Mueller report says Flynn was under russian investigation as early as 2014/15

quote:

---

In his new report on the Trump-Russia affair, special counsel Robert Mueller revealed that former national security adviser Michael Flynn was already under FBI investigation when he spoke with the Russian ambassador during the transition before President Trump took office. Flynn's conversations with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak were previously thought, by the public at least, to be the reason the FBI became suspicious about, and began investigating, Flynn's conduct.

Flynn was never charged with any crime relating to now-debunked allegations the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia to fix the 2016 election. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in a Jan. 24, 2017 interview during which he was questioned about the Kislyak calls. Specifically, Flynn denied that he and Kislyak discussed Russia's reaction to new U.S. sanctions over election interference, when a transcript of the conversation, based on a secret wiretap, showed that they had.

Now, Mueller strongly suggests something else was up. Obama administration intelligence officials "were surprised by Russia's decision not to retaliate in response to the sanctions," the report said. "When analyzing Russia's response, they became aware of Flynn's discussion of sanctions with Kislyak. Previously, the FBI had opened an investigation of Flynn based on his relationship with the Russian government. Flynn's contacts with Kislyak became a key component of that investigation." (emphasis added)

---

quote:

---

Now comes news that there was an open, Russia-related investigation of Flynn before the Kislyak conversations ever took place. It's unclear what such an investigation was based on, and what it involved. Were there wiretaps? Some other sort of surveillance? Informants? It's all unknown, even after Flynn's guilty plea and long period of cooperation. (Flynn is still awaiting sentencing.)

But Mueller chose to make the existence of the investigation public. Now, the public needs to know more about what is, and was, going on.

---