It seemed that the president and Michael Flynn had a wonderful deal that would enable both of them to walk away from the tangled Russia web free and clear of any culpability. But it didn't take a rocket scientist to smell a bit of collusion. Donald Trump tweeted out his approval of Flynn's immunity quest. A New York injury attorney went about seeking to free his client from prosecution for a criminal act. But the wonderful deal did not get made.
'Wildly preliminary'
The Senate Intelligence Committee may have perceived that if Flynn got an immunity deal now he and Trump might be off the hook because, free from prosecution, Flynn could say anything he pleased and his only problem would be perjury.
This is probably why CNBC was told that there might be immunity later but the Flynn initiative was "wildly preliminary".
The Comey deduction
Largely ignored is a deduction that seems tenable in light of the fact that no one is jumping to hear Flynn's story. It is generally acknowledged that the Russia matter will be solved not in public hearings but by careful investigative work that could take time and follow obscure paths. Among the investigators we know is on the trail is one James Comey, the very visible head of the FBI. We have every reason to believe that Flynn is marketing himself on Capitol Hill is because he was rejected as a source by Comey.
Flynn is not a reliable witness
Any way you slice it Flynn may not be a reliable witness.
Many would extract the word "may" from the previous sentence. This is the man who publicly said that seeking immunity is evidence of a crime. Now he is in effect asking us to trust a criminal. On the record is the fact that he misled the Vice President when he said he did not discuss sanctions with the Russian ambassador.
A simple exchange
All one would need to make Trump tremble would evidence that there was a scintilla of conversation in which Russian assurances were given to Flynn that everything was hunky dory in the defeat Hillary department. Since we know the Russians were trying to do just that, the failure of Flynn to sell his story is a monumental rejection of the premise that there is no story to tell. Amend that. There is no story he is willing to tell. The question who wins remains unanswered.
