The door is open for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to question Vice President Mike Pence now that former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and Pence. And this has Pence’s aides worried, The Hill reports.
Pence Kept In The Dark?
Sources affiliated with the Vice President’s office told CNN that while he was aware that Flynn had contacted then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, he didn’t know that the two discussed Russian sanctions. The vice president was at the forefront of the Trump transition team when Flynn contacted Kislyak to discuss the U.S. backed sanctions against Russia. So his aides are waiting nervously for a call from Mueller’s team requesting an interview, another source close to the vice president told the network.
“They are preparing for that. Chairing the transition team would make it possible regardless of who it was,” the source said.
But administration officials from Pence’s office deny that they are preparing for an interview with Mueller. Pence’s spokeswoman Alyssa Farah told CNN.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. The Vice President is focused on passing the largest tax cut in American history.”
Other high-level Trump administration officials also knew about Flynn’s conversation with Kislyak, according to court documents. And reports note that White House counsel Don McGahn allegedly informed Trump that Flynn lied to Pence and the FBI last January; 18 days before firing the former NSA adviser.
But lawmakers also contend that Pence owes them a few answers regarding what he did actually know.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told CNN:
“I think he has new questions to answer.”
Blumenthal said he wants the Senate Judiciary Committee to interview the vice president to find out what he knew at the time regarding Flynn’s discussions with Russian officials.
In the days since Flynn entered a guilty plea last week, at least seven people continue to maintain that although Pence headed Trump’s transition team, he didn’t know that the former adviser discussed the sanctions issue with Kislyak.
But all appearances aside, this seems a little weird because court filings show that Flynn spoke with several senior members of Trump’s transition team regarding his conversations with Kislyak. So it’s bizarre indeed that Trump’s second-in-command was seemingly out of the loop.
What did he know and when did he know it? This circus is becoming more bizarre every day.
Watch the video below to find out more:
Featured image by Wochit News via YouTube video.
