Rep. Pete King Tuesday defended former National Security Adviser Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as a person who had an "outstanding career" as an U.S. Army general, and insisted that the conversations he'd had with a Russian ambassador were "totally legal and appropriate."
The New York Republican also insisted to Fox News' "Outnumbered Overtime" host Harris Faulkner that Flynn's business firm's involvement in lobbying for the Turkish government had nothing to do with President Donald Trump.
"I was on the Intelligence Committee when he was part of the Defense Intelligence Agency," King recalled. "More than anybody else in the government, he warned us about ISIS. He went against the Obama administration, which was trying to downplay it...he was describing in advance what ISIS is going to do. He is an outstanding military man."
As far as the indictment against him, the FBI first investigated Flynn, followed by special counsel Robert Mueller and there was "no evidence at all of any collusion or any improper activity," said King.
Flynn eventually pleaded guilty to lying about his conversations with then-ambassador Sergey Kislyak in 2016, but the conversations were legal, said King.
The former Trump official was to have been sentenced on Tuesday on the guilty plea, but the sentencing was postponed because he is still cooperating with the Mueller probe.
"Nothing reflects on any involvement with Russia, nor at all involving President Trump," said King. "If anything, one of the things the judge was critical of is that Gen. Flynn was not more honest with the Trump administration in itself. "
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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