Special counsel Robert Mueller has delayed the testimony of an associate to former national security adviser Michael Flynn before a grand jury due to the possibility of reaching a plea deal, according to CNN.
A public relations consultant hired by Flynn’s lobbying firm who was scheduled to testify in December in a time-sensitive manner has been delayed from testifying, with no reason given, according to a member of the firm.
The move comes after Flynn’s attorneys met with Mueller’s team on Monday and after it was announced that Flynn had terminated his information-sharing agreement with President Trump’s legal team.
{mosads}
Mueller’s team is reported to have sufficient evidence already to indict both Flynn and his son, Michael Flynn Jr., who also worked for the Trump campaign.
Mueller’s special counsel office has the authority to investigate “any matters that arise” as a result of the probe into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.
Earlier this month, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a business associate were indicted on multiple charges stemming from the investigation.
Multiple outlets have reported that Flynn is under investigation for an alleged quid pro quo deal with Turkey’s government, in which Flynn would have been paid millions of dollars in exchange for the extradition of an exiled Muslim cleric living in the U.S. whom Turkey’s president suspects was involved in a 2016 coup attempt.
Federal records also show that the former national security adviser did not register $530,000 he was paid last year for work he did that the Justice Department said principally benefited Turkey, which is a potential violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The White House has denied speculation that Flynn has “flipped” on the president, and reiterated the president’s position that nothing illegal occurred.
“No one should draw the conclusion that this means anything about General Flynn cooperating against the president,” Trump legal team member Jay Sekulow said last week on ABC News.
A spokesman for special counsel refused to comment, CNN said.