{"id":10418,"date":"2019-11-01T00:11:28","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T07:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/?p=10418"},"modified":"2023-03-03T01:13:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T08:13:25","slug":"iran-contra-flashback-how-the-oliver-north-defense-could-impact-the-fbis-investigation-into-team-trump-and-the-kremlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=10418","title":{"rendered":"Iran-Contra Flashback: How The Oliver North Defense could impact the FBI\u2019s investigation into Team Trump and The Kremlin"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Iran-Contra%20Flashback%3A%20How%20The%20Oliver%20North%20Defense%20could%20impact%20the%20FBI%E2%80%99s%20investigation%20into%20Team%20Trump%20and%20The%20Kremlin\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p><a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-03-at-11.56.03-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-10419 alignleft\" title=\"Screen Shot 2017-04-03 at 11.56.03 PM\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-03-at-11.56.03-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"263\" height=\"190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-03-at-11.56.03-PM.png 570w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-03-at-11.56.03-PM-300x217.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 263px) 100vw, 263px\" \/><\/a>By Peter Lance<a title=\"trump\" href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\"><strong> investigating trump.com<\/strong><\/a><a title=\"HuffPost\" href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/58dfed09e4b03c2b30f6a6e7\"><strong> The Huffington Post<\/strong><\/a> April 1st, 2017. Regarding ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn\u2019s recent request for immunity, there\u2019s a lesson to be learned from a short-lived Mafia murder trial in Brooklyn nearly a decade ago.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mlid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>On March 30th,\u00a02006 R. Lindley DeVecchio, a celebrated FBI Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) known in the Bureau\u2019s New York Office (NYO) as\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-2351795\/New-book-reveals-secret-relationship-FBI-mafia-capo-allowed-walk-away-26-murders.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;\u201cMr. Organized Crime\u201d&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:2,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-2351795\/New-book-reveals-secret-relationship-FBI-mafia-capo-allowed-walk-away-26-murders.html&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u201cMr. Organized Crime\u201d<\/a>\u00a0was indicted by the Brooklyn District Attorney on four counts of second-degree murder conspiracy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Moments after\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mobile.nytimes.com\/2006\/03\/30\/nyregion\/exfbi-agent-accused-of-role-in-four-organized-crime-killings.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;D.A. Charles Hynes called&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:3,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/mobile.nytimes.com\/2006\/03\/30\/nyregion\/exfbi-agent-accused-of-role-in-four-organized-crime-killings.html&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">D.A. Charles Hynes called<\/a>\u00a0DeVecchio\u2019s alleged \u201cunholy alliance\u201d with Colombo crime family captain Greg \u201cThe Grim Reaper\u201d Scarpa, \u201cthe most stunning example of official corruption\u201d he had ever seen,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/50.56.218.160\/archive\/category.php?category_id=4&amp;id=14738\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;an Assistant D.A.&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:4,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/50.56.218.160\/archive\/category.php?category_id=4&amp;id=14738&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">an Assistant D.A.<\/a>\u00a0then described my second HarperCollins book,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Cover-Up-Government-Hiding-Terror\/dp\/0060795115\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1483669114&amp;sr=1-4&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=petlan-20&amp;linkId=42455ea22b002d6d352b6efadb0f3cbc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;\u201cCover Up\u201d&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:5,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Cover-Up-Government-Hiding-Terror\/dp\/0060795115\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1483669114&amp;sr=1-4&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=petlan-20&amp;linkId=42455ea22b002d6d352b6efadb0f3cbc&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u201cCover Up\u201d<\/a>\u00a0as a \u201cspringboard to understand&#8230; what direction the investigation should go (in).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Flash forward to the summer of 2007, just months before the trial, when I was subpoenaed by both the prosecution and the DeVecchio defense. They wanted me to testify and give up my confidential sources at a pre-trial proceeding known famously among criminal lawyers as a \u201cKastigar Hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dfef421400002600072c8f.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"413\" height=\"509\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">Named for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/us-supreme-court\/406\/441.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;Kastigar v. U.S.&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:6,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/us-supreme-court\/406\/441.html&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">Kastigar v. U.S.<\/a>\u00a0the hearing was centered around the legal principal that if a defendant in a criminal case has been given prior immunity, then prosecutors seeking to lock him up are required to build a \u201cfirewall\u201d between his immunized testimony and any new investigation leading to an indictment.<\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>DeVecchio\u2019s lawyers were asserting \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/appellate-courts\/F2\/910\/843\/463467\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;The Oliver North Defense&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:7,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/appellate-courts\/F2\/910\/843\/463467\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">The Oliver North Defense<\/a>\u201c named for the Lt. Colonel at the heart of the Reagan White House\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1992\/09\/26\/us\/ex-us-aide-says-he-told-bush-of-iran-arms-for-hostage-swap.html?pagewanted=all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;\u201carms for hostage\u201d&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:8,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1992\/09\/26\/us\/ex-us-aide-says-he-told-bush-of-iran-arms-for-hostage-swap.html?pagewanted=all&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u201carms for hostage\u201d<\/a>\u00a0conspiracy. Once North cut an immunity deal with the Iran-Contra Select Committee, it had the effect of walling him off from criminal jeopardy in any future prosecution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-03-at-11.56.20-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-10429\" title=\"Screen Shot 2017-04-03 at 11.56.20 PM\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-03-at-11.56.20-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"295\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-03-at-11.56.20-PM.png 260w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-03-at-11.56.20-PM-211x300.png 211w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 208px) 100vw, 208px\" \/><\/a>In fact, Lawrence. E. Walsh the independent counsel who spent years seeking convictions in the scandal, titled his 1997 memoir,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Firewall-Iran-Contra-Conspiracy-Lawrence-Walsh\/dp\/0393318605\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;\u201c&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:9,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Firewall-Iran-Contra-Conspiracy-Lawrence-Walsh\/dp\/0393318605&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u201c<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Firewall-Iran-Contra-Conspiracy-Lawrence-Walsh\/dp\/0393318605\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;Firewall.\u201d&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:10,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Firewall-Iran-Contra-Conspiracy-Lawrence-Walsh\/dp\/0393318605&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">Firewall.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Because of the Kastigar doctrine his guilty verdicts for North were later overturned on appeal and Ollie walked.<\/p>\n<p>That historical precedent is now shaping the dynamic of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailykos.com\/story\/2017\/3\/30\/1648691\/-Leaked-RussiaGate-Email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;\u201cRussia-gate;\u201d&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:11,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.dailykos.com\/story\/2017\/3\/30\/1648691\/-Leaked-RussiaGate-Email&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u201cRussia-gate;\u201d<\/a>\u00a0the question of whether any members of the Trump campaign, transition or administration colluded with Moscow as it hacked the 2016 election in favor of \u201c45;\u201d \u00a0a conclusion reached\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/01\/05\/508355408\/intelligence-chiefs-stand-more-resolutely-behind-finding-of-russia-election-hack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;by 17 U.S. intelligence agencies.&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:12,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/01\/05\/508355408\/intelligence-chiefs-stand-more-resolutely-behind-finding-of-russia-election-hack&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">by 17 U.S. intelligence agencies.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>THE \u201cKASTIGAR VIRUS\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Back in 2007 Lin DeVecchio also found himself in the clear; not from a Kasitgar \u201cget-out-of-jail-free\u201d card, but the Brooklyn D.A.\u2019s botched prosecution of the murder case which included the disputed testimony of Scarpa Sr.\u2019s common-law wife who\u2019d been a key prosecution witness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>As to my own part in his Kastigar hearing, the able lawyers for HarperCollins who represented me filed\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/Memo_of_Law_Re_PL%27s_%20Motion_to_Quash_%20Subpoenas.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;a motion to quash&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:13,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/peterlance.com\/Memo_of_Law_Re_PL%27s_%20Motion_to_Quash_%20Subpoenas.pdf&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">a motion to quash<\/a>\u00a0the subpoenas on the grounds that I was protected from having to give up my sources under the New York Shield Law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>In prior pleadings DeVecchio\u2019s lawyers had argued that the D.A.\u2019s investigation \u201chad become infected with the Kastigar virus\u2026 contracted through Peter Lance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>I finally took the stand under threat of contempt and was able to protect my sources as I testified about my limited references in \u201cCover Up\u201d to DeVecchio\u2019s immunized testimony in the FBI\u2019s OPR internal affairs investigation of the Scarpa scandal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>The late Judge Gustin Reichbach who presided, initially decided that he\u2019d wait to rule on the Kastigar issue until the end of trial and once the charges were dropped, the firewall issue became moot. Still, in his final order, he described the FBI\u2019s relationship with Scarpa Sr., a Top Echelon Criminal Informant who had \u201cstopped counting\u201d after fifty murders, as a \u201cdeal with the devil,\u201d and I used the phrase for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Deal-Devil-Secret-Thirty-Year-Relationship\/dp\/0061455369\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1483669721&amp;sr=1-4&amp;keywords=Peter+Lance&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=petlan-20&amp;linkId=9ef139fa7a5dcb6bd0346aaefa1aab67\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;the title of my 2013 book on the case&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:14,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Deal-Devil-Secret-Thirty-Year-Relationship\/dp\/0061455369\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1483669721&amp;sr=1-4&amp;keywords=Peter+Lance&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=petlan-20&amp;linkId=9ef139fa7a5dcb6bd0346aaefa1aab67&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">the title of my 2013 book on the case<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dfeff42c00002700ff1b66.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"212\" height=\"311\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Now having observed the Kastigar doctine up close, I\u2019m certain that a number of other Trump surrogates including Paul Manafort, Carter Page, &amp; Roger Stone will be climbing over each other to strike a deal with one of the committees. The Bureau, I\u2019m sure, will be a dead end.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>NIXON, AGNEW &amp; PENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>That\u2019s because the Iran-Contra lesson has chastened federal prosecutors and with the media heat currently on this scandal it would have to be a sub-zero day in hell before Director James Comey agreed to protect Mike Flynn or another of the other key witnesses unless, in a proffer session, they had direct evidence implicating the President himself in the felonies of conspiracy, treason or obstruction of justice \u2013 each an impeachable offense with years of prison time attached.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>If that happens and VP Mike Pence emulates Gerald Ford\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.archivesfoundation.org\/documents\/richard-nixon-resignation-letter-gerald-ford-pardon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;pardon of Richard Nixon&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:15,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.archivesfoundation.org\/documents\/richard-nixon-resignation-letter-gerald-ford-pardon\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">pardon of Richard Nixon<\/a>, Trump will never see the inside of a cell. But before the VP himself gets overconfident, he should remember the fate of Nixon\u2019s own veep Spiro Agnew,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/october-10-1973-vice-president-spiro-agnew-resigns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;who resigned&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:16,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/october-10-1973-vice-president-spiro-agnew-resigns\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">who resigned<\/a>\u00a0after an indictment for bribe-taking as Governor of Maryland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>No such scandal has touched the icy white-haired ex-Indiana Governor but it is curious that Pence\u2019s donated papers from the governership and his 12 years in the House\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/mike-pence-sealed-records_us_5786778fe4b03fc3ee4edf55\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;have been sealed.&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:17,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/mike-pence-sealed-records_us_5786778fe4b03fc3ee4edf55&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">have been sealed.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dff03716000029004d8314.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"294\" height=\"162\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Further, Pence himself could face liability if the Russia scandal creeps into his side of the West Wing. After all, he claims to have been blindsided by Flynn on his conversations with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, Russia\u2019s top U.S. spy. But it took 18 days between Acting A.G.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/wp-justice-department-warned-white-house-that-flynn-could-be-vulnerable-to-russian-blackmail-officials-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;Sally Yates\u2019 warning&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:18,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/wp-justice-department-warned-white-house-that-flynn-could-be-vulnerable-to-russian-blackmail-officials-say\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">Sally Yates\u2019 warning<\/a>\u00a0that Flynn might be compromised to his ultimate departure from the White House on February 13th.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>What did Pence really know about Flynn\u2019s communiqu\u00e9s with the Russians during that period? Why did he tell FOXNEWS in March that he was clueless to Flynn\u2019s covert work as a paid foreign agent of Turkey when he\u2019d been warned about it by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) back in November?\u00a0Mike Pence\u2019s state of awareness on all that could now impact his<em>\u00a0own longevity.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>QUEEN FOR A DAY<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>A proffer session, dubbed \u201cQueen for a day\u201d by the Feds, is a meeting between prosecutors &amp; potential witnesses in which they\u2019re asked to show their cards \u2014 offer precise details on what they would testify to under oath in a criminal proceeding \u2014 before any offer of limited-use immunity can be made.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Considering the level of\u00a0<em>this investigation<\/em>\u00a0the Attorney General would typically sign off on a deal like that himself. But given Jeff Sessions\u2019 tenure on the Trump transition and his\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/3528-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;recent recusal&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:19,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/3528-2\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">recent recusal<\/a>\u00a0from Russia-campaign matters, he shouldn\u2019t be able to influence that decision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dff0632c00006f68ff1b6a.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"271\" height=\"191\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Still, it\u2019s conceivable that the ex-Alabama Senator\u00a0could\u00a0<em>also<\/em>\u00a0be in jeopardy. After all, he had two meetings with Kislyak that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/sessions-spoke-twice-with-russian-ambassador-during-trumps-presidential-campaign-justice-officials-say\/2017\/03\/01\/77205eda-feac-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html?utm_term=.ae7f8cd0fa57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;he failed to initially disclose&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:20,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/sessions-spoke-twice-with-russian-ambassador-during-trumps-presidential-campaign-justice-officials-say\/2017\/03\/01\/77205eda-feac-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html?utm_term=.ae7f8cd0fa57&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">he failed to initially disclose<\/a>\u00a0during his confirmation. He was \u00a0under oath at the time and perjury is a crime. Sessions lied during questioning by Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)\u00a0insisting, \u201cI did not have communications with the Russians.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Earlier, he was asked in writing by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) \u201cHave you been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election\u2026\u201d and the future Attorney General replied \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>ENDORSING A FLYNN IMMUNITY DEAL BY TWEET<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>In a statement he must now regret, Flynn told Chuck Todd on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/meet-the-press\/video\/michael-flynn-flashback-when-you-re-given-immunity-you-probably-committed-a-crime-911041091865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;Meet The Press&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:21,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/meet-the-press\/video\/michael-flynn-flashback-when-you-re-given-immunity-you-probably-committed-a-crime-911041091865&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">Meet The Press<\/a>\u00a0last September that, \u201cwhen you are given immunity that means you have probably committed a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dff1142c00002400ff1b6d.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"354\" height=\"183\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>So, Thursday, in detailing his immunity request, Flynn\u2019s lawyer Robert Kelner\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/03\/30\/politics\/michael-flynn-immunity-testimony\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;tried to spin&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:22,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/03\/30\/politics\/michael-flynn-immunity-testimony\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">tried to spin<\/a>the offer away from his client\u2019s potential guilt by asserting that \u201cNo reasonable person who has the advice of counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>The President used that same McCarthy-like analogy in a Tweet early Friday endorsing Flynn\u2019s latest strategy: \u201cMike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media &amp; Dems, of historic proportion!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dff17f16000026004d831c.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"408\" height=\"158\" \/>It felt like a ploy by Trump to seem unfazed by Flynn\u2019s immunity bid. But maybe he should be worried. As Katie Zavadski reports in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2017\/03\/31\/the-nevertrump-laywer-representing-michael-flynn.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;The Daily Beast&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:23,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2017\/03\/31\/the-nevertrump-laywer-representing-michael-flynn.html&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">The Daily Beast<\/a>, Kelner, who\u2019s a partner at the big D.C. law firm of Covington &amp; Burling, was a staunch NeverTrumper. So it begs the question: why\u00a0would Flynn hire a lawyer like that if he really wanted to fall on his sword for the President? My guess is that Flynn is now as angry at Trump as he was at Hillary Clinton when he led cheers to \u201clock her up\u201d at the GOP convention.<\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>IRONY ON TOP OF IRONY<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>It was Flynn prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Ezra Cohen-Watnick\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/nyt-2-white-house-officials-helped-give-nunes-intelligence-reports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;who was outed by th&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:24,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/nyt-2-white-house-officials-helped-give-nunes-intelligence-reports\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">who was outed by th<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/nyt-2-white-house-officials-helped-give-nunes-intelligence-reports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;e NYT&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:25,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/nyt-2-white-house-officials-helped-give-nunes-intelligence-reports\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">e NYT<\/a>\u00a0on Thursday as one of at least three White House staffers suspected of facilitating last week\u2019s hair brained scheme\u00a0to give the President cover for his March 4th\u00a0anti-Obama Twitter meltdown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>That was the plot in which House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/lemmings-with-suicide-vests-how-did-devin-nunes-a-dairy-farmer-with-zero-intelligence-experience-before-arriving-on-the-house-intel-committee-in-2011-get-to-be-chairman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;made a series of trips&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:26,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/lemmings-with-suicide-vests-how-did-devin-nunes-a-dairy-farmer-with-zero-intelligence-experience-before-arriving-on-the-house-intel-committee-in-2011-get-to-be-chairman\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">made a series of trips<\/a>\u00a0between The Capitol and The White House bracketed by press conferences where he claimed he\u2019d discovered fresh intel on Trump and his campaign aides collected by the Obama administration during the transition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>As\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/politico-trump-steps-in-to-keep-30-year-old-nsc-aide-bannon-and-kushner-prevail-on-the-president-to-override-his-national-security-adviser-and-keep-a-flynn-protege\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;Politico reported&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:27,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/politico-trump-steps-in-to-keep-30-year-old-nsc-aide-bannon-and-kushner-prevail-on-the-president-to-override-his-national-security-adviser-and-keep-a-flynn-protege\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">Politico reported<\/a>\u00a0Flynn\u2019s successor, H.R. McMaster, wanted to sideline Cohen-Watnick, who allegedly \u201cfell out of favor with some at the CIA,\u201d but the 30-year-old\u2019s job on the National Security Council was saved by Steve Bannon and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dff19f2c00002500ff1b6f.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"313\" height=\"197\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Now, apart from any high crimes or misdemeanors Bannon might be responsible for, Kushner himself could be vulnerable in the FBI Russian-influence probe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Why? because he and Flynn\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/nyt-kushner-and-flynn-met-with-russian-envoy-in-december-white-house-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;met secretly&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:28,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/nyt-kushner-and-flynn-met-with-russian-envoy-in-december-white-house-says\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">met secretly<\/a>\u00a0with the Russian Ambassador in Trump Tower back in December and Kushner had another secret confab with\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/nyt-senate-committee-to-question-jared-kushner-over-meetings-with-russians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;Sergey N. Gorkov&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:29,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/nyt-senate-committee-to-question-jared-kushner-over-meetings-with-russians\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">Sergey N. Gorkov<\/a>, an FSB-trained Putin confident who\u2019s an official of a Russian bank currently under sanctions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Senate investigators now want to question Jared about all of that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Add to the mix,<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/the-guardian-russian-deception-influenced-election-due-to-trumps-support-senators-hear\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;the extraordinary testimony&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:30,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/the-guardian-russian-deception-influenced-election-due-to-trumps-support-senators-hear\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u00a0the extraordinary testimony<\/a>\u00a0at Thursday\u2019s Senate Intelligence hearing from former FBI agent Clint Watts. He told the panel that Russian \u201cweaponized\u201d disinformation hacks known as \u201cactive measures\u201d had influenced President Trump himself as recently as October 11th when he quoted a fake news story from the Kremlin\u2019s propaganda outlet Sputnik News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Testimony at that Senate hearing also revealed publicly, for the first time, that the Russian\u2019s also intervened\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/congress\/article141746659.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;to impact the GOP primary&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:31,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/congress\/article141746659.html&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">to impact the GOP primary<\/a>\u00a0process in favor of Donald Trump. One of the targets was Florida Senator<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/powerpost\/ryan-rubio-may-have-been-targets-of-damaging-russian-social-media-campaigns\/2017\/03\/30\/bdf5f4fa-154f-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.f5f9d4c9877f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;Marco Rubio&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:32,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/powerpost\/ryan-rubio-may-have-been-targets-of-damaging-russian-social-media-campaigns\/2017\/03\/30\/bdf5f4fa-154f-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.f5f9d4c9877f&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u00a0Marco Rubio<\/a>, whom the Senators heard, was the victim of active measures as recently as this week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dff1c816000028004d831e.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"272\" height=\"146\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>A HEAD SPINNING GAME OF CAT\u2019S CRADLE<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>There are now at least three questions regarding Russian intervention in U.S. electoral politics that investigators are digging into:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>1) Whether Donald Trump was merely what Moscow Centre would call a \u201cpolezniye duraki\u201d or a \u201cuseful fool,\u201d influenced in his decision-making by their propaganda?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>2) Whether Russian interests colluded with Trump campaign surrogates, transition team members or administration officials to achieve quid pro\u00a0quos, like the lifting of costly sanctions imposed by Barack Obama after Putin\u2019s invasion and annexation of Crimea? \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>3) Finally, whether the Trump administration is now\u00a0<\/strong><em>obstructing justice<\/em>\u00a0to thwart efforts by the FBI and congressional investigators to answer those questions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>If\u00a0<em>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reporting on Cohen-Watnick and ex-House Intel Committee lawyer Michael Ellis, is accurate, we already know the answer to Question No. 3.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>The net-net: Team Trump cooked up a plot to \u201cuncover\u201d the alleged \u201cintel,\u201d slip it to Nunes, then induced him to return to the WH to \u201creveal\u201d it as sourced by\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/paul-ryan-on-house-intel-chairman-devin-nunes-trump-russia-gop-health-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;\u201cwhistleblowers\u201d&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:33,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/paul-ryan-on-house-intel-chairman-devin-nunes-trump-russia-gop-health-care\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u201cwhistleblowers\u201d<\/a>\u00a0in an audacious move to vindicate the President for his baseless \u201cwiretapping\u201d accusations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dff2091400002600072c97.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"141\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>That run-on sentence is a fair description of the cat\u2019s cradle of obstruction that was woven last week at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Remember, \u201cobstruction of justice\u201d was the principal crime that led a House Committee to approve three\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/national\/longterm\/watergate\/articles\/072874-1.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;articles of impeachment&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:34,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/national\/longterm\/watergate\/articles\/072874-1.htm&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">articles of impeachment<\/a>against Richard Nixon in 1974 that led to his\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/national\/longterm\/watergate\/articles\/080974-3.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;resignation.&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:35,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/national\/longterm\/watergate\/articles\/080974-3.htm&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">resignation.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dff2402c00002800ff1b71.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"213\" height=\"206\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>And\u00a0As Lawrence O\u2019Donnell has been pointing out, night after night on \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MdP1advRPG0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;The Last Word,\u201d&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:36,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MdP1advRPG0&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">The Last Word,\u201d<\/a>Nunes read House Speaker Paul Ryan into that plot before he \u201cbriefed\u201d the President. That could make the Wisconsin Republican, who\u2019s third in the line of succession for President, himself a co-conspirator.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Finally, if you want to stand irony on its head, another revelation\u00a0in Thursday\u2019s Senate hearing was that in the last few days, along with Marco Rubio,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/powerpost\/ryan-rubio-may-have-been-targets-of-damaging-russian-social-media-campaigns\/2017\/03\/30\/bdf5f4fa-154f-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.3b7f2c62d45e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;Paul Ryan himself&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:38,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/powerpost\/ryan-rubio-may-have-been-targets-of-damaging-russian-social-media-campaigns\/2017\/03\/30\/bdf5f4fa-154f-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.3b7f2c62d45e&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u00a0Paul Ryan himself<\/a>\u00a0was the target of Russian social media attacks seeking to discredit him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Imagine if Trump, Pence and Ryan all go down over this. Our next POTUS would be none other than President Pro Tempore of The Senate, Orrin Hatch, an eighty-three year old Republican from Utah. And if he proved too old to serve, guess who\u2019d be calling the shots? Former Exxon\/Mobile CEO and recipient of The Russian Order of Friendship, Rex Tillerson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>It could turn out that they remade\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Manchurian_Candidate_(2004_film)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;\u201cThe Manchurian Candidate\u201d&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:39,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Manchurian_Candidate_(2004_film)&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\u201cThe Manchurian Candidate\u201d<\/a>\u00a0a few years too early. Is Vladimir Putin really that much of a chess player? It\u2019s your call.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dffb251400002400072ca4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"263\" height=\"161\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>.09-ON-THE-RICHTER-SCALE OF SCANDAL<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Thursday night on CNN, Matthew Rosenberg, one of the\u00a0<em>NYT<\/em>\u00a0reporters who broke the Cohen-Watnick\/Ellis bombshell, noted how the Russia story was moving so quickly that just a few hours after owning what should have been the lead piece of the day, he and his colleagues were now \u201cchasing\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/wsj-mike-flynn-offers-to-testify-in-exchange-for-immunity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;the WSJ\u2019s story&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:40,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/wsj-mike-flynn-offers-to-testify-in-exchange-for-immunity\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">the WSJ\u2019s story<\/a>\u00a0on Flynn\u2019s immunity offer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Forget the old 24-hour news cycle, you literally have to be plugged-in around the clock to keep up with the blizzard of Tweets and news alerts in this .09-on-the-Richter-Scale scandal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><strong>THE LIGHT-SPEED OF DISINTEGRATION<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/transcripts.cnn.com\/TRANSCRIPTS\/1703\/17\/cnr.07.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;In his White House Press conference&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:41,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/transcripts.cnn.com\/TRANSCRIPTS\/1703\/17\/cnr.07.html&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">In his White House Press conference<\/a>\u00a0with German Chancellor Angela Merkel March 17th, the President said that he \u201cprobably wouldn\u2019t be here right now,\u201d were it not for Twitter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Still, the light speed at which he\u2019s jammed what feels like seven months of traditional news into 70 days, could be a sign of how rapidly his White House tenure could unravel if he continues to use Twitter as an instrument of his own demise. Nobody forced him to Tweet, \u201cHow low has President Obama gone to tapp (sic) my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon\/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_image&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/58dff2c71400002300072c99.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"366\" height=\"142\" \/><\/figure>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Now that bizarre roller-coaster ride of false accusation and cover-up has devolved into Donald Trump\u2019s Nixonian reality. If his paranoia continues, indictments may well follow the subpoenas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>Michael Flynn is a natural target. For 24 days he sat across the Resolute Desk from the President and took notes. From his previously undisclosed speaking fees from Russia Today (RT) the Kremlin propaganda arm which the DNI\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dni.gov\/files\/documents\/ICA_2017_01.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;January 6th report&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:42,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.dni.gov\/files\/documents\/ICA_2017_01.pdf&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">January 6th report<\/a>\u00a0says \u201cactively collaborated with Wikileaks\u201d to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/the-second-michael-flynn-scandal-the-greek-philosopher-zeno-and-staying-frosty-in-the-trump-chaos-presidency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;his failure to register as a foreign agent for Turkey&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:43,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/investigatingtrump.com\/the-second-michael-flynn-scandal-the-greek-philosopher-zeno-and-staying-frosty-in-the-trump-chaos-presidency\/&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">his failure to register as a foreign agent for Turkey<\/a>\u00a0while on the Trump transition, Flynn, \u201ccertainly has a story to tell,\u201d as his lawyer put it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">\n<p>The Senate Intel Committee has\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/senate-intelligence-committee-rejects-immunity-michael-flynn-n741061\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;already rejected&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:44,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/senate-intelligence-committee-rejects-immunity-michael-flynn-n741061&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">already rejected<\/a>\u00a0Flynn\u2019s offer to strike a deal and the ranking Democrat on the House panel, Adam Schiff, said Friday that Flynn\u2019s immunity bid was too early to be considered, though he characterized it as \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/michael-flynn-immunity-fbi-intelligence-trump-schiff-nunes-2017-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;a grave and momentous step.\u201d&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:45,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/michael-flynn-immunity-fbi-intelligence-trump-schiff-nunes-2017-3&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\">a grave and momentous step.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\u00a0That\u2019s because with all of the other \u201ccompromised\u201d President\u2019s men, Michael Flynn may just be the Jack in the House of Cards. It takes an Ace to trump a King but with so many other members of the court who might be vulnerable to criminal charges, from Manafort to Stone, to Page and yes, even Kushner, James Comey could soon find himself holding a royal flush.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mlid&quot;:&quot;entry_footer&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\"><\/div>\n<div data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mlid&quot;:&quot;below_entry&quot;}}\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"taboola-below-article-thumbnails-4934631553478539\" data-placement-name=\"Below Article Thumbnails\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"trc_wrapper_3245\">\n<div id=\"trc_header_3245\">\n<div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/popup.taboola.com\/en\/?template=colorbox&amp;utm_source=aol-huffingtonpost&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=thumbnails-o:Below%20Article%20Thumbnails:\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Iran-Contra%20Flashback%3A%20How%20The%20Oliver%20North%20Defense%20could%20impact%20the%20FBI%E2%80%99s%20investigation%20into%20Team%20Trump%20and%20The%20Kremlin\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>By Peter Lance investigating trump.com The Huffington Post April 1st, 2017. Regarding ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn\u2019s recent request for immunity, there\u2019s a lesson to be learned from a short-lived Mafia murder trial in Brooklyn nearly a decade ago. On March 30th,\u00a02006 R. Lindley DeVecchio, a celebrated FBI Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) known in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10418"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10418"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16470,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10418\/revisions\/16470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}