Several politicians and news outlets claimed on Saturday, December 2, that President Donald Trump admitted to obstructing justice in a message he tweeted regarding former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
“I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI,” the former reality TV star wrote on Saturday. “He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!”
I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017
Several political commentators and U.S. representatives took to Twitter commenting that Flynn had been forced to resign as national security adviser back in February, but Trump’s tweet implied that he was aware that the general had lied to federal authorities in the month prior.
As previously reported back in June, former FBI director James Comey told Congress that the president had asked him to consider “letting Flynn go.” Trump then fired Comey in May.
“THIS IS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE. @POTUS now admits he KNEW Michael Flynn lied to the FBI. Yet Trump tried to influence or stop the FBI investigation on #Flynn,” California congressman Ted Lieu, a Democrat, tweeted.
THIS IS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE. @POTUS now admits he KNEW Michael Flynn lied to the FBI. Yet Trump tried to influence or stop the FBI investigation on #Flynn. https://t.co/8JqGBxgou0
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) December 2, 2017
“Oh my god, he just admitted to obstruction of justice,” MSNBC justice and security analyst Matthew Miller tweeted. “If Trump knew Flynn lied to the FBI when he asked Comey to let it go, then there is your case.”
Oh my god, he just admitted to obstruction of justice. If Trump knew Flynn lied to the FBI when he asked Comey to let it go, then there is your case. https://t.co/c6Wtd0TfzW
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) December 2, 2017
As reported on Friday, December 1, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations with Russia’s ambassador. He is the fourth person connected to Trump’s presidential campaign to be charged in special counsel Robert Mueller‘s investigation into possible Russian collusion in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
As he was leaving the White House on Saturday morning, reporters asked the former Apprentice star about Flynn’s guilty plea.
“What has been shown is no collusion, no collusion,” Trump said. “There’s been absolutely no collusion so we’re very happy.”
