A new court filing shows that Trump campaign officials considered reaching out to WikiLeaks only after the website published emails from Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, not before.
According to the filing, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn told investigators that it was only after the email dump on October 7, 2016, that Trump campaign officials discussed reaching out to WikiLeaks.
Democrats have accused the Trump campaign of working with Russia and WikiLeaks to release the Podesta emails on the same day as the release of the Hollywood Access video that was embarrassing to then candidate Donald Trump.
Flynn’s remarks, however, counter that narrative.
According to the filing, Flynn “recalled conversations with senior campaign officials after the release of the Podesta emails, during which the prospect of reaching out to WikiLeaks was discussed.”
Journalist Aaron Maté noted the revelation, adding in a followup tweet, “If there are any Trump-Russia conspiracy theorists left at this point, I don’t think they realize how much info has been withheld that only further discredits their discredited conspiracy theory.”
Newly unsealed Mueller memo says Trump team, according to Flynn, "discussed" "the prospect of reaching out to Wikileaks" only "*after* the release of the Podesta emails" in Oct '16. Perhaps they also discussed using a time machine to go back a few months to get advance knowledge? pic.twitter.com/b95YLFzVww
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) May 16, 2019
The filing, in advance of Flynn’s potential sentencing, shows that Flynn aided in several investigations on lobbying violations, and the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference, and whether there was any collusion or obstruction.
The filing said Flynn provided “substantial” assistance with the investigation into lobbying violations but did not say he gave substantial assistance to the other investigations.
The filing said Flynn told the government of “multiple instances” before and after his guilty plea in which he or his attorneys received communications from persons connected to the Trump administration or Congress that could have affected his willingness to cooperate and the “completeness” of the investigation, and he provided a voicemail of one such instance.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller ultimately decided not to make a determination on the question of whether President Trump obstructed the investigation.
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