Lawyers for Michael Flynn release internal FBI emails, notes

Lawyers for President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, released internal FBI emails and notes that they hope will bolster their allegations that Flynn was entrapped when he was questioned at the White House three years ago.

The documents were made public Wednesday evening as Flynn seeks to withdraw his guilty plea and makes broad assertions of law enforcement misconduct. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has rejected many of the defense arguments but has yet to rule on whether Flynn can take back his guilty plea to lying to the FBI.

Meanwhile, a federal prosecutor from Missouri is reviewing the Justice Department's handling of the case at the direction of Attorney General William Barr. The department said the notes were produced to the defense as part of that ongoing review.

It remains unclear what bearing the documents will have on the case or how significant the judge will determine them to be. But Flynn has emerged as something of a cause celebre in recent months for supporters of the president, who have rallied around the retired Army lieutenant general and seized on the findings of a harshly critical watchdog report on the Russia investigation to try to cast doubt on the entire probe.

Prosecutors haven’t filed anything in response to Wednesday’s action by Flynn’s lawyers.