Attorney claims Michael Flynn’s plea was coerced, hints exculpatory evidence will soon be released

New information on case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn; Doug McKelway reports.

Flynn previously charged that top FBI officials, including then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, pressed him not to have the White House counsel present during the questioning with two agents that ultimately led to his guilty plea on a single charge of lying to federal authorities. One of those agents was Peter Strzok, who has since been fired from the bureau after his anti-Trump text messages came to light. Flynn has withdrawn his guilty plea and has been seeking exoneration.

FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok, testifies before a House Judiciary Committee joint hearing on «oversight of FBI and Department of Justice actions surrounding the 2016 election» on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Then-FBI Director James Comey admitted in 2018 that the Flynn interview didn’t follow protocol, and came at his direction. He said it was not “something I probably wouldn’t have done or maybe gotten away with in a more … organized administration.”

McCabe would later say the interview was «very odd» because «it seemed like [Flynn] was telling the truth» to the two agents who interviewed him. Flynn, the interviewing agents told McCabe, «had a very good recollection of events, which he related chronologically and lucidly,» did not appear to be «nervous or sweating,» and did not look «side to side» — all of which would have been «behavioral signs of deception.»

During the interview, Flynn told the agents «not really» when asked if he had sought to convince Kislyak not to escalate a brewing fight with the U.S. over sanctions imposed by the Obama administration, according to a FD-302 witness report prepared by the FBI.

DOJ OUTLINES SLEW OF SECURITY VIOLATIONS BY STRZOK, WHO TEXTED ABOUT HIS AFFAIR & HATRED FOR TRUMP

Flynn issued other apparently equivocal responses to FBI agents’ questions, and at various points suggested that such conversations might have happened or that he could not recall them if they did, according to the 302. The 302 indicated that Flynn was apparently aware his communications had been monitored, and at several points he thanks the FBI agents for reminding him of some of his conversations with Russian officials.

A Washington Post article published one day before Flynn’s White House interview with the agents, citing FBI sources, publicly revealed that the FBI had wiretapped Flynn’s calls with Kislyak and cleared him of any criminal conduct. It was unclear who leaked that information to the Post.