Months of speculation ends in a guilty plea from Michael Flynn. It could have been so much worse and you have to wonder how much he knows if the special counsel is willing to plea bargain down to one count of lying to the FBI? Earlier, Flynn released a statement.
“I recognized that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong, and, through my faith in God, I am working to set things right.” He added: “My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the Special Counsel’s Office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family.” Flynn concluded: “I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
Dan Rather: “By any reasonable analysis, the first thing to keep very much in mind is that it is too soon to jump to too many conclusions. Given the firehose-like stream of speculation blaring on cable television, radio and elsewhere, this won’t be easy. But caution is advised. Having said that, this does have serious potential for being big trouble for President Trump and his family—and for our country. Flynn was close, very close to Mr. Trump. He was a major player in his campaign, and came to the White House as head of the National Security Council—arguably one of the four or five most powerful positions in government. He knows a lot. Whether he knows much, if anything, about collusion with Russia remains to be revealed. Mueller knows a lot more about this than is yet apparent. His investigation probably still has a long way to go. I’m not sure what will happen if the worst is confirmed nor how we can heal if it is. So, we watch and wait. Will we face a Constitutional crisis, or not? If President Trump fires Mueller—which he can do—such a crisis could come early.”
We know Donald Trump likes Twitter, but he can’t be happy with what he is seeing today on the social network. Michael Flynn is the top trending topic and the hashtag #MuellerTime is one of the most popular of the day. Even former FBI Director James Comey is weighing in.
-James Comey (@Comey): “But justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” Amos 5:24
Here’s some of what others said…
-Nate Silver (@NateSilver538): “The bottom line, for me, in the wake of the Flynn plea: Whatever Trump did or didn’t do, Mueller’s going to find it out. Maybe there’s no “there” there, but it won’t be for lack of trying.”
-Bill Kristol (@BillKristol): “Remember: The reason Mueller offered Flynn a deal may have little to do with the counts Flynn pled guilty to. Mueller may be interested in Kislyak. But he could be just as interested in, e.g., what Trump said to Flynn in Jan. about Comey, or things Flynn knows from the campaign.”
-Palmer Report (@PalmerReport): “Judge Rudolph Contreras is hearing the Michael Flynn case. The judge who’s going to take Donald Trump down is named Rudolph. Merry Christmas!”
-Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara): “The (admitted) charges against Michael Flynn make clear that he pleaded directly with the Russians not to retaliate for US sanctions, before Trump took office. Was that with Trump’s knowledge and at his request?”
-Ana Navarro (@AnaNavarro): “Friday Inspiration: Is Michael Flynn going to jail? Unlike Paul, can’t make $11 Million bail. Or maybe against Trump, he’ll have to wail. This whole presidency is one big fail.”
-Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi): “The guilty plea of President Trump’s former National Security Advisor Flynn to lying to the FBI about his communications with Russian authorities marks a dark moment in our nation’s history.”