U.S. Department of Justice
Attorney Work Product // May Contain Material Protected Under Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e)
p.m., McFarland called Flynn, but they did not talk.[1] Shortly thereafter, McFarland and Bannon discussed the sanctions.[2] According to Mclarland, Bannon remarked that the sanctions would hurt their ability to have good relations with Russia, and that Russian escalation would make things more difficult.[3] McFarland believed she told Bannon that Flynn was scheduled to talk to Kislyak later that night,[4] McFarland also believed she may have discussed the sanctions with Priebus, and likewise told him that Flynn was scheduled to talk to Kislyak that night.[5] At 3:14 p.m., Flynn texted a Transition Team member who was assisting McFarland, "Time for a call???"[6] The Transition Team member responded that McFarland was on the phone with Tom Bossert, a Transition Team senior official, to which Flynn responded, "Tit for tat w Russia not good. Russian AMBO reaching out to me today,"[7]
Flynn recalled that he chose not to communicate with Kislyak about the sanctions until he had heard from the team at Mar-a-Lago.[8] He first spoke with Michael Ledeen,[9] a Transition Team member who advised on foreign policy and national security matters, for 20 minutes.[10] Flynn then spoke with McFarland for almost 20 minutes to discuss what, if anything, to communicate to Kislyak about the sanctions.[11] On that call, McFarland and Flynn discussed the sanctions, including their potential impact on the incoming Trump Administration's foreign policy goals.[12] McFarland and Flynn also discussed that Transition Team members in Mar-a-Lago did not want Russia to escalate the situation.[13]
They both understood that Flynn would relay a message to Kislyak in hopes of making sure the situation would not get out of hand.[14]
- ↑ Call Records of K.T. McFarland Grand Jury .
- ↑ McFarland 12/22/17 302, at 5-6.
- ↑ McFarland 12/22/17 302, at 5-6.
- ↑ McFarland 12/22/17 302, at 6.
- ↑ McFarland 12/22/17 302, at 6.
- ↑ SF000001 (12/29/16 Text Message, Flynn to Flaherty).
- ↑ SF000001 (12/29/16 Text Message, Flynn to Flaherty).
- ↑ Flynn 11/20/17 302, at 3.
- ↑ Michael Ledeen is married to Barbara Ledeen, the Senate staffer whose 2016 efforts to locate Hillary Clinton's missing emails are described in Volume I, Section III.D.2, supra.
- ↑ Flynn 11/17/17 302, at 3; Call Records of Michael Ledeen Grand Jury .
- ↑ Fivnn 11/17/17 302, at 3-4; Flynn Statement of Offense ¶ 3(c); Call Records of K.T. McFarland Grand Jury ; Call Records of Michael T. Flynn Grand Jury .
- ↑ Flynn 11/17/17 302, at 3-4
- ↑ Flynn 11/17/17 302, at 3-4; Flynn Statement of Offense ¶ 3(c); McFarland 12/22/17 302, at 6-7
- ↑ Flynn 11/17/17 302, at 4; McFarland 12/22/17 302, at 6-7.
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