former NSC General Michael Flynn to seek immunity from prosecution

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Trump, and Me included, didn't expect former NSC General Michael Flynn
to seek immunity from prosecution on things which never happened :

https://twitter.com/yashar/status/847941360401485826

Oh really you might ask ? Yes there were `Russia' things which never
happened. How about this one, remember this ? :


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-hackers-penetrated-us-electricity-grid...

WikiLeaks Julian Assange Press Conference On CIA Hacking (3/9/2017)
March 12, 2017, 02:32:09 PM
  "[ ... ]
   Another profound revelation is that the CIA can engage in "false flag"
   cyberattacks which portray Russia as the assailant. Discussing the
   CIA's Remote Devices Branch's UMBRAGE group, Wikileaks' source notes
   that it "collects and maintains a substantial library of attack
   techniques 'stolen' from malware produced in other states including the
   Russian Federation.
   
     "With UMBRAGE and related projects the CIA cannot only increase its
      total number of attack types but also misdirect attribution by leaving
      behind the "fingerprints" of the groups that the attack techniques were
      stolen from. UMBRAGE components cover keyloggers, password collection,
      webcam capture, data destruction, persistence, privilege escalation,
      stealth, anti-virus (PSP) avoidance and survey techniques."
   
   As Kim Dotcom summarizes this finding, "CIA uses techniques to make
   cyber attacks look like they originated from enemy state. It turns
   DNC/Russia hack allegation by CIA into a JOKE"
   [ ... ]"

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https://twitter.com/RobSchneider/status/847121599564169216

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https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet/status/847614519220158465

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Mr Flynn "has a story to tell," his lawyer says  --  REUTERS
Fired Trump aide Michael Flynn's immunity bid 'momentous'
1 April 2017 | US & Canada
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39461356
   
  "The House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat says a request by the
   fired US national security adviser for immunity to testify to the panel
   is "momentous".
   
   Representative Adam Schiff said they were interested in hearing Michael
   Flynn's evidence, but it was too early to shield him from any
   prosecution.
   
   Two congressional committees and the FBI are investigating alleged
   Russian meddling in the US election.
   
   Mr Flynn's ties with Russia have been under scrutiny.
   
   The retired army lieutenant general was sacked in February after
   misleading the White House about a conversation he had with the Moscow
   ambassador shortly after the election.
   
     *  Trump dossier key claim 'verified'
     *  Russia 'tried to hijack US election'
     *  Putin makes fresh overtures to Trump
     *  Russia: The scandal Trump can't shake
     *  Michael Flynn: Former US national security adviser
   
   On Thursday night, his lawyer said in a statement that his client "has
   a story to tell" to the Capitol Hill inquisitors.
   
   But the attorney added it would not be reasonable to submit to
   questioning in a "witch-hunt environment" without assurances against
   "unfair prosecution".
   
   ----------------------
   Why immunity? Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
   
   Michael Flynn may have a "story to tell", but what it is at this point
   is anybody's guess.
   
   Donald Trump's critics will probably imagine grand revelations of
   possible campaign contacts with Russian operatives or even the "c" word
   - collusion. Beyond the news reports of ongoing conversations between
   Mr Flynn's lawyer and federal investigators, however, there is no firm
   ground for such speculation.
   
   It's entirely possible the immunity request is nothing more than the
   former senior Trump adviser attempting to insulate himself from legal
   trouble if he were to answer detailed questions about his foreign
   contacts and lobbying efforts. For instance, if he actively represented
   overseas interests, he may have run afoul of federal disclosure rules.
   
   There's also the chance that Mr Flynn could be uneasy about what he
   told FBI agents in January, when they asked about his conversations
   with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak.
   
   Either of those possibilities would be of great concern to Mr Flynn,
   who has a six-figure military pension to preserve, but it wouldn't be
   the kind of political bombshell that would directly threaten Mr Trump
   or his administration.
   
   Given the uncertainty of the situation, however, there's sure to be
   some sleepless nights ahead for the White House.
   
   Follow @awzurcher on Twitter
   ----------------------
   
   On Friday morning, President Donald Trump tweeted that his sacked
   former aide should ask for immunity, also arguing it was a witch hunt.
   
   Mr Schiff said in a statement that the panel would discuss any such
   request with the justice department and the Senate Intelligence
   Committee.
   
   Mr Flynn's step was "grave and momentous", he added.
   
   The California Democrat also said: "As with any investigation - and
   particularly one that grows in severity and magnitude by the day -
   there is still much work and many more witnesses and documents to
   obtain before any immunity request from any witness can be considered."
   
   [Video]
   Trump's 100 days: Who does President Trump blame for the failure of the
   healthcare bill?
   
   Meanwhile the White House continued to insist that there was evidence
   that the Trump campaign was subject to "politically motivated" snooping.
   
   No evidence has been provided for the president's claim, which has been
   repudiated even by his fellow Republicans.
   
   But press secretary Sean Spicer told journalists on Friday that the
   Obama administration had done "very, very bad things".
   
   Mr Flynn was forced to resign as national security adviser on 13
   February for failing to disclose talks with Russian ambassador Sergei
   Kislyak about US sanctions on Moscow.
   
   He also misled US Vice-President Mike Pence about the chats, which
   occurred before Mr Trump took office.
   
   Russia has denied allegations it hacked emails of Democratic groups and
   leaked information to tip the scales in favour of Mr Trump before last
   November's presidential election.
   
   [Video]
   Russian meddling 'propaganda on steroids'
   
   But the Senate Intelligence Committee, beginning its hearings on
   Thursday, heard claims the Kremlin had tried to sway the vote through
   "propaganda on steroids".
   
   Ranking Democrat Mark Warner also said Moscow had paid an army of more
   than 1,000 people to create fake anti-Hillary Clinton news stories
   targeting key swing states.
   
   
   
   Critics have highlighted a comment that Mr Flynn made in an NBC
   interview last September in which he said: "When you get given immunity
   that means you've probably committed a crime."
   
   He was talking about reports that some of Mrs Clinton's aides had been
   granted immunity from prosecution amid an FBI inquiry into her emails.
   
   At last summer's Republican party convention, Mr Flynn led chants of
   "lock her up" aimed at the Democratic candidate.
   
   
   Mr Flynn was pictured dining with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in
   December 2015 -- REUTELS "

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CBS NEWS / April 1, 2017, 8:33 AM
Pressure builds for Michael Flynn to testify without immunity
843 Comment Share Tweet Stumble Email
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pressure-builds-for-michael-flynn-to-testify-without-immunity/

  "WASHINGTON -- Pressure continues to mount for former national security
   adviser Michael Flynn to testify before Congress about possible
   connections between the Trump campaign and Russia, CBS News
   correspondent Errol Barnett reports.
   
   Flynn was fired from the White House in February for lying to Vice
   President Mike Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador.
   
   Flynn's lawyer released a statement Thursday saying his client "has a
   story to tell," but wants protection from prosecution in order to tell
   congressional intelligence committees and the FBI what he knows. And
   that has all of Washington wondering what exactly that could be.
   
   Even some Republicans like Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, the chairman of
   the House Oversight Committee, are puzzled by Flynn's request for
   protection from prosecution.
   
   "Well, it doesn't look good," Chaffetz told Fox News on Friday. "I
   don't know -- the witch hunt, I don't buy that either. We're just
   trying to get to the facts."
   
   Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee,
   called Flynn's immunity request "a grave and momentous step."
   
   Schiff went to the White House Friday to review the intelligence
   previously provided to Republican committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes,
   who is facing questions about possible coordination with White House
   officials. Schiff called for the documents to be shared with the full
   intelligence committees.
   
   [Video]
   Trump: Mike Flynn should ask for immunity
   
   On Friday, Mr. Trump refused to answer questions at the White House
   when CBS News chief White House correspondent Major Garrett asked about
   Flynn's request. But Mr. Trump earlier encouraged Flynn to ask for
   immunity, tweeting that the ongoing congressional inquiries are nothing
   short of a "witch hunt."
   
   Press secretary Sean Spicer said Mr. Trump is supportive of Flynn
   testifying, but dodged questions about whether the president is trying
   to influence the investigations.
   
   "He could have just said 'testify,'" Garrett said during Friday's press
   briefing. "He said he should get immunity."
   
   [Video]
   Sean Spicer says Trump thinks Michael Flynn should testify
   
   "The president is very clear that he wants Mike Flynn to go and be
   completely open and transparent with the committee and whatever it
   takes to do that he is supportive of," Spicer replied.
   
   Even if Flynn is granted congressional immunity, he could still face
   prosecution by the Justice Department.
   
   During the presidential campaign, both Flynn and Mr. Trump said
   potential immunity for rival Hillary Clinton's associates was
   tantamount to an admission of guilt.
   
   "When you are given immunity that means you've probably committed a
   crime," Flynn said on NBC's "Meet the Press" in September.
   
   "If you're not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for?" Mr.
   Trump said at a rally the next day.

   © 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved "

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NEWS
APR 1 2017, 8:20 AM ET
Michael Flynn's Immunity Request Rejected By Senate Intelligence Committee
by KEN DILANIAN and KASIE HUNT
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/senate-intelligence-committee-rejects-immunity-michael-flynn-n741061

  "The Senate Intelligence Committee turned down the request by former
   National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's lawyer for a grant of
   immunity in exchange for his testimony, two congressional sources told
   NBC News.
   
   A senior congressional official with direct knowledge said Flynn's
   lawyer was told it was "wildly preliminary" and that immunity was "not
   on the table" at the moment. A second source said the committee
   communicated that it is "not receptive" to Flynn's request "at this
   time."
   
   [Video] 3:38
   What does Michael Flynn's request for immunity mean for Russian
   investigation?
   
   The senior congressional official also said that Flynn's lawyer had
   conveyed the offer of testimony in exchange for immunity from
   prosecution to the Justice Department.
   
   Rep. Adam Schiff, D.-Calif., the ranking member of the House
   Intelligence Committee, acknowledged in a statement that the Justice
   Department's interest in Flynn's testimony could take precedence over
   Congress' wish to hear from him.
   
   He also said there are "many more witnesses and documents to obtain"
   before the House Intelligence Committee can consider any immunity
   request — specifically citing a background check document that would
   show whether Flynn reported work he did for any foreign entities.
   
   And, Schiff noted, "we should first acknowledge what a grave and
   momentous step it is for a former National Security Adviser to the
   President of the United States to ask for immunity from prosecution."
   
   President Donald Trump tweeted early Friday that Flynn was right to ask
   for immunity.
   
   https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/847766558520856578
   
   In September, while discussing aides to Trump's opponent, Hillary
   Clinton, Flynn told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that "when you are
   given immunity that means you've probably committed a crime."
   
   As NBC News reported Thursday, Flynn told the Intelligence Committee he
   was willing to be interviewed about the Trump campaign's possible ties
   to Russia in return for a no-prosecution guarantee.
   
   Flynn's lawyer, Robert Kelner, confirmed in a statement that
   discussions had taken place with the House and Senate Intelligence
   Committees, and said "General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and
   he very much wants to tell it."
   
   However, Kelner said, "out of respect" for the committees, he and Flynn
   would not comment on the details of the discussions — and he accused
   the media of being "awash with unfounded allegations, outrageous claims
   of treason, and vicious innuendo."
   
   "No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel,
   would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch hunt
   environment without assurance against unfair prosecution," Kelner said
   in his Thursday statement.
   
   Flynn, a retired lieutenant general who headed the Defense Intelligence
   Agency before being pushed out by the Obama administration, advised the
   Trump campaign beginning in 2015.
   
   He served as President Trump's national security adviser for three
   weeks before resigning for what the Trump administration said was
   misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russian
   Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak.
   
   
   Russian President Vladimir Putin sits next to retired U.S. Army
   Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as they attend an exhibition marking
   the 10th anniversary of RT (Russia Today) television news channel in
   Moscow on Dec. 10, 2015. Mikhail Klimentyev / Kremlin via Reuters, file
   
   Flynn was paid $45,000 plus expenses to speak at the 10th anniversary
   gala of the RT television network in Moscow in December 2015, while he
   was already an adviser to Trump. The U.S. considers RT, which is
   state-sponsored, to be a propaganda outlet.
   
   Prior to Trump's inauguration, on the day that President Obama
   announced sanctions against Russia as punishment for interfering in the
   U.S. election, Flynn spoke on the phone with Russian Ambassador Kislyak.
   
   A U.S. intelligence official told NBC News that Flynn had discussed the
   hacking-related sanctions with Kislyak prior to Trump's inauguration.
   Flynn told the Washington Post he didn't discuss sanctions with
   Kislyak, then said he couldn't remember whether they had discussed
   sanctions.
   
   KEN DILANIAN https://twitter.com/@KenDilanianNBC   
   Ken.Dilanian@NBCUni.com
   KASIE HUNT kasie.hunt@nbcuni.com "