Trump: ‘Impossible for me to know’ extent of Flynn investigation

President Trump on Friday sought to distance himself from former national security adviser Michael Flynn, one day after newly unsealed court documents showed Flynn cooperated more extensively than previously known with special counsel Robert Mueller.

“It now seems the General Flynn was under investigation long before was common knowledge. It would have been impossible for me to know this but, if that was the case, and with me being one of two people who would become president, why was I not told so that I could make a change?” Trump tweeted.

{mosads}The president’s efforts to disassociate from Flynn came one day after court documents showed the former official provided information to Mueller relevant to his inquiry into obstruction of justice.

“The defendant informed the government of multiple instances, both before and after his guilty plea, where either he or his attorneys received communications from persons connected to the Administration or Congress that could have affected both his willingness to cooperate and the completeness of that cooperation,” the filing states.

Flynn also provided information to prosecutors about discussions within Trump’s campaign about WikiLeaks, the organization that released hacked Democratic emails tied to a Russian plot to interfere in the 2016 election, according to the new filing.

Former President Obama reportedly cautioned Trump against hiring Flynn during a November 2016 meeting, and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates testified in May 2017 that she warned the White House that Flynn created a “compromise situation” and could have been “blackmailed.”

Flynn’s brief tenure as Trump’s national security adviser was overshadowed by questions about his contacts with foreign officials.

The retired Army lieutenant general resigned in February 2017, shortly after he took the post, amid reports he misled Trump transition and administration officials about a conversation he had with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. before Trump took office.

Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with the Russian ambassador in December 2017, and agreed to cooperate in Mueller’s investigation.

Trump’s tweet was sent a short time after a Fox News segment aired that detailed Flynn’s case and featured an interview with the retired general’s brother, Joe Flynn.