During a line of questioning about why Trump’s incoming National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was caught up in the investigation, which led him to resign and be criminally charged, Yates said Flynn was targeted because he was “undercutting Obama policies and covering it up.”
Graham said she was criminalizing policy differences, saying that the Trump transition team had every right to set new policies contrary to those of the Obama administration.
“The one problem here is you didn’t like Flynn changing the policy or talking about changing the policy, and he had every right to do that! We’re criminalizing policy differences, that’s why Flynn got prosecuted, because they hate his guts,” Graham said.
Sally Yates has zero credibility. She was a part of the greatest political crime of the Century, and ObamaBiden knew EVERYTHING! Sally Yates leaked the General Flynn conversation? Ask her under oath. Republicans should start playing the Democrats game!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2020
LINDSEY GRAHAM: Let me try to understand this. The interview with Gen. Flynn, were you investigating a policy difference between Trump administration and the Obama administration?
SALLY YATES: No, senator. We weren’t investigating a policy difference.
LINDSEY GRAHAM: You weren’t investigating a crime, were you?
SALLY YATES: We were investigating a counterintelligence threat.
LINDSEY GRAHAM: Okay, is it a counterintelligence investigation based on a policy difference?
SALLY YATES: It’s a counterintelligence investigation based on the Russians’ systematic attempts to —
LINDSEY GRAHAM: Wait a minute, this is very important. Your beef with Flynn was he was undercutting Obama policy. Is that what you were worried about?
SALLY YATES: What we were worried about was he was undercutting Obama policy and then covering it up.
LINDSEY GRAHAM: He hadn’t even talked to the FBI. You sent the FBI over. And there was no anything. Isn’t it the fact that you’re really investigating a policy difference?
SALLY YATES: No, senator, that is not accurate. There was a coverup before this. In fact, that is what prompted my concerns that he was providing false information to the vice president and others.
LINDSEY GRAHAM: Why didn’t you go to the White House and ask if this is [their] policy position?
SALLY YATES: The concern was not about the policy difference. The concern was about him undercutting Obama policy and then covering it up…
LINDSEY GRAHAM: The one problem here is you didn’t like Flynn changing the policy or talking about changing the policy, and he had every right to do that! We’re criminalizing policy differences, that’s why Flynn got prosecuted, because they hate his guts.
