The dubious relationship between Donald Trump and his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, could be nearing an irreparable end in the near-term future—if it hasn’t already.
According to a report in the Washington Post, Trump is allegedly preparing to cast him as a “liar,” in what one would presume is either a move borne of vengeance or necessity. Could it be because Flynn will be accusing Trump, or another senior aide, of a serious wrongdoing?
Washington Post reporter Carol Leonnig reports the information about Trump's upcoming legal strategy comes from three sources “familiar with the strategy”:
President Trump’s legal team plans to cast former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn as a liar seeking to protect himself if he accuses the president or his senior aides of any wrongdoing, according to three people familiar with the strategy.
The approach would mark a sharp break from Trump’s previously sympathetic posture toward Flynn, whom he called a “wonderful man” when Flynn was ousted from the White House in February. Earlier this month, the president did not rule out a possible pardon for Flynn, who is cooperating with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
This comes nearly one month after Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about a conversation he reportedly had with a Russian ambassador, a deal he made to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller.
Trump’s reported change in attitude towards Flynn is not surprising considering his long-standing history with hypocrisy, but it may come as a surprise to Flynn. After Trump fired Flynn in February, he called him a “wonderful man” and blamed his departure on the media.
"Gen. Flynn is a wonderful man. I think he has been treated very, very unfairly by the media, as I call it, the fake media in many cases," Trump said. "And I think it is really a sad thing that he was treated so badly."
But now who's treating Flynn "so badly"?
Since then, Trump’s feelings towards Flynn in the public have appeared to be unclear. On Dec. 27, Flynn’s brother, Joseph Flynn, sent Trump a tweet asking him to pardon his brother.
Trump has always remained ambiguous as to whether or not he'll pardon Flynn. When asked earlier in December, Trump said, "I don’t want to talk about pardons for Michael Flynn yet. We’ll see what happens. Let’s see."
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