Rudy Giuliani didn’t pull any punches when he dismissed Robert Mueller’s sentencing memo on Michael Flynn when it was released on Tuesday night.
President Trump’s personal lawyer called the special counsel’s investigative team ‘sick puppies’, and compared Flynn’s crimes to ‘spitting on the sidewalk’.
The former mayor of New York also insisted it’s unlikely Flynn provided proof that the president and his team had any involvement in the Russia probe and asked whether it would finally convince Americans that there was ‘no collusion’.
He was one of many who were quick to comment on the content of the highly-anticipated memo from Mueller’s team, which suggests Flynn should get no jail time because of his ‘substantial assistance’ in the investigation.
Giuliana said in a statement to NBC News: ‘If he had information to share with Mueller that hurt the president, you would know it by now.’
‘There’s a Yiddish word that fits… they don’t have bupkis. Maybe this will convince all of America there was no collusion,’ he added.
Giuliani mocked investigators in the case and called them ‘sick puppies’. He added that ‘this whole thing started as an orchestrated attempt to take the president out of office as an insurance policy,’ according to Fox News.
READ THE MEMO AND ADDENDUM IN FULL BELOW
Rudy Giuliani is pictured on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. in May. Trump’s personal attorney dismissed Robert Mueller’s filing on Michael Flynn late Tuesday
Then-president-elect Trump is seen speaking with Giuliani after a meeting in New Jersey in November 2016
Mueller said Flynn should get no prison time because of the ‘substantial assistance’ he has provided in the Russia probe
He further mocked Mueller’s filing and compared Flynn’s offenses to ‘spitting on the sidewalk’.
The bold remarks came shortly after Robert Muller said Flynn should get no prison time because of the ‘substantial assistance’ he provided in the Russia probe.
The special counsel said in a new sentencing memo that Trump’s national security adviser and the retired U.S. Army lieutenant general participated in 19 interviews with prosecutors and has helped in several criminal investigations.
If he had information to share with Mueller that hurt the president, you would know it by now… Maybe this will convince all of America there was no collusion
Trump’s attorney also told Politico: ‘Wow big crime for a SPECIAL WHATEVER.
‘Maybe a group of Angry Bitter Hillary Supporters who are justifying themselves by the goal justifies the means. Over the top in ethical behavior.’
Flynn’s son, Michael Flynn Jr., took to his Twitter page to commend the news and thank his father’s supporters.
Flynn Jr. wrote in the social media statement: ‘God is good. To those who have supported us throughout this process… thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will never forget you.’
US Representative of California, Adam Schiff, pointed out the irony that Flynn – the man who led ‘lock her up’ chants about Hillary Clinton at a Republican convention last December – would get no jail time.
Schiff said on social media: ‘The recommendation of no jail time for Flynn, apart from its obvious irony for the man who led chants of “lock her up,” reflects both the timeliness and significance of his help.
‘That most of the details are redacted signals he has given far more than we or the President may know.’
Flynn arrives with his son at the Trump Tower for meetings in New York in November 2016
Flynn Jr. wrote in a social media statement: ‘God is good. To those who have supported us throughout this process… thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will never forget you’
Representative Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, seen in Washington, D.C., in November, also released a statement Tuesday night
Schiff, pointed out the irony that Flynn, the man who led ‘lock her up’ chants about Hillary Clinton at a Republican convention last December, would get no jail time
Two of the cases Flynn helped with were separate to the Russia investigation, large parts of the document were redacted and the full extent of Flynn’s assistance was not revealed, suggesting that Mueller’s work is far from over.
Maybe a group of Angry Bitter Hillary Supporters who are justifying themselves by the goal justifies the means. Over the top in ethical behavior
Rudy Giuliani to POLITICO
Mueller’s office says Flynn gave them ‘firsthand information about the content and context of interactions between the (Trump) transition team and Russian government officials’, before they took office.
The prosecutors haven’t asked for no jail time in any of the other cases connected to the Russia investigation.
Mueller’s office did praise Flynn’s character, saying his ‘record of military and public service distinguish him from every other person who has been charged as part the investigation’.
But they did include a caveat, which stated: ‘Senior government leaders should be held to the highest standards.’
‘The defendant’s extensive government service should have made him particularly aware of the harm caused by providing false information to the government, as well as the rules governing work performed on behalf of a foreign government,’ in continued.
It’s unclear if Trump will now turn his fury on Flynn, who Trump grew close to during the 2016 campaign and has drawn the president’s sympathy since he came under investigation.
Flynn was fired from the White House in February 2017 after the Trump administration said he misled administration officials, including Vice President Pence, about his contacts with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the United States at the time.
The filing comes ahead of Flynn’s December 18 sentencing and more than a year after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about reaching out to Russian government officials on Trump’s behalf.
It is also the first of many moves Mueller is expected to make in the next few weeks
Flynn became the first high-ranking Trump associate to agree to cooperate with the special counsel’s prove when he pleaded guilty on December 1, 2017.
The filing comes ahead of Flynn’s December 18 sentencing and more than a year after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about reaching out to Russian government officials on Trump’s behalf. The pair are pictured together on the campaign in December 2016
Flynn was fired from the White House in February 2017 after the Trump administration said he misled administration officials, including Vice President Pence, about his contacts with Sergey Kislyak (above), Russia’s ambassador to the United States at the time
Mueller had to file his recommendation for sentence before a midnight deadline on Tuesday.
It will give a federal judge an idea of how helpful Flynn has been in the investigation.
Federal sentencing guidelines recommend between zero and six months in prison for Flynn, leaving open the possibility of probation.
The detailing of Flynn’s cooperation also comes as Trump has increasingly vented his anger at the probe – and at one of his former confidantes who cooperated with it.
This week, Trump lashed out at his former legal fixer, Michael Cohen, saying he is making up ‘stories’ to get a reduced prison sentence after his latest guilty plea to lying to Congress detailed conversations he had with the then-Republican presidential candidate.
In the same morning, Trump praised longtime confidante Roger Stone for saying he would ‘never testify against Trump,’ adding in his tweet: ‘Nice to know some people still have ‘guts!”
According to memos written by former FBI Director James Comey, Trump tried to protect Flynn by asking Comey to let the investigation into his false statements go.
Trump has denied asking Comey to drop the investigation but that episode is among those under scrutiny by Mueller as he probes whether Trump attempted to obstruct the Russia investigation.
Flynn’s case has been a contrast to those of other Trump associates, who have criticized the Russia probe.
This week, Trump lashed out at his former legal fixer, Michael Cohen (above), saying he is making up ‘stories’ to get a reduced prison sentence after his latest guilty plea to lying to Congress detailed conversations he had with the then-Republican presidential candidate
Most notably, Trump former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, aggressively fought the investigation and is now facing the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence after his cooperation agreement recently fell apart over allegations that he had lied to investigators. Stone has also waged a public campaign against Mueller.
But Flynn has largely remained out of the public eye, appearing only a handful of times in media interviews or campaign events, and he has strictly avoided criticizing the Mueller probe despite widespread encouragement from his supporters to go on the offensive.
Trump former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, aggressively fought the investigation and is now facing the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence after his cooperation agreement recently fell apart over allegations that he had lied to investigators
He has instead spent considerable time with his family and worked to position himself for a post-conviction career.
Flynn’s false statements stemmed from a Jan. 24, 2017, interview with the FBI about his interactions with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s then-ambassador to the U.S., as the Obama administration was levying sanctions on the Kremlin in response to election interference.
In court papers filed along with his plea deal, Flynn said that members of Trump’s inner circle, including the president’s son-in-law and White House aide Jared Kushner, were involved in, and at times directing, his actions in the weeks before Trump took office.
Flynn was forced to resign his post on Feb. 13, 2017, after news reports revealed that Obama administration officials had warned the Trump White House about Flynn’s false statements.
The White House has said that Flynn misled officials- including Vice President Mike Pence – about the content of his conversations.
Flynn also admitted to making false statements about unregistered foreign agent work he performed for the benefit of the Turkish government. Flynn was under investigation by the Justice Department for the work when he became national security adviser.