President Trump’s personal lawyer said on Sunday that it was “my mistake” that the president sent out a tweet about firing former national security adviser Michael Flynn, prompting speculation that it showed evidence of obstruction of justice.
“I’m out of the tweeting business. I did not mean to break news,” attorney John Dowd told Axios.
Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to federal investigators about his conversations during the presidential transition with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. about sanctions related to the Kremlin’s election interference.
{mosads}”I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies,” Trump tweeted on Saturday.
“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 James Comey to drop the investigation, as the former FBI director has testified to Congress, it could amount to obstruction of justice.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that Dowd had drafted the tweet for Trump.
Dowd told Axios on Sunday that the point of the tweet “was entirely correct.”
“It’s just very sad. I don’t know why the guy lied. He didn’t need to,” he added.
Trump in February said he fired Flynn because he lied to the vice president — but did not mention anything related to what the national security adviser told the FBI.