Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report includes a conveniently edited transcript of a voicemail between former Trump attorney John Dowd and an attorney for former national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.
Dowd left a voicemail for Flynn’s attorney, Rob Kelner in November 2017 and as the Daily Wire reports, the transcript was “selectively edited to give the impression that Trump’s attorney was asking Flynn’s attorney for information that might hurt the president while reminding the attorney about what Trump has said about Flynn.”
**LISTEN: Dan addresses deeply troubling charges against a key Mueller informant**
In other words, the voicemail was edited to either make it seem like Dowd wanted to obstruct justice or attempt to conceal damaging information about the president.
Mueller’s transcript:
I understand your situation, but let me see if I can’t state it in starker terms. . . . [I]t wouldn’t surprise me if you’ve gone on to make a deal with … the government. … [I]f . .. there’s information that implicates the President, then we’ve got a national security issue, . . . so, you know, . . . we need some kind of heads up. Um, just for the sake of protecting all our interests if we can …. [R]emember what we’ve always said about the ‘ President and his feelings toward Flynn and, that still remains ….
In reality, the full transcript shows that Dowd specifically requested information that was not confidential–an important distinction to make.
Full voicemail transcript:
Hey, Rob, uhm, this is John again. Uh, maybe, I-I-I-‘m-I’m sympathetic; I understand your situation, but let me see if I can’t … state it in … starker terms. If you have … and it wouldn’t surprise me if you’ve gone on to make a deal with, and, uh, work with the government, uh … I understand that you can’t join the joint defense; so that’s one thing. If, on the other hand, we have, there’s information that … implicates the President, then we’ve got a national security issue, or maybe a national security issue, I don’t know … some issue, we got to-we got to deal with, not only for the President, but for the country. So … uh … you know, then-then, you know, we need some kind of heads up. Um, just for the sake of … protecting all our interests, if we can, without you having to give up any … confidential information. So, uhm, and if it’s the former, then, you know, remember what we’ve always said about the President and his feelings toward Flynn and, that still remains, but — Well, in any event, uhm, let me know, and, uh, I appreciate your listening and taking the time. Thanks, Pal.
Dowd appeared on Fox News’ Hannity last night and slammed Mueller’s report as a “fraud.”
“Isn’t it ironic that this man who kept indicting and prosecuting people for process crimes committed a false statement in his own report?” he said. “By taking out half my words…they changed the tenor and the contents of that conversation with Robert Kelner. It’s an outrage. And there’s probably more of it.”
Watch Dowd’s appearance on Hannity below:
