The Note: Flynn's got a story to tell

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March 31, 2017

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Flynn's got a story to tell

The Big Story

"General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it." That statement by the attorney for President Trump's former national security adviser raises a host of questions about what that story might be, and who might be affected by it. Flynn's interest in an immunity deal – echoed, astoundingly, by President Trump on Twitter – could send the investigations by Congress and the FBI in unpredictable new directions. That could include a potential trip up the decision-making ladder – hello again, Mr. President. Flynn's testimony would refocus scrutiny on the substance of Russia-Trump concerns, as opposed to the feeding frenzy around Rep. Devin Nunes and his secret White House meetings. Trump may be certain that Flynn won't get immunity, or alternatively the president may find himself in a be-careful-what-you-tweet-for situation. In any event, with Vladimir Putin's spokesman on "Good Morning America" seeming to acknowledge that Flynn could have talked sanctions with the Russian ambassador, the focus of the investigations that had looked narrow appears to now be quite broad again.

The Sleeper Story

Two Democrats have now declared their intention to vote to confirm Neil Gorsuch to a seat on the Supreme Court. Neither was a huge surprise; Joe Manchin and Heidi Heitkamp are both from deep red states, and are up for re-election next year. But will they be the last? Democrats can afford to lose only five more if they hope to sustain a filibuster, a sequence of events that will play out next week. The fretting about Gorsuch and the consequences of this fight – which appears almost certain to lead Republicans to go nuclear and blow up Senate rules – has some Democrats worried about whether they are on the right path and some Republicans looking for a compromise as well. "I'm very uncomfortable being part of a strategy that's going to open up the Supreme Court to a complete change," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said in leaked audio obtained by the Kansas City Star.

The Shiny Story

President Trump is at war – with everybody, it seems. He's singling out individual members of the House Freedom Caucus for tweet attacks, which means he is going after the most Trumpian cohort of House members. According to Rep. Mark Sanford, the president had his budget director, Mick Mulvaney, personally deliver a threat to him last week: "The president asked me to look you square in the eyes and to say that he hoped that you voted 'no' on this bill so he could run [a primary challenger] against you in 2018," Sanford quoted Mulvaney as telling him, according to the Post & Courier. This is startling stuff. But the adage gaining popularity on Capitol Hill these days is to pay no attention to what the president says and focus only on what he does. That might be the best strategy with his political threats, which seem at the moment not to be rooted in political strategy.

TLDR

Gen. Michael Flynn's lawyer says his client has a story to tell, and he might yet tell it, if he winds up getting the immunity deal he's looking for in the Russia investigations.