Flynn immunity offer hangs over Russia investigators
Story highlights
- Congressional and federal investigators are probing Russia's meddling into the US elections
- Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is seeking immunity for his testimony
(CNN)Former national security adviser Michael Flynn's offer to testify in return for immunity from prosecution hovered over the investigations Friday into Russia's communications with top aides to President Donald Trump.
Flynn's
lawyer, Robert Kelner, said late Thursday that Flynn would testify in
exchange for immunity. And Trump himself supported Flynn's request for
immunity Friday morning in a tweet,
saying, "Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch
hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic
proportion!"
But as of Friday afternoon,
it did not appear that investigators had accepted his offer. A
Democratic source said that Democrats on the intelligence committee are
resistant to the offer.
Rep.
Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, said
Friday it was too early to say whether they would agree to Flynn's
request, but put Flynn's offer in greater context.
"We
should first acknowledge what a grave and momentous step it is for a
former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States
to ask for immunity from prosecution," Schiff, who later went to the
White House as part of the House's investigation, said in a statement.
A
spokesman for House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes said that House
investigators have spoken with Flynn's lawyer about bringing him in for
questioning, but that immunity was never discussed.
The
House intelligence committee "had a preliminary conversation with
Michael Flynn's lawyer about arranging for Flynn to speak to the
committee," Nunes spokesman Jack Langer said. "The discussions did not
include immunity or other possible conditions for his appearance."
Spokespersons
for the Senate intelligence committee declined to say Friday if the
panel would accept Flynn's offer, but a Senate intelligence committee
source said it seemed unlikely, although it was too early to say with
certainty.
Law enforcement
officials told CNN Friday there is no indication the FBI is interested
in talking to Flynn again or giving him any kind of immunity.
The
FBI has already talked to him and nothing at this point to indicate
anything has changed or that they reached out to talk to him again.
Any decision to offer Flynn immunity would come from US Attorneys and Department of Justice, not the FBI, officials explained.
White
House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Friday that Trump believes Flynn
should testify before lawmakers and "get the story out" about his ties
to Russia.
"He believes that Mike
Flynn should go testify," Spicer said during the briefing. "He should go
up there and do what he has to do to get the story out."
Spicer
said he wasn't going to offer Flynn advice on asking for immunity from
the podium, but said Flynn should take every "precaution" in order to
get his story out.
In a letter sent
Thursday, Trump's top White House lawyer invited the highest-ranking
lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committees to view
classified materials, which it said had been uncovered in the "ordinary
course of business."
After reviewing the documents at the White House on Friday, Schiff said in a statement that they were the same documents shown to Nunes by a pair of White House staffers last week.
"While
I cannot discuss the content of the documents, if the White House had
any concern over these materials, they should have been shared with the
full committees in the first place as a part of our ordinary oversight
responsibilities," Schiff said. "Nothing I could see today warranted a
departure from the normal review procedures, and these materials should
now be provided to the full membership of both committees."
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