous work for foreign interests, including Russia.
Until a Tuesday House Intelligence Committee hearing was abruptly canceled, Flynn was expected to be a central figure in testimony from former acting attorney general Sally Yates. It was Yates who alerted the White House counsel’s office to intelligence intercepts of Flynn’s pre- inaugural communications with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, prompting his subsequent dismissal by President Trump.
The request for immunity indicates that Flynn may feel he is in legal trouble.
Flynn was interviewed by FBI agents in connection with those intercepts, which contradicted the Trump administration’s repeated public statements that Flynn had not discussed sanctions imposed against Russia by the Obama administration.
Questions also have been raised about Flynn’s compensation from foreign interests, including Russian entities. In March, Flynn registered retroactively as a foreign agent, disclosing that his former consulting firm earned $ 530,000 last year from a Dutch entity with ties to
Turkey’s government.
The work occurred while Flynn was a top adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign. In addition, documents released by Rep. Elijah Cummings, D- Md., show that Flynn earned more than $ 33,000 from the Kremlin- backed television network RT for a 2015 speech in Moscow.
Those relationships, along with Russian contacts involving other Trump associates, are being examined as part of a wide- ranging FBI counterintelligence investigation. That inquiry already is figuring into the deliberations of congressional committees now weighing Flynn’s request for immunity.
“While Mr. Flynn’s testimony is of great interest to our committee, we are also mindful of the interests of the Department of Justice in the matter,” California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Friday.
Both the House and Senate Intelligence committees have indicated that it is too early in their investigations to cut a deal for Flynn’s testimony. Separately, preliminary discussions about Flynn’s prospects for immunity in the FBI investigation also have yielded no agreement, according to a U. S. official who is not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
But lawmakers of both parties said any decisions on a grant of protection from prosecution should proceed with caution, especially in light of the ongoing FBI investigation.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R- Utah, chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, described Flynn’s immunity request as “mysterious” and urged colleagues not to grant it.
“I don’t think Congress should give him immunity,” he said Friday on Fox News. “If there’s an open investigation by the FBI, that should not happen. I also don’t believe ... that the president should be weighing in on this.”
Chaffetz was referring to a tweet Friday from Trump, saying that his former national security adviser “should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt.”
Using similar language, Flynn’s attorney, Robert Kelner, said in a statement late Thursday that his client had little recourse but to pursue legal protection.
“No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch- hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution,” Kelner said.
Kelner did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Trump and Flynn had previously scorned immunity requests by aides to former secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying that innocent people don’t need immunity.
Stephen Ryan, a former federal prosecutor and former Senate counsel, said any decision on Flynn’s fate will most likely be a long time coming, requiring congressional committee leaders to engage in extensive negotiations with the Justice Department to avoid conflicts with separate counterintelligence investigation.
“We’re not talking about days or weeks, here,” Ryan said. “We’re possibly looking at months.”