05-18-2020, 12:41 PM
(05-16-2020, 09:31 PM)Maggot Wrote: Flynn should have known that his first lawyers Covington and Burling with Eric Holder in it's letterhead might be a bad group of lawyers to represent him in the beginning.
You cannot make this up!
Personally, I thought Flynn's original choice to hire the firm was strategically brilliant.
The Senator Ted Steven's case caused investigations from both the DOJ and Judge Sullivan.
The DOJ's investigation primarily focused on the conduct of the FBI agents in charge of the investigation. Sullivan's investigation focused on the issue of prosecutorial misconduct by the DOJ attorneys.
Mueller was head of the FBI during the Steven's investigation and prosecution (2008). By the time the reports were completed (2012), Mueller was phasing out and Holder was the AG. The responsibility to address any wrongdoing was now the responsibility of new FBI Director Comey and Holder.
Wrongdoing was discovered in both reports.
Here's a few of the findings:
Sullivan's investigation (500+ pages):
The prosecution was "permeated by the systemic concealment of significant exculpatory evidence which would have independently corroborated Senator Steven's defense and his testimony, and seriously damaged the testimony and credibility of the government's key witnesses."
"The government lied to protect its chief witness . . . Prosecutors . . . did not conduct or supervise a full and comprehensive effective review of information for items that should have been provided to the defense, or Brady information . . . by the FBI and IRS."
DOJ investigation (672 pages):
Lead FBI investigator Mary Beth Kepner -
Failed to memorialize key witness 302 interviews (at least eight)
Backdated 302 interviews (one was created 2 years AFTER the trial - denied this when interviewed by investigators then changed her story when presented with the "facts")
Omissions and discrepancies with 302 interviews (damning evidence to governments case deliberately omitted - included knowingly false statements by witnesses positive to governments case - created false statements by witnesses to bolster government's case)
Worked with prosecution team to suppress Brady material
Leaked grand jury testimony to media
So . . . with both a former AG involved in rooting out "bad behavior" in the DOJ and a judge, who was furious with prosecutorial misconduct, I think Flynn was on solid ground with his choice of legal representation. I mean, c'mon . . . these guys were forced to deal with the same stuff Flynn is protesting now!
But then, the firm hired Trisha Anderson in September of 2018 . . . less than a month after she testified, behind closed doors, in front of Congress.
Anderson was the number two lawyer at the Office of the FBI's General Counsel.
Her testimony revealed:
She was one of about 10 people who had known about the Trump-Russia investigation prior to its official opening
She read all of the FBI's 302 forms detailing information contained within the Steele "dossier" provided by Bruce Ohr
She personally signed off on the original FISA warrant against Carter Page without having read it
She was a part of a "small group" who read Jim Comey's memos about conversations he had with Trump
I dunno . . . this sounds like a conflict of interest to me. However, if it was disclosed that Anderson was hired, to Flynn, (and he signed a waiver) no harm no foul.
Me . . . this is when I would have cut and run . . . September 2018.