On Saturday, Donald Trump took to Twitter to admit that he fired former national security advisor Michael Flynn for lying to Vice President Mike Pence and the FBI. This comes a day after Flynn pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI about contacts with Russian officials.
Prior to his tweet, Trump had said that he dismissed Flynn for lying to Pence, but this is the first time he had said anything in regards to Flynn lying to the FBI.
“I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI,” tweeted Trump. “He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!”
Like many of Trump’s tweets, his intention wasn’t 100 percent clear. However, it seems like he may be admitting to information he knew before but did not share. Earlier in February, former FBI director James Comey said that Trump asked him to stop the investigation into Flynn. If Trump knew that Flynn lied to the FBI then this could possibly point to obstruction of justice.
In Flynn’s plea deal, he will testify Trump “directed him to make contact” with the Russians during the campaign. In court documents filed Friday, Flynn said he had conversations about those calls with officials of Trump’s transition team including one senior member.
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017
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