Did Michael Flynn Jr. just reveal something very, very important about the Russia investigation?
CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 4/23/2018, 3:51 p.m.
Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large
(CNN) -- On Monday morning, Michael Flynn Jr., the son of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, tweeted something very, well ... interesting.
"American Patriot @GenFlynn did not lie to Pence (or anyone else in the admin) about his perfectly legal and appropriate conversations w Russian AMB Kislyak in Dec 2016," Flynn Jr. tweeted. "Why would a highly decorated military intel officer lie about something legal? Been a MSM lie from day 1."
So just to be clear, what Flynn Jr. is alleging is that his dad never lied to Vice President Mike Pence (or anyone else!) about his interactions with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
That runs directly counter to Pence's version of events. Pence said Flynn did not tell the truth when the two talked about interactions with Kisylak. "I was disappointed to learn that ... the facts that had been conveyed to me by Gen. Flynn were inaccurate," Pence said a week after Flynn's firing.
That tweet also contradicts the explanation offered by Trump for firing Flynn in the first place.
"I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI," Trump said via Twitter in December 2017. "He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!" (It was later revealed that Trump attorney John Dowd wrote the actual tweet.)
And it complicates -- and seemingly contradicts -- the fact that Flynn himself pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI about the nature and depth of his interactions with Kislyak during the presidential transition process.
"I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong, and, through my faith in God, I am working to set things right," Flynn said in a statement after his December 2017 plea. "My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the Special Counsel's Office reflects a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions."
So...
Flynn Jr. is now saying his father never lied to Pence about his interactions with Kisylak. Which, if he is telling the truth, would mean:
Pence, who has said he had no knowledge of the conversations Flynn was having with Kisylak and other Russian officials, actually did know.
Trump's reason for firing Flynn doesn't hold water since the former national security adviser didn't lie to Pence.
Flynn chose to lie to the FBI about his dealings with the Russians during the transition but told the truth to the incoming vice president about those same interactions.
It's that third point that makes Flynn Jr.'s tweet about his father's veracity questionable. Why would Flynn tell Pence the truth but then lie to the FBI? The former might be a fireable offense but the latter is a crime. What would make him purposely do that?
Then there is the fact that Flynn Jr. has a past history of just saying stuff. One example: He was removed from the Trump transition team after he sent a series of tweets fomenting the so-called "Pizzagate" conspiracy.
Add it all up and the most likely scenario here is that Flynn Jr. was just talking on Twitter without any real evidence to back up his claims about his dad.
But man oh man, if Flynn is willing to say under oath that he in fact never did lie to Pence, then the vice president would have some explaining to do.