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Top House Republican Says Flynn FBI Bombshell 'Bigger Than Watergate'

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that the newly released files revealing FBI agents discussed their motives for interviewing former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn were “bigger than Watergate” in a Thursday interview.

“What you’ve talked about with Flynn and with the president is bigger than Watergate, and people need to be held accountable,” the California Republican told Fox News host Sean Hannity.



McCarthy was responding to Hannity’s earlier segment about FBI documents that were unsealed Thursday as part of Flynn’s case.

The documents showed that top bureau officials had questioned if their “goal” of interviewing Flynn in 2017 was “to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired.”

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The notes were handwritten by the FBI’s former head of counterintelligence, Bill Priestap, after he met with then-FBI Director James Comey and then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, Fox News reported.

“What is our goal?” one of the notes said. “Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”

Hannity said the question should not ever be asked by any professional “and would never be asked by the 99 percent of brave professionals in the FBI.”

“Now shouldn’t the goal of the FBI, not that question, shouldn’t it always be truth, the rule of law, justice?” he asked. “They work in the Department of Justice. We have a system of justice in America. Apparently not in Jim Comey’s FBI.”



Comey, who was fired from his position as FBI director in 2017, was in charge of the bureau during Flynn’s FBI interview.

Another option suggested in the notes was to get Flynn “to admit to breaking the Logan Act” when he talked with the FBI officials about his contact with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the time between President Donald Trump’s election and inauguration.

“If we get him to admit to breaking the Logan Act, give facts to DOJ + have them decide,” the note read.

The Logan Act is a 1799 statute that was enacted to prevent individuals from negotiating with foreign governments without authorization.

Do you agree this is bigger than Watergate?
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Since it was enacted, no one has ever been found to have violated the Logan Act, according to Bloomberg.

“It has been repeatedly used as a partisan cudgel to harass political opponents for more than two American centuries,” Bloomberg wrote.

Hannity said the unsealed documents, and the many more that are reported to be released soon, show that Comey and the FBI “were determined to take down the administration, this president, one way or another.”

“Instead of holding our federal government accountable, they were cheering for the demise of an American war hero and wanting to take out a duly elected president,” he said.

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Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. A University of Oregon graduate, Erin has conducted research in data journalism and contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.
Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. She grew up in San Diego, California, proceeding to attend the University of Oregon and graduate with honors holding a degree in journalism. During her time in Oregon, Erin was an associate editor for Ethos Magazine and a freelance writer for Eugene Magazine. She has conducted research in data journalism, which has been published in the book “Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future.” Erin is an avid runner with a heart for encouraging young girls and has served as a coach for the organization Girls on the Run. As a writer and editor, Erin strives to promote social dialogue and tell the story of those around her.
Birthplace
Tucson, Arizona
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated with Honors
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon
Books Written
Contributor for Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future
Location
Prescott, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, French
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Health, Entertainment, Faith




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