Newly declassified sections of a letter written by former Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice suggest that retired Army Lt. General Michael Flynn was deliberately excluded from key discussions regarding alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The email, which Rice sent to herself, appears to vindicate Flynn, who briefly served as President Donald Trump’s first national security advisor. He was later charged by the Justice Department for allegedly lying under oath during an FBI investigation. In the message, Rice recounted a January 5, 2017, meeting with Obama, then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, and then-FBI Director James Comey.
“From a national security perspective, President Obama said he wants to be sure that, as we engage with the incoming team, we are mindful to ascertain if there is any reason we cannot share information fully as it relates to Russia,” Rice wrote.
At the time, Obama administration officials were rushing to complete a report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, a document that ultimately implied Trump had collaborated with Russian operatives to secure his victory, according to information newly declassified by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
“Comey said he does have some concerns that incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador Kislyak,” the email goes on in a newly disclosed portion. “Comey said that could be an issue as it relates to sharing sensitive information. President Obama asked if Comey was saying the NSC should not pass sensitive information related to Russia to Flynn,” Rice continued. “Comey replied ‘potentially.’”
“[Comey] added that he has no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak, but he noted that ‘the level of communication is unusual'” – though it was actually normal for an incoming national security adviser to engage with U.S. peer competitors, especially Russia given the U.S.-Russia cooperation on things like the International Space Station.
The email, whose newly classified portions were obtained by The Federalist, appears to suggest that Obama and his inner circle were focused on targeting Flynn before the first Trump administration even began.
Mueller’s report ultimately concluded that the FBI lacked sufficient grounds to investigate allegations of collusion between Trump and Russia. It also found “no derogatory information” about General Michael Flynn beyond his initial guilty plea for lying under oath—a plea he later recanted and that was eventually withdrawn.
A recent Justice Department report concluded that Comey’s FBI had “ambushed” Flynn in a pre-inauguration interview, according to the outlet. an action that laid the groundwork for what it described as a politically motivated prosecution. Flynn’s conviction was ultimately nullified by a presidential pardon shortly before Trump left office.
The report also cites handwritten notes from the investigation indicating that the FBI’s top counterintelligence official aimed to “prosecute him or get him fired.”
