Former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s new Fox pundit/attorney told a judge on Monday that she needed security clearance before she can defend her client. Not because of anything that’s in Flynn’s testimony. Not to look at anything that the special counsel’s office used in charging Flynn. But because lawyer Sidney Powell claims she has an urgent need to review classified materials that are not among those already handed over in the case.
The request suggests that not only is Powell likely to withdraw Flynn’s guilty plea at some point, but that she also intends to use her position in defending Flynn as an excuse to rifle through the files of the FBI and DOJ in hopes of supporting one of her many conspiracy theories. She has previously made public statements that Flynn was innocent and should never have been charged by the special counsel.
Powell is the author of a book claiming that federal prosecutors used “illegal, and unethical tactics” to “grab headlines.” She’s also been a regular user of the term “witch hunt” when talking about the special counsel investigation, both in her social media statements and as a frequent guest on right-wing media. And she’s the proud purveyor of a T-shirt that portrays Robert Mueller and other Justice Department officials as “Creeps on a Mission” to frame Trump.
As The New York Times reports, Powell’s strange request on Monday left both the judge and prosecutors baffled. “There’s nothing that the government produced that’s classified,” insisted one of the U.S. attorneys. “There is other information,” said Powell. But she would not say what that information was, or even what kind of information she’s after—just that she needs security clearance to get this information. Judge Sullivan promised to connect her with an expert on obtaining the necessary clearance.
Flynn hasn’t explained why he ditched his entire defense team, which had netted him a slap-on-the-wrist deal for what could have been a series of major charges, to switch to Powell at the last possible second. For her part, Powell has continued to insist that Flynn is still cooperating with the government, but that “cooperation” looks more like “working to sabotage” with every appearance.