It appears Special Counsel Robert Mueller has a serial leaker. Following last weekend's well-timed leak of Manafort's looming arrest - which dominated the weekend media's speculation - NBC News reports sources familiar confirming federal investigators have gathered enough evidence to bring charges in their investigation of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser and his son.
As a reminder, Flynn was fired in February following public revelations that he had lied to Vice President Pence about his dealings with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak.
Michael Flynn, who was fired after just 24 days on the job, was one of the first Trump associates to come under scrutiny in the federal probe into possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
A week after the Manafort, Gates, Papadopoulos 'smoking guns' hit the headlines, "multiple sources familiar with the investigation" that Mueller is set to apply pre pressure to Mike Flynn (and his son). As NBC News reports, the investigators are speaking to multiple witnesses in coming days to gain more information surrounding Flynn's lobbying work, including whether he laundered money or lied to federal agents about his overseas contacts, according to three sources familiar with the investigation.
Mueller's team is also examining whether Flynn attempted to orchestrate the removal of a chief rival of Turkish President Recep Erdogan from the U.S. to Turkey in exchange for millions of dollars, two officials said.
Flynn's son, Michael G. Flynn, who worked closely with his father, accompanied him during the campaign and briefly worked on the presidential transition, could be indicted separately or at the same time as his father, according to three sources familiar with the investigation.
If the elder Flynn is willing to cooperate with investigators in order to help his son, two of the sources said, it could also change his own fate, potentially limiting any legal consequences.
NBC concludes that the pressure on Flynn is the latest signal that Mueller is moving at a rapid, and steady, pace in his investigation. Last week, investigators unsealed indictments of Manafort and Manafort's business partner Rick Gates. They pleaded not guilty.
It's also notable that nothing that hit last week ties Trump directly to collusion with Russia, just as the charges for Flynn do not; but just as is the case with Manafort and Gates, Mueller appears to believe applying pressure to these 'bad actors' will force them to release details about President Trump (which a year-long investigation has failed to find).
Both Flynns have for months been subjects of the Mueller investigation...
The elder Flynn, an Army lieutenant general, was pushed out as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 and retired from the military. He then founded a lobbying firm, Flynn Intel Group, where his son worked closely with him.
The younger Flynn was involved in the daily operations of his father's firm and functioned as his chief of staff. He often attended meetings with his father and would communicate with prospective clients.
The elder Flynn was paid $530,000 last year for work the Justice Department says benefited the government of Turkey.
The elder Flynn did not register as a foreign lobbyist at the time, but did so retroactively this year. The issue has been part of Mueller's probe.
His lawyer later said Flynn didn't need to register because his client was a Turkish businessman and not a government official, but had opted to do so retroactively.
One wonders, given the above 'sources' reporting, how long before charges are brought against Tony Podesta with regard his Foreign Agent Registration status?
We leave it to Flynn's son to conclude...
The SJW are out in full this morning....the disappointment on your faces when I don’t go to jail will be worth all your harassment...
— ????????MFLYNNJR???????? (@mflynnJR) November 5, 2017