Outgoing House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA) on Friday claimed that federal investigators “entrapped” former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, echoing a pre-sentencing memo from Flynn’s lawyers arguing that he was somehow tricked by the FBI officials who questioned him in January 2017.
“It was nothing short of entrapment,” Nunes told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto.
Lawyers for special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday pushed back on the arguments made by Flynn’s lawyer, telling the judge overseeing Flynn’s sentencing that the former national security adviser was well aware of the consequences of lying to the FBI. Cavuto noted this to Nunes and asked if he really believed the FBI somehow prompted Flynn to lie.
Nunes replied that he had been briefed on the issue and continued to attack the FBI, something Nunes is notorious for.
“This is an embarrassment for our country,” he said, adding that Flynn’s chats with the Russian ambassador was “exactly what he’s supposed to be doing.”
Asked if he believes Flynn lied, Nunes said, “No, neither did the agents,” referencing reports that some agents initially thought Flynn did not lie during the January 2017 interview.
Nunes later in the interview claimed that Flynn only pleaded guilty to lying because he was struggling to pay his legal fees.
“I think Gen. Flynn had no place to go. He had no money left. He could not defend himself. It was all that he could do,” he said.
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) December 14, 2018