Earlier this month, the Senate Intelligence Committee asked several Trump associates to hand over their communication records and emails about Russia, which is often the first step toward Subpoena Town. After refusing that request, and ignoring a subpoena for his documents, former national security advisor Michael Flynn is now saying he is invoking his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination as the reason for not complying with the Senate probe’s demands. However, two close Trump advisors are decidedly not using Flynn’s strategy.
As the Senate prepares next steps regarding Flynn, including possibly finding him in contempt and interviewing James Comey, former campaign manager Paul Manafort and Roger Stone have handed over all of their documents to the Intel Committee in its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The two provided the information before last Friday’s deadline, a spokesman for Manafort and Stone confirmed.
Stone himself confirmed to NBC News. “I gave them all documents that were consistent with their specific request,” Stone said in an email.
The congressional source said it was too early to tell whether the documents from Manafort and Stone suggested they had fully complied with the request.
According to reports, Flynn has so far behaved in a legal way. “Flynn can make an argument that his right against self-incrimination extends even to the production of documents that could hurt him,” Senate sources told NBC.