FBI found no 'derogatory' Russia evidence on Flynn, planned to close case before leaders intervened Just the News, Apr 30, 2020, John Solomon
Evidence withheld for years from Michael Flynn's defense team shows the FBI found "no derogatory" Russia evidence against the former Trump National Security Adviser and that counterintelligence agents had recommended closing down the case with a defensive briefing before the bureau's leadership intervened in January 2017.
The recommendation to close the case came 16 days before President Trump took office with plans to have Flynn serve as his National Security Adviser, and after agents had found no incriminating evidence by sweeping counterintelligence files and talking to confidential human sources, the memos show.
Flynn was given a codename of "Crossfire Razor" during the probe, an apparent spinoff from the larger Russia collusion case known as Crossfire Hurricane.
"The absence of any derogatory information or lead information from these logical sources reduce the number of investigative avenues and techniques to pursue. Per the direction of FBI management, Crossfire Razor was not interviewed as part of the case closing procedure. The FBI is closing this investigation," the agent wrote on Jan. 4, 2017.
The release of the memo Thursday is the result of extraordinary efforts by Attorney General William Barr to bring transparency to a case that dogged the beginning of the Trump presidency and has since dissolved into controversy over the FBI conduct during it. Barr has named a special prosecutor to review the bureau's handling of Flynn and determined if any criminal charges are warranted.
The files show the plan was to provide Flynn with a defensive briefing so he could be aware of potential pitfalls with Russians as he started in his new job in the White House. But then the lead agent in the larger Russia case, Peter Strzok, intervened to stop the case from being closed and pivoted the discussion toward seeking an interview with Flynn, FBI text messages show.
In the text messages to his team, Strzok specifically cited "the 7th floor" of FBI headquarters, where then-Director James Comey and then-Deputy Director Andrew McCane worked, as the reason he intervened.
"Hey if you haven't closed RAZOR, don't do so yet," Strzok texted on Jan. 4, 2017.
"It is still open and I'm still listed as the case manager," his colleague texted back.
"Rgr, I couldn't raise earlier. Please keep it open for now," Strzok texted. Later he added, "7th floor involved."
More:
https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/fbi-found-no-derogatory-russia-evidence-flynn-planned
