Reality is more of a blow to Trump's alternative narrative

For Trump, they were only the latest legal blows and setbacks of the deeply damaging revelations about the president, after special advocate Robert Mueller broke his mid-term campaign hiatus.

Trump became aware of the claim that he had no commercial interest in Russia to be discredited by revelations regarding his Trump Tower project in Moscow. Mueller's records clearly show, despite Trump's claims, that there have been contacts with Russians. And he was indirectly involved in a fundraising campaign involving lies about the women about whom he lied. political and commercial life.

And they indicate that even though Trump's rhetorical assaults on the FBI and Mueller may steal from conspiratorial conservative media and with his basic political support, they are inclined to dissolve into the reality-based court situation. 19659003]

"I do not hide my disgust"

At Tuesday's hearing, Judge Emmet Sullivan repeatedly emphasized the gravity of Flynn's crimes. He had first and mistakenly stated that Flynn had worked as an unregistered agent of the Turkish government during his brief tenure at the White House, claiming that such behavior amounted to selling his country.

It was later corrected to reflect the fact that Flynn's undisclosed lobbying for Turkey ended before he arrived at the White House in January 2017. But Flynn was on the payroll of the Turkey while he was advising Trump during the campaign. The contract ended while Flynn was a senior member of Trump's transition team.

The attitude of the judge with respect to the conduct of the former general is no doubt.

"I do not hide my disgust, my disdain for your criminal offense," said Sullivan.

Solomon Wisenberg, Former Deputy Legal Counsel The Whitewater affair, at the time of Clinton, told CNN that Sullivan had decided not to ignore the broader political reality surrounding the case, besieged by the attacks of the president against the administration of justice.

"The idea that his remarks were not affected by the President of the United States and his defamation campaign are quite crazy," said Wisenberg.

"He is affected and I think it should be taken into consideration in what he said publicly, "he said, 19659003] Tuesday's sentencing procedure for Flynn had to be a matter of routine since Mueller had asked not to serve his prison sentence for lying to the FBI, given his "substantial" cooperation with the Russian investigation.

En route to the hearing, Trump has His supporters claimed that Flynn was a victim and not a criminal, claiming that he had been scrapped by the FBI when he had been questioned about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. [19659003] In front of the hearing, Trump tweeted good luck to Flynn and claimed that he had been subject to "enormous pressure" from the federal authorities.

But Sullivan seemed to contradict such arguments, since he had asked Flynn to state clearly in court that he was defending his plea of ​​guilty. This decision was made following a lawsuit by Flynn's lawyers last week, in which they complained that their client had been pressed by FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe to not having a lawyer during his interview with the FBI. Robert Kelner if his client was "trapped" by the FBI and the lawyer replied, "No, your honor."

"Do you continue to accept responsibility for his false statements?" Sullivan asked before Flynn intervened with these words: "I am, your honor."

"I'd like to pursue, your honor," said Flynn in a later exchange.

"Because you are guilty of this offense?" Sullivan asked.

"Yes, your honor," replied Flynn.

Flynn, a US government career official and army officer who took over the Defense Intelligence Agency, also told the court that he knew that lying to the FBI was a crime.

The court's official document also does not show any evidence of the intention to trap Flynn nor the impression that his rights were being violated.

The message was not transmitted to the White House, which remained obsolete. points of discussion contradicted by the facts. At a rare press conference, Trump's spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, has kept faith in her boss's alternate universe.

She confirmed in the past that the FBI had "ambushed" Flynn and violated the protocol by not proceeding to the interview in the presence of a lawyer. and used the White House podium to launch a new attack on the police, whose president is the titular chief.

"We have no reason to go back," she said, while moving the president away from the presidency. Flynn

At the end of Tuesday's hearing, Flynn and his lawyers agreed to a postponement of his sentence until March, after apparently concluding that the judge, deeply troubled by the crimes of Flynn, had the intention to send it to

This grace period will leave Flynn even more time to add to his 19 meetings with the team Mueller – a sign additional danger for Trump emerging from Tuesday's events.

There is currently no public evidence. whether Trump is ord Flynn was to lie or direct the content of his conversations, including with the sanctions imposed by Russia and a vote on the Israeli settlements at the UN, with Kislyak.

If the president ends up being accused of cooperating with Russia in the manipulation of elections or the obstruction of justice, after asking FBI leader James Comey to act smoothly on Flynn, then to send him back, he will have a chance to defend himself officially.

But nothing says why Flynn, who has spent months alongside Trump, has chosen to lie to the FBI about his conversations with the ambassador of a state he knew he had. he had been accused of meddling in the elections, according to US intelligence.

This riddle may have to wait for Mueller's final report.

Charity Organization as Checkbook

As is often the case for Trump, bad news arrived on Tuesday on several fronts.

His personal charitable foundation agreed to dissolve claims that the president and his three eldest children – Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric – violated campaign finance laws and abused his campaign status. Tax exemption.

The lawsuit alleged that the family, instead of operating a real charity, allowed the family to be used "as a simple checkbook serving Mr. Trump's commercial and political interests."

According to the terms of the lawsuit, To continue, the state of New York is claiming $ 2.8 million in compensation, plus penalties and the ban on Trump and his children sitting on the board of any other non-profit organization in New York.

"It's extraordinary," Anne Milgram, former New Jersey Attorney General told CNN's Jake Tapper.

"What the Auditor General says is that they have breached their fiduciary duties to the nonprofit organization in such a huge way that they have not done so much. they are not qualified to sit on the board of directors, profit or charity in the state of New York. "