Trump's lawyer: I wrote the president's 'sloppy' tweet about Flynn's dismissal
President Donald Trump's personal lawyer John Dowd drafted the president's Saturday morning tweet that stated he fired former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for lying not only to Vice President Mike Pence but also to the FBI, Dowd told ABC News Saturday.
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"I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI," Trump tweeted at 9:14 a.m. on Saturday. "He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!"
I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesThe apparent admission by the president — that he knew Flynn had lied to the FBI at the time of his firing — seems to add a potentially explosive new dimension to the ongoing special counsel investigation.
If true, why then would Trump ask the FBI director to go easy on Flynn, as former FBI Director James Comey later testified? The message set off renewed talk of potential evidence of obstruction of justice.
But now Dowd, corroborated by a second source familiar with the matter, said the tweet was not drafted by the president himself but rather by the lawyer — and done so in a "sloppy" manner.
The White House, which has insisted that tweets from the president should be taken as official statements, has declined to comment.
Trump continued to tweet about Flynn on Sunday morning, writing, "I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!"
I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017
Susan Walsh/AP PhotoThe public acknowledgment by Dowd means it is not clear whether the president did in fact know Flynn had lied to the FBI at the time of firing him — though one source familiar with the president’s thinking said Trump did not know. Administration officials have declined to comment on that matter, as well.
The unusual clarification by Dowd –- revealing that someone other than Trump himself had authored a tweet from his official account — could also be an attempt to tamp down on potential legal exposure from the message.
The president did not respond to shouted questions Saturday evening about Flynn’s firing as he returned home from campaign fundraisers in New York City.
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