The media has continuously repeated the charge that then-NSA Flynn lied to Vice President Pence, proving he is still a liar and could have been blackmailed. CNN fake news reporter Marshall Cohen has been right on it.
People forget the “blackmail” element of the Flynn saga. This is from former DOJ official Mary McCord’s testimony to Mueller. She explains very clearly why it was a serious national security problem that Pence (and Priebus and Spicer) publicly repeated Flynn’s lies about Russia. pic.twitter.com/WgUI8fxUpK
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) May 11, 2020
The media is using this ruse to distract Americans from the framing of the general. They are likely wrong about the alleged lie to Vice President Pence since the White House only appears to have a summary. We say “appears” since we haven’t heard it from the President or Vice President.
When President Trump said the lie was a misunderstanding and he would rehire him, it was probably because of something he knew about the case.
One thing that seems apparent is the White House was never given a transcript of the Flynn call, at least not at that point; they were given “tech cuts” or a summary of tech cuts. VP Pence could have been fed a distorted view of the conversation with tech cuts, especially from the actual dirty cops who framed him. Flynn might have told the truth as he knew it.
Undercover Huber explains that tech cuts are a summary of raw signals.
A “Tech Cut” (referred to by Comey about Flynn) is a *summary* of an audio intercept, usually FISA. “Take” (redacted from the transcript) is likely the raw signals intelligence word for word https://t.co/Q3vQzHWY7w
— Undercover Huber (@JohnWHuber) May 14, 2020
Huber continues, “As Flynn’s name wasn’t masked, and there was no FISA on Flynn (according to IG), this strongly suggests there was a FISA on Kislyak, with raw NSA take summarized by FBI Also: likely means Pence wasn’t shown a literal transcript of the call by McCabe, but a summary of it.”
Sources may have only seen a summary; Techno Fog agrees. There is a secret transcript out there somewhere.
Correct – there is a “secret report summarizing Flynn’s discussions with Kislyak” out there somewhere.
[Screengrab from 2/13/17 WaPo article]
I’ll add that sources who said they saw the actual “transcripts” may have only seen the summary. pic.twitter.com/RddzI0WFzG
— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) May 14, 2020
IT WASN’T AN UNMASKING
We know that call wasn’t unmasked since there were no unmaskings between December 29, 2016, and January 4, 2017. There were no wiretaps or FISA warrants either.
Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino did figure out another way they could have gotten the transcript or listened in without leaving a paper trail. Then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch could have ordered the surveillance, and she could have also allowed the president to order it. That wouldn’t leave a paper trail. They might have had the exact transcript in this case, but they’d never show it to the White House and give it away. They gave them a summary, and there are many ways a summary might have given a false impression, different from the one Flynn gave.
As for President Obama, he either called for Flynn’s firing and a probe based on only tech cuts or worse, he had the actual transcript. Either way is not good for him but good for General Flynn.
THEN THERE’S THE LIE ITSELF
It’s also important to note that the Obama executive order regarding sanctions against Russia was announced on December 28, 2016. The expulsions of dozens of individual Russians were announced the next day, on the 29th, when Flynn spoke with Kislyak.
There is NO MENTION of the sanctions in the edited version of the 302. Flynn told FBI agents he had discussed the expulsions with Kislyak. Flynn had NOT BEEN ASKED about the sanctions. These were two separate actions. Had he been asked, he would have discussed them. If they didn’t ask, how could he lie about it?
The last two paragraphs were added after publication.
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“Flynn and the FBI were conflated the two things” That is not understandable. Your sentence is the main topic of the paragraph, but not correct. Is it “were conflating” or just “conflated” without the “were?” Perhaps you need to use another word or another clearer sentence.
I noted the error, but have become inured to errors after reading so many of them from “journalists” and “editors.” Thank you for taking the time to point out the mistake and its effect on the article.
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Could the Russians have given the transcript to the Obama team?
They would have had everything to gain and they apparently had backdoor access, since Russian intelligence knew about theTrump dossier and were feeding disinformation through it.
It might even have been Russian mafia, which is apparently active with oligarchs, and likely CIA, FBI or even underworld contacts.
Cuban intelligence would likely know everything going on in the Caribbean, and I think Flynn was in the Dominican on vacation during the phone call.
They had to get Flynn before he had an official capacity and would have access to encrypted phone conversations. It would be on an open mic., so to speak.
Obama had good relations with Cuba and likely could get any cooperation he asked for, especially against Trump and Flynn.
That would be even worse than our own government doing it if that came out. Could you imagine the ‘splodey heads if Putin’s puppets were proven to be Obama and the top tier of intelligence? I don’t think there would be enough popcorn in the world.
Pence is part of the deep state.
We will find out after Trump finishes his 2nd Term. Remember Old Dead Bush Sr. He was Reagan’s VP and opened the Door to send out Wealth to China.
I remember that Bush 41 referred to Reagan’s economic plans, in around 1980, as “Voodoo economics,” but he was willing to swallow his pride and serve as Reagan’s VP. Then when Bush got elected president on Reagan’s coattails, as the “third term” of Reagan, he fairly quickly turned his back on Reaganomics AND compromised with the Demonrats on a tax increase that they subsequently hung around his neck like a dead albatross — they wanted the tax increase, and they legislated it, yet they blamed Bush for it.
Good summarization.
I have heard that about Pence, also. He was in Congress before. He knows his way around;) I will bet the President knows also. He misses nothing;) We shall see.
Sobama actually believes his press fluffers and thinks that he is the greatest person to ever walk the face of the earth, that is why he went ahead with the Russian meddling hype and hoopla.
Stone and Flynn were the low hanging fruit and neither turned because they are not the weak sauce.
When I first heard about Russian meddling it was good for a belly laugh but it isn’t funny anymore after all of the damage done to the rule of law.
Our external enemies can see how divided this country is and it won’t end well.