A former member of President Donald Trump's legal team was looking for a "heads up" in regard to any inside information Michael Flynn, Trump's one-time national security adviser, told investigators as part of the Russia investigation.
According to CNN, the Department of Justice released the transcript of a November 22, 2017, voice message left by John Dowd on the phone of Flynn's lawyer Rob Kelner.
CNN reported Dowd as saying:
"Hey, Rob, uhm, this is John again. Uh, maybe, I-I-I'm-I'm sympathetic; I understand your situation, but let me see if I can't ... state it in ... starker terms. If you have ... and it wouldn't surprise me if you've gone on to make a deal with, and, uh, work with the government, uh ... I understand that you can't join the joint defense; so that's one thing. If, on the other hand, we have, there's information that. .. implicates the President, then we've got a national security issue, or maybe a national security issue, I don't know ... some issue, we got to-we got to deal with, not only for the President, but for the country. So ... uh ... you know, then-then, you know, we need some kind of heads up. Um, just for the sake of ... protecting all our interests, if we can, without you having to give up any ... confidential information. So, uhm, and if it's the former, then, you know, remember what we've always said about the President and his feelings toward Flynn and, that still remains, but-Well, in any event, uhm, let me know, and, uh, I appreciate your listening and taking the time. Thanks, Pal."
Flynn was fired as national security adviser 24 days after he started the job in January 2017. He was accused of lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians during Trump's transition.
Flynn eventually pleaded guilty to lying to the federal agents. His sentencing has been pushed back several times.
Flynn provided information to special counsel Robert Mueller's team, which found that neither Trump nor anyone else conspired with the Russians to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
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