The government of Turkey couldn't apparently care less that President Donald Trump's former National Security Advisor, Mike Flynn, is reportedly being investigated for Turkey's $15 million offer to kidnap a Muslim cleric in Pennsylvania.
As Politico reported Saturday, Mike Flynn would likely be in a Turkish prison if he were a citizen of that country, due to July 2016 comments supporting a coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. One year after the failed coup, 55,000 Turks still remain behind bars.
"Any foreign official would, at the very least, have been roundly condemned and vilified in the Turkish pro-government press," Politico explained. "But for Flynn, Turkey appeared happy to make an exception."
Flynn allegedly went from supporting the coup in July, to conspiring to kidnap of the coup's alleged leader, Mulsim cleric Fethullah Gülen, in September and December.
The meetings about the alleged kidnapping took place in New York City, which may have played a key role in Mike Flynn supposedly being "flipped" by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks explained her theory to MSNBC anchor Katy Tur on Friday.
“I think the reason for that may be the state charges are possible on the talking about kidnapping Gulen, the Muslim cleric,” Wine-Banks suggested. “That could explain why he’s cooperating instead of waiting for a pardon, is the need for protection you can’t get pardoned from a state crime.”
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) would have jurisdiction to prosecute the alleged kidnapping conspiracy as it occured in New York City. President Trump could potentially pardon Flynn for federal crimes, but only New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) could pardon Flynn for any conviction on state charges.
“I think he’s taking the right steps and I’m sure that he will have had a proffer of evidence from Flynn before he would engage in conversations [about a deal],” Wine-Banks noted. “Unless Flynn can give him Jared Kushner, Don Jr, or the president, he’s not of value to him and he would prosecute him for the numerous crimes that he’s being investigated for.”
At this point, it appears that Flynn is no longer of any value to Turkey.
