News Opinons Politics

Michael Flynn’s Lawyers Claim Lisa Page Altered FBI Interview Record to Frame Him

Lawyers for former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn reportedly filed a motion on Thursday in which they allege that the Department of Justice manipulated a document to frame their client and is withholding exculpatory evidence.

The apparent “sealed” filing, dated October 24, 2019, was posted to social media on Thursday evening.

US v Flynn; DE 129-2 by Techno Fog on Scribd


https://www.scribd.com/document/431949856/US-v-Flynn-DE-129-2#from_embed

The filing by Flynn’s new legal team, which took over the case several weeks ago, argues that the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted an “ambush-interview” of Flynn in the White House not to discover any evidence of criminal activity, but to coax him into making false statements.

When Flynn’s new lawyer Sidney Powell first made those allegations in September, prosecutors replied that she was indulging in “conspiracy theories” and noted his client had already pleaded guilty to the crime of lying to the FBI in 2017. Flynn has been awaiting sentencing since then, and even told the sentencing judge in 2018 that he would not claim FBI misconduct, despite growing evidence that they had departed from normal practice in interviewing him and had only completed their “302” — the report of their meeting — after he had already been forced to resign from his position in the administration over the allegations.


April showdowns: 4 key races to watch this month that will test Trump, GOP grip on power
Trump admin unlawfully terminated legal status of migrants who used Biden-era app, judge rules
Alabama Gov Kay Ivey hospitalized following minor procedure, says she is determined to make speedy recovery
After Years of Bashing Straight, Christian, White Men, Dems Reportedly Conclude They Need One to Win WH
Florida Supreme Court keeps ex-cop’s execution on hold after DNA test fails to give a clear answer
Experts Respond to Claims That the Bullet That Killed Charlie Kirk ‘Did Not Match the Rifle’ Allegedly Used by Tyler Robinson
Wisconsin mother stabs teen daughter to death to ‘protect’ her from Elon Musk: authorities
Trump signs executive order overhauling mail-in voting in major election integrity push
Alert: Judge Rules Trump Can’t Build Ballroom, Even with Private Donations, Without Outside Approval
Man charged in ‘particularly heinous’ killing of DC resident found bound and set on fire in ritzy area: police
Family ramps up search for missing coffee shop owner, mother of two, urges public to check cameras
Breaking: Markets Skyrocket as Trump Looks to Iran Endgame, With the Dow up Over 1,000 Points, S&P Booming
State Department Reopens Embassy in Venezuela Following Maduro Capture
Trump says he will attend Supreme Court oral arguments on birthright citizenship challenge
Illegal alien murder suspect avoided system as ICE pushes Dem governor to keep him locked up
See also  Manufacturing has struggled since ‘Liberation Day’

The new defense filing alleges that the government is refusing to turn over a mountain of potentially exculpatory evidence, some of which has begun to emerge in the media — either through leaks or through ongoing inquiries into the origins of the probe into alleged Russia “collusion” with the Trump campaign, later found not to exist.

That evidence, Flynn’s legal team alleges, includes an apparent admission by former FBI lawyer Lisa Page — who resigned after being discovered having an affair with agent Peter Strzok, with whom she shared anti-trump texts — that she had edited the 302 — something that she allegedly told FBI investigators she did not recall, the filing states.

The edits, the filing alleges, were substantive: they included a claim that Flynn said he did not discuss any sanctions with the Russian ambassador. Flynn’s lawyers allege he merely told the FBI he did not recall, and that the claim he said otherwise was added only after a transcript of his discussion with the ambassador had been leaked to the media.

In a footnote, the filing adds that former FBI general counsel James Baker “is believed to be the person who illegally leaked the transcript of Mr. Flynn’s calls to [Washington Post reporter David] Ignatius.” It also alleges that former National Intelligence Director James Clapper told Ignatius to “take the kill shot on Flynn.”

See also  Fox News poll gives Trump highest disapproval rating across both his terms

April showdowns: 4 key races to watch this month that will test Trump, GOP grip on power
Trump admin unlawfully terminated legal status of migrants who used Biden-era app, judge rules
Alabama Gov Kay Ivey hospitalized following minor procedure, says she is determined to make speedy recovery
After Years of Bashing Straight, Christian, White Men, Dems Reportedly Conclude They Need One to Win WH
Florida Supreme Court keeps ex-cop’s execution on hold after DNA test fails to give a clear answer
Experts Respond to Claims That the Bullet That Killed Charlie Kirk ‘Did Not Match the Rifle’ Allegedly Used by Tyler Robinson
Wisconsin mother stabs teen daughter to death to ‘protect’ her from Elon Musk: authorities
Trump signs executive order overhauling mail-in voting in major election integrity push
Alert: Judge Rules Trump Can’t Build Ballroom, Even with Private Donations, Without Outside Approval
Man charged in ‘particularly heinous’ killing of DC resident found bound and set on fire in ritzy area: police
Family ramps up search for missing coffee shop owner, mother of two, urges public to check cameras
Breaking: Markets Skyrocket as Trump Looks to Iran Endgame, With the Dow up Over 1,000 Points, S&P Booming
State Department Reopens Embassy in Venezuela Following Maduro Capture
Trump says he will attend Supreme Court oral arguments on birthright citizenship challenge
Illegal alien murder suspect avoided system as ICE pushes Dem governor to keep him locked up
See also  Fox News poll gives Trump highest disapproval rating across both his terms

The filing emerged hours after reports that the Department of Justice had shifted its investigation of the origins of the Russia probe to become a criminal investigation under the supervision of prosecutor John H. Durham.

Flynn was subject to surveillance — allegedly in response to claims that he might have violated the Logan Act, an archaic and rarely-enforced law barring private citizens from diplomacy — during President-elect Donald Trump’s transition to office. Flynn’s name was then unmasked in the transcript of his telephone conversation with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, which was then leaked illegally.

Flynn’s subsequent prosecution for lying to the FBI was key to the “Russia collusion” theory, later found to have no substance after a lengthy investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller that took nearly two years to complete.

Critics have alleged that Mueller may have induced Flynn to plead guilty by suggesting that the government had more evidence of “Russia collusion” than it actually did.

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter