Dear Editor,
Is it the “Swamp,” the “Left,” the “Fake News,” the "Black Lives Matter Movement,” the “Democrats,” or the “Chinese Virus,” that has taken America’s focus off the biggest political news event since Watergate?
Some may ask what could be as big as Watergate? It was the perjury trap set for retired U.S. Army Gen. Michael Vince Flynn by politically motivated FBI agents, his illegal prosecution, plea of perjury and ultimate dismissal of charges. All this was the result of overzealous Mueller investigators pressuring Gen. Flynn to help them pursue President Trump and his supposed collusion with the Russians, which we now know was much ado about nothing. This should be the biggest political news event since Watergate?
Remember the text messages before Trump’s election between FBI Agent Peter Strzok and Lisa Page? Agent Page asked Agent Strzok, “Trump is not ever going to become President, right, Right (sic)?” Agent Strzok replied, “No, No he won’t. We’ll stop it.” Agent Strzok text Agent Page, “I want to believe the path you through out for consideration in Andy McCabe’f office-that there’s no way he gets elected-but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you are forty. You don’t expect to die when you’re forty (40) yet you still have an insurance policy.”
This almost sounds like the makings for a Latin American coup-de-tat.
The perjury trap for Gen. Flynn began by then-FBI Director James Comey slipping Agents Peter Strzok and Joe Pientka into the White House on Jan. 24, 2017 — just four days into the Trump presidency — to interview Gen. Flynn. Andy McCabe personally called Gen. Flynn at the White House and told him, “We’d like you to have a conversation with two FBI agents about this conversation you had with the Russian ambassador.” He told Gen. Flynn not to have a lawyer present.
Recently unsealed documents show Agents Strzok and Pientka summarized their meeting with Gen. Flynn by saying, “throughout the interview, Flynn had a very ‘sure’ demeanor and did not give any indicators of deception. He did not parse his words or hesitate in any of his answers.” It was only after Mueller was appointed on May 17, 2017, the Flynn case came off the shelf. Agent Peter Strzok then re-wrote the 302 report on July 19, 2017, with help from Agent Lisa Page, who was not present during the interview with Gen. Flynn. Gen. Flynn’s defense never saw the original 302 FBI report until recently.
Nor had Gen. Flynn’s attorneys until recently seen a hand-written note by Agent Pientka stating, “What’s our goal? Truth/Admission or get him to lie so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”
As a result of these underhanded revelations, Attorney General William Barr’s Justice Department dropped all charges against Gen. Flynn. It will be interesting to see the civil suits filed by Gen. Flynn against crooked FBI agents for malicious prosecution, and the money he will rightfully collect from them and the government he most faithfully served.
Bill Simmons
Columbia
