Michael Flynn reportedly cuts ties with Trump, suggesting 'potential co-operation' with Robert Mueller
Mr Flynn's lawyers have reportedly stopped sharing information with the White House regarding the Mueller investigation
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Lawyers for Michael Flynn have reportedly stopped sharing information with the White House regarding special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation – a sign that the former national security adviser may be cooperating with federal investigators.
Lawyers for Mr Flynn and Donald Trump had entered into an information-sharing agreement regarding Mr Mueller’s probe, the New York Times reports. Such arrangements are common among defence attorneys during an investigation.
But Mr Flynn’s lawyers recently terminated the agreement, leading White House attorneys to suspect the former administration official was thinking of cooperating with Mr Mueller’s team. Defence lawyers are not allowed to participate in such agreements if there is a potential conflict of interest.
The White House has previously said that Mr Flynn has no incriminating evidence to provide on the President. Lawyers for Mr Trump and Mr Flynn did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
At least one former Trump team member has already agreed to cooperate with Mr Mueller, who is investigating possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. George Papadopoulos, a low-level campaign staffer, recently pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a professor with Russian connections. Court documents revealed in Mr Papadopoulos’s indictment showed the professor had promised the campaign staffer “dirt” on Hillary Clinton in the form of “thousands of emails”.
Mr Flynn’s cooperation has the potential to produce similarly groundbreaking information. An early addition to the Trump team, Mr Flynn joined the campaign as an adviser in January 2016. He was chosen as national security adviser during the transition, but resigned in February after it was revealed that he had lied to the Vice President and others about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US.
It is Mr Flynn’s ties to Russia, however, are what may make him of interest to the Mueller team. The former director of the Defence Intelligence Agency sat next to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a dinner in Moscow in 2015 – an event where he was paid thousands of dollars to speak. He served as point person for Russian affairs on the Trump transition team.
According to the Times, Mr Mueller is interested in investigating a meeting Mr Flynn attended with the Russian ambassador and White House adviser Jared Kushner during the transition. Mr Kushner reportedly suggested setting up a private “backchannel” between the White House and Moscow during the meeting. Mr Kushner has denied this.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments