Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, December 2018. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
FBI documents provided to lawyers for former national security adviser Michael Flynn and released by a federal judge Wednesday evening show bureau officials asked whether their "goal" was "to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired."
Why it matters: Flynn was the first Trump associate to be convicted or plead guilty in the Mueller investigation, but he's seeking to withdraw his plea related to allegedly lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. The unsealed documents could help him build his case.
Details: The exact source of the partially redacted documents is unclear, but it appears to be written before Flynn's interview with the FBI on Jan. 24, 2017.
- "If we're seen as playing games, WH will be furious," one note states. "Protect our institution by not playing games."
- Another passage reads, "What is our goal? Truth/admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?"
What they're saying: President Trump said last month he's "strongly considering" a full pardon for Flynn. He tweeted late Wednesday that news outlets do not "want to speak about their persecution" of Flynn and "why they got the story so wrong" and the media "should pay a big price for what they have purposely done to this man" and his family.
- Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, "Not only should general Flynn’s charges be dropped immediately but the treasonous actors who set him up should be in jail!!!"
What's next: U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has delayed Flynn's sentencing in Washington, D.C., to a later date while he awaits submissions on the former national security adviser's claim that his previous attorneys violated his constitutional rights by not giving him adequate legal counsel.
Go deeper: Prosecutors recommend Michael Flynn serve up to 6 months in prison