Wondering what Trump knew and when he knew it may trigger Watergate flashbacks, but it’s key to any investigation of obstruction. And while one Trump lawyer has already fallen on his sword to take the blame for a tweet that showed Trump knew Michael Flynn had lied to the FBI back in January, Foreign Policy has turned up even more evidence that White House attorney was aware of this time bomb from the beginning.
The White House turned over records this fall to special counsel Robert Mueller revealing that in the very first days of the Trump presidency, Don McGahn researched federal law dealing both with lying to federal investigators and with violations of the Logan Act, a centuries-old federal law that prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments, according to three people with direct knowledge of the confidential government documents.
So it was clear that, even as Flynn was packing his bags, McGahn was researching two critical issues: how to handle lying to the FBI and how to deal with the fact that Flynn, and others, had attempted to negotiate U.S. policy while still private citizens.
But it could be that McGahn was only checking things out. Maybe curious about the troubles ahead for Flynn. It doesn’t necessarily mean he told Trump.
The records that McGahn turned over to the special counsel, portions of which were read to this reporter, indicate he researched both statutes and warned Trump about Flynn’s possible violations.
Except that he did. Which only piles on the existing evidence that Donald Trump knew that Flynn was lying from the outset, and engaged in a deliberate cover-up.
That McGahn talked to Trump directly about the subject was already known.
The White House's chief lawyer told President Donald Trump in January he believed then-national security adviser Michael Flynn had misled the FBI and lied to Vice President Mike Pence and should be fired, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.
And that’s assuming Flynn ever really lied to Trump or Pence. The entire “lied to the vice president” portion of this story, which served as Trump’s excuse for firing Flynn, is based on the idea that Mike Pence would have never gone on television and told an untruth about Flynn’s activities. That would be the same Mike Pence that dispenses Trump praise once every 12 seconds, including such winners as:
“You've restored American credibility on the world stage.”
And:
“You've spurred an optimism in this country that's setting records.”
That Mike Pence. What are the odds that Mike Pence would lie to protect the Trump White House? A lot better than the chances of your toast landing butter side down.
When it comes to Michael Flynn, Trump knew he was lying from the beginning. And so did a lot of other people in the White House—people who have since gotten a fresh chance to lie in interviews with Robert Mueller’s team.