Justice Department Finds New Notes From Peter Strzok Regarding Michael Flynn Believed to Be ‘Highly Exculpatory’ | Eastern NC Now

Publisher's note: This informational nugget was sent to me by Ben Shapiro, who represents the Daily Wire, and since this is one of the most topical news events, it should be published on BCN.

The author of this post is Ashe Schow.

    An additional page of notes believed to be written by ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok pertaining to former national security adviser Michael Flynn have been found by prosecutors.

    The notes were mentioned by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin in a new court filing, though the notes themselves were not included in the filing. Journalist John Solomon reported on his website Just the News that the notes from Strzok were believed to have been written in early January, before the FBI spoke to Flynn and accused him of lying.

    "This page of notes was taken by former Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok. While the page itself is undated; we believe that the notes were taken in early January 2017, possibly between January 3 and January 5," Sherwin wrote in his court filing to U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who has refused to dismiss charges against Flynn even though the U.S. Department of Justice dropped its case against Flynn. An appeals court on Wednesday ordered Sullivan to drop the charges against Flynn.

    "A source directly familiar with the discovery of the document told Just the News they include one paragraph of notes believed to be taken around Jan. 4, 2017, the date Strzok relayed a request from FBI leadership to the lead agent in the Flynn case asking him not to shut down the investigation as had been planned. The notes are 'highly exculpatory,' the source said, declining to describe them more fully because they are under seal," Solomon reported.

    As Solomon wrote, the FBI had concluded there was "no derogatory" information found to charge Flynn with a crime after the former Trump adviser was investigated for five months. When the FBI agent in charge of the probe recommended it be closed, Strzok jumped in to save it.

    "Strzok relayed a message from the '7th floor' leadership of the FBI to hold off closing the case, leading to a controversial decision to seek an interview with Flynn that eventually led to criminal charges and a plea deal," Solomon reported.

    Documents unsealed earlier this year included notes written by former FBI general counsel James A. Baker questioned why Flynn was being interviewed when the probe was about to be shut down. Baker asked if the Flynn interview was about "Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?"

    As The Daily Wire previously reported, fired FBI director James Comey admitted that the FBI interview with Flynn didn't follow standard protocol. The FBI knew what Flynn discussed with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, yet they brought him in for questioning anyway. The FBI had a transcript of Flynn's phone call; Flynn did not. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI but has since tried to rescind that plea. Others who have lied to the FBI, such as former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, were never charged.