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Exclusive: Pence says he'd be "happy" to see Michael Flynn back in government

Mike Allen, author of AM

Vice President Mike Pence told "Axios on HBO" that he welcomes the idea of bringing Michael Flynn back into government, after the Justice Department moved last week to drop its criminal case against President Trump's former national security adviser.

Why it matters: Trump said April 30 that he would "certainly consider" bringing Flynn back into the administration. Since Flynn had been accused of lying to the vice president, Pence's blessing clears an obstacle to him returning to Trump’s inner circle.

  • "I think Gen. Michael Flynn is an American patriot," Pence said during the interview in Iowa on Friday. "And for my part, I'd be happy to see Michael Flynn again."

The big picture: Trump lavished praise on the decision by his Justice Department to go to court to drop charges against Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

  • On Twitter, the president called the Justice Department's abandonment of the case "a BIG day for Justice in the USA. Congratulations to General Flynn, and many others. I do believe there is MUCH more to come!"

Trump insiders say they wouldn't be surprised to see Flynn back on the campaign trail, where he was a warmup act for Trump in 2016.

Go deeper: Justice Department drops prosecution of Michael Flynn

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Axios
Aug 13, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Reporter to Trump: "Do you regret all of the lying you have done to the American people?"

S.V. Dáte, a White House reporter for HuffPost, asked President Trump at a briefing Thursday if he regrets "all of the lying" he has done "to the American people" over the last three and a half years.

Why it matters: The Washington Post fact-checker finds that Trump has made over 20,000 false or misleading claims throughout his presidency. Trump, who has rarely been confronted directly with claims that he has lied, paused for a moment before moving on to another reporter without answering the question.

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Orion Rummler
Aug 14, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Former FBI advisor expected to plead guilty for falsifying email in Trump campaign probe

President Trump briefs reporters on August 14. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

Kevin Clinesmith, who gave legal support to the FBI as it investigated ties between President Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia, is expected to plead guilty to falsifying a key document in the agency's probe, the New York Times reports, citing court documents made public on Friday.

Why it matters: The charging documents do not show any evidence that Clinesmith's actions were part of a broad conspiracy to undermine the president, per the Times.

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Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Stalemate over filibuster freezes Congress

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell's inability to quickly strike a deal on a power-sharing agreement in the new 50-50 Congress is slowing down everything from the confirmation of President Biden's nominees to Donald Trump's impeachment trial.

Why it matters: Whatever final stance Schumer takes on the stalemate, which largely comes down to Democrats wanting to use the legislative filibuster as leverage over Republicans, will be a signal of the level of hardball we should expect Democrats to play with Republicans in the new Senate.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow