President Trump and his supporters seized on newly disclosed documents to argue Thursday that his former aide Michael Flynn was railroaded into pleading guilty as part of the FBI investigation into the 2016 campaign and Russian interference, but legal experts said the material is unlikely to convince a judge that agents entrapped the former national security adviser.
The documents released Wednesday evening include notes showing FBI officials discussed in advance how to handle a January 2017 interview with Flynn about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States before Trump took office. Three people familiar with the matter said the notes were written by E.W. Priestap, the former assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because Flynn’s case is still being weighed by the courts. A lawyer for Priestap did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Flynn’s lawyers, Sidney Powell and Jesse Binnall, have called the materials “stunning” evidence showing Flynn was “set up and framed by corrupt agents at the top of the FBI.” Continue reading.