According to Comey’s infamous memo describing his conversations with the president, Trump asked him to drop his investigation of Flynn. After Comey didn’t go along with the president’s alleged wishes, Trump fired him. Flynn’s guilty plea proves that he was guilty of a crime, and now he’s cooperating with Mueller’s investigation. Flynn reportedly said that he’s prepared to testify against Trump, and that prior to the election, Trump directed him to contact the Russians.
If Trump indeed prompted Flynn to engage in talks with Russia, there’s a decent chance that he was aware that Flynn lied to the FBI about his discussions with the Russian ambassador. Flynn’s cooperation could very well provide Mueller with the evidence he needs to nail Trump on an obstruction charge, which is an impeachable offense.
Of course, this is just one way that Flynn’s plea could end up hurting the president. So far, there is no evidence that the Trump or his campaign engaged in illegal activity in connection with Russia’s attempts to interfere with the election. We know that Donald Trump Jr. and others met with Russians with the hopes of getting dirt on Hillary Clinton, but there’s no evidence that there was anything illegal about the meeting. Flynn’s plea and subsequent cooperation may yield further evidence of wrongdoing by campaign officials
[Image via MSNBC screengrab]
Ronn Blitzer is the Senior Editor of Law&Crime and a former New York City prosecutor. Follow him on Twitter @RonnBlitzer