President Trump’s tweet Saturday saying he had fired Michael Flynn as national security adviser because he lied to Vice President Pence and the FBI was reportedly authored by Trump’s personal lawyer, John Dowd.
Two sources familiar with the tweet told The Washington Post Saturday that Dowd, Trump’s chief counsel, had crafted the tweet. The White House has not yet made a statement about the tweet, but its authorship could change the tweet’s pertinence in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election meddling.
Trump on Saturday tweeted, “I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies.”
“It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!” he added.
The tweet caused shockwaves, as legal experts suggested that if Trump knew that Flynn had lied to the FBI and then asked Comey to drop the investigation, it could amount to obstruction of justice.
Trump in February said he axed Flynn because he lied to the vice president — but did not mention anything related to what the national security adviser told the FBI.
Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to federal investigators about his conversations during the presidential transition with Russia’s U.S. ambassador about sanctions related to the Kremlin’s election interference.