White House counsel Don McGahn told President Donald Trump in January he believed then-National Security Advisor Mike Flynn had lied to the FBI, according to a report.
McGahn spoke to Trump following a conversation with then-acting attorney general Sally Yates, who has testified that she contacted McGahn to warn him on January 26 that Flynn misled the White House about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kislyak.
McGahn, who advised Trump throughout his presidential campaign, then told Trump based on his conversation with Yates that he believed Flynn had not told the truth to the FBI or Vice President Mike Pence, CNN reported.
He also recommended that the president fire Flynn.
McGahn didn’t say Flynn had broken the law or was subject to a criminal investigation, according to the report.
Trump fired Flynn weeks later after Pence said the president’s top security advisor had assured him he had not discussed sanctions with the Russians.
Flynn pleaded guilty in federal court Friday for having lied to the FBI about his contacts with Kislyak during the presidential transition.
White House counsel Don McGahn told President Donald Trump in January he believed then-National Security Advisor Mike Flynn had lied to the FBI. Trump subsequently fired Flynn
This tweet by Donald Trump led to accusations that the president had obstructed justice after allegedly telling James Comey to back off Michael Flynn while also knowing that Flynn lied to the FBI. But now the White House says his personal lawyer made the tweet
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The timeline of the report would to indicate that Trump knew about the legal jeopardy Flynn was under at the time fired FBI Director James Comey testified that Trump asked him to let an investigation of Flynn during a private conversation.
That alleged conversation could be central to any case that the president sought to obstruct justice by firing Comey.
Trump himself told NBC that the FBI’s Russia investigation was on his mind at the time he decided to fire Comey.
Trump has nevertheless vigorously denied any obstruction occurred. Trump has repeatedly called Comey a liar.
President Donald Trump approaches members of the media to speak on former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s lying to the FBI prior to his Marine One departure from the South Lawn of the White House December 4, 2017 in Washington
‘I believe the facts exonerate the President and I’m not going to debate these important issues between the White House and the special counsel in the press,” White House lawyer Ty Cobb told CNN.
Pence said Flynn told him he had not discussed sanctions with Kislyak, something that preceded Pence going on national television and denying any such conversation took place.
Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Kislyak about sanctions, which President Barack Obama had imposed in the last days of his presidency to punish Russia for interfering in the presidential elections.
Comey testified, based on his contemporaneous notes, that Trump had asked him about ‘letting this go, to letting Flynn go’ in February, after he would have already been briefed by McGahn about Flynn.
Trump tweeted Sunday: ‘“I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!’
Trump issued another tweet on Saturday that brought new discussion of obstruction:
‘I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!’ Trump wrote.
The tweet raised the possibility that Trump knew Flynn had lied to the FBI at the time he fired him. After the tweet drew immediate controversy, another Trump lawyer, John Dowd, said it was in fact he who composed it.
Acting attorney general Sally Yates says she warned McGahn January 26 that Flynn misled the White House about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., and could even be susceptible to blackmail.
Speaking to ABC News, the lawyer said the social media post was ‘my mistake’ and that he had not intended ‘to break news’ in writing it. He said he used ‘sloppy’ language.
Dowd’s admission did not clarify if Trump actually knew about Flynn’s deception when he dismissed him in February or whether the President knew the tweet had been published on Saturday.
He hadn’t meant to say Trump had advance knowledge of Flynn lying to the FBI, but had only learned of it recently.