The Michael Flynn guilty plea to a single felony count entered into today in federal court proves that there is no collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. That is the conclusion of controversial journalist, author, and filmmaker Mike Cernovich, who is also an attorney. Cernovich weighed in on the Flynn matter this afternoon in a lengthy Periscope broadcast.
Flynn is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general who had a distinguished 33-year career in the military, served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the Obama administration. He was briefly President Trump’s national security adviser, resigning after about three weeks over misleading Vice President Pence about discussions with the Russian ambassador.
Cernovich noted that the criminal information and other documents related to Flynn’s lying to the FBI about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador indicate that this occurred after the election, not before. Back in April, alluding to what happened to domestic diva Martha Stewart, Cernovich warned that under the pressure of intense and/or repeated FBI grilling, anyone could inadvertently make a misstatement or an imprecise statement, leading to the possibility of an obstruction charge. On Periscope, he reaffirmed that it may be inadvisable for someone to talk to the feds because they might charge a person if or when he/she forgets something relatively inconsequential.
The journalist, who broke the Congressman John Conyers sexual harassment scandal story, among other scoops, underscored that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team has not charged Flynn with anything to do with Russian election collusion or with the election itself.
“General Flynn lost track of one meeting, and now his whole life is completely changing…There is no there, there. Otherwise [Mueller] wouldn’t be going after Flynn for chickens**t obstruction.”
In The Hill, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley observed the following about the Flynn plea deal.
“This investigation began with an allegation of criminal acts of collusion with the Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election. This is a single count of making a false statement not a count of conspiracy or computer hacking or bribery connected to the Russians…Flynn could well offer damaging information against higher figures, from Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner to the president himself. However, there is nothing in this indictment that offers serious support for the allegation of collusion with the Russians.”
Prof. Turley also asserted, among other things, that absent Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, there likely would have been no special counsel appointed.
It remains to be seen how far up the organizational chart the Mueller investigation will go. Over the years, those on both sides of the political aisle have complained that special counsel investigations often wind up delving into matters far afield from the original controversy, however.
According to Cernovich, Flynn is facing no more than six months in jail at the very most, along with a maximum fine of $9,500. Cernovich also maintained that the general is pleading guilty as a result of insufficient legal advice from a law firm that lacked actual criminal trial expertise.
The Hill is also reporting that the Trump White House claims it obtained authorization from the Obama administration for Flynn to make contact with the Russian ambassador during the transition period.
Going forward, President Trump should pardon Flynn even though it would freak out the world, Cernovich recommended, and Trump should say “After the Kate Steinle verdict, we cannot trust Democrat-led juries to have justice.”
Last night, a jury in San Francisco, a sanctuary city, found a multiple-deportee felon not guilty of murder or manslaughter in the July 1, 2015, fatal shooting of Kate Steinle , who was walking on the Embarcadero pier with her father. Apparently the jury determined the shooting was an accident. The defendant was found guilty of a weapons charge, however. The U.S. Department of Justice has already issued an arrest warrant for the individual.
Cernovich also assailed what he considers the anti-Trump , Russia-obsessed mainstream media for distorting with lurid headlines the ramifications of the Flynn plea without context, and perhaps along those lines, ABC News has issued a major correction to an erroneous earlier story based on an anonymous source that candidate Trump asked Flynn to contact the Russians. It turns out that this occurred when Trump was already the president-elect, which is customary in international diplomacy.
CORRECTION of ABC News Special Report: Flynn prepared to testify that President-elect Donald Trump directed him to make contact with the Russians *during the transition* — initially as a way to work together to fight ISIS in Syria, confidant now says. https://t.co/ewrkVZTu2K pic.twitter.com/URLiHf3uSm
— ABC News (@ABC) December 2, 2017
In his presentation, Cernovich also called for a special counsel to investigate pervasive leaks from the Mueller team. In addition, he chided Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the investigation, which led to the independent counsel probe in the first place.
There are fast-moving developments in the Gen. Michael Flynn situation, so please check back for updates.
Watch the entire NSFW Mike Cernovich Periscope broadcast about Michael Flynn and draw your own conclusions.
Update: Additional videos added.