Trump's Comments on Flynn Raise More Questions

'I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI'
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 2, 2017 1:43 PM CST
Trump on Flynn: 'No Collusion ... We're Very Happy'
President Donald Trump waves to members of the media before boarding Marine One at the White House, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

On Saturday, President Trump weighed in to reporters and on Twitter on Michael Flynn's guilty plea. Trump said that—in the wake of news Flynn is cooperating with Robert Mueller's investigation—he's not worried what his former national security adviser might disclose, CNN reports. "What has been shown is no collusion, no collusion," Trump told reporters. "There has been absolutely no collusion. So we're very happy." He later tweeted: "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!"

But Trump's comments are raising questions. Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about conversations he had with former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The Hill reports Flynn was removed from the Trump administration Feb. 13. Former FBI director James Comey later testified that Trump asked him to "let go" of the investigation into Flynn the following day. Trump's tweet seems to imply Trump knew Flynn lied to the FBI when he fired him. Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu says that would constitute obstruction of justice. CNBC notes it's also unclear why Flynn would have lied to the FBI in the first place if, as Trump claims in his tweet, Flynn's actions "were lawful" and "there was nothing to hide." (More Donald Trump stories.)

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