There’s no immunity deal for disgraced National Security Adviser Michael Flynn — yet.
“We are not ready to consider that,” said Sen. Mark Warner, (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee on Sunday. “We are not even publicly acknowledging that he has contacted us.”
Flynn lost his top job advising President Trump for lying about his contacts with Russia and sought an immunity deal before speaking to the House and Senate intelligence committees. Speaking to John Catsimatidis on The Cats Roundtable (AM 970) radio show in New York, Warner said he and the GOP chairman Richard Burr would have to evaluate immunity at a later time. Flynn’s lawyer said the ousted NSA advisor would have a “story to tell.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Flynn’s immunity request suggests he “might have some liability, from a legal standpoint.” But the Republican intel committee member agrees that granting such protection is not in the cards right now.
“I think it’s premature,” Cornyn told CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I agree with Mark Warner, Senator Warner and others who said, we need …to get as much background as we possibly can, and there’s 20 different witnesses that have agreed to cooperate with the committee in addition to viewing the raw intelligence. And at some point, we may want to talk to General Flynn.”
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee also isn’t inclined to grant Flynn immunity.
“I think we start out with a very healthy skepticism,” Schiff told CNN’s “State of the Union.” Schiff pointed to Flynn’s failure to fully disclose his earnings from Russian-related entities, which was revealed Friday.
Both committees are investigation Russia meddling in the 2016 presidential election and potential collusion between Team Trump and Russia hacking. But after Rep. Devin Nunes went rouge with a private meeting to Trump’s White House, the Senate investigation seems to be the one avenue where bipartisanship is still alive.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continued to resist calls for independent probe into Russia’s meddling and stood by the ability of Warner’s committee to function.
“We don’t need yet another investigation,” McConnell told “Fox News Sunday.
“It’s being handled appropriately and it will be handled well,” McConnell said.
Asked if the Russia probes – including one at the FBI – are interfering with President Trump’s agenda, McConnell said: “It’s certainly not helpful.”