Story highlights His lawyer said Flynn has "a story to tell"

Aides to the House intelligence committee said they have not received any requests from him yet

(CNN) Former national security adviser Michael Flynn is willing to testify before federal and congressional investigators in their ongoing probe into Russian meddling in the US elections, but only if he is granted immunity.

The possibility that Flynn -- formerly a key adviser to President Donald Trump during the campaign -- could testify potentially represents a major development in the probe into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

"Gen. Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit. ... No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution," Robert Kelner, Flynn's lawyer, said in a statement late Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal first reported Thursday that Flynn was in talks to try to get a promise of immunity, but that nobody had agreed to his terms yet.

Read More</s>Donald Trump could be moving ever closer to impeachment after a report that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has offered to testify about Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The Trump campaign has been accused of working closely with Russian intelligence officials on the release of damaging information obtained by hackers who accessed the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chief, John Podesta. The emails were released through the organization WikiLeaks.

Flynn, who was fired from his post after it came out that he lied about contact with the Russian ambassador on the day President Obama announced sanctions against Russia, is now reportedly turning on Trump to testify about the potential collusion with Russia. A report from the Wall Street Journal claimed that Flynn is offering to testify in exchange for immunity from prosecution — a sign that the investigation into Trump’s alleged ties to Russia could end up with criminal charges for those involved.

As the Wall Street Journal report noted, Flynn may be fearful that he could face charges for his role in the campaign’s contact with Russia.

The offer to testify may also be a chance for Michael Flynn to distance himself from the allegations against Donald Trump. In a statement released after the Wall Street Journal report was published, Flynn’s attorney said Flynn has become the target of “unfounded allegations.”

“General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit,” Robert Kelner said in a statement (via The Hill).

Donald Trump’s past statements have also come under fire in the wake of reports that Michael Flynn has offered to testify about collusion with Russia. During the 2016 campaign, both Trump and Flynn insinuated that immunity deals offered to aides of Hillary Clinton for her email investigation was proof that a crime had taken place.

There is also growing speculation that the investigation into potential coordination with Russia will lead to Donald Trump’s impeachment. The reports that Flynn might be flipping on Trump and working with the FBI had started to emerge days before Thursday’s report about his offer to testify, leading many to speculate that Flynn’s testimony could ultimately sink Trump.

The reports of Flynn’s offer to testify about Trump’s possible collusion with Russia comes at the same time that the Senate Intelligence Committee has opened its investigation into Russian interference with the election. On Thursday, Senator Mark Warner noted that the Kremlin employed an “army” of up to 1,000 online trolls to spread fake conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton.

Clint Watts, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, noted that Donald Trump himself pushed some of these fake stories, even reading from a fabricated Russian news report at a rally in October.

While the speculation about his impeachment mounts, Donald Trump has continued to deny having any collaboration with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.</s>Michael Flynn, who resigned over contacts with Russian officials, wants protection against 'unfair prosecution'.

Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has offered to testify before congressional committees probing potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia but wants protection against "unfair prosecution," his lawyer has said.

Flynn was forced to resign as Trump's national security adviser in February over contacts with Russian officials.

"General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit," said a statement on Thursday from Flynn's lawyer, Robert Kelner.

Testimony from Flynn could help shed light on the conversations he had with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kisylak last year when he was the national security adviser for Trump's presidential campaign.

Kelner said discussions had taken place about Flynn's availability to testify with officials of the intelligence committees of both the US Senate and the House of Representatives.

Both committees are investigating allegations of Russian meddling in the US election campaign last year as well as possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russians.

Trump's Russia mess: Five things to know

Flynn stepped down after revelations that he had failed to disclose talks with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office about US sanctions on Moscow and mislead Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.

Questions remain about the scope of the discussions and what other contacts took place between other Trump advisers with the Russians.

Earlier this week, the White House disclosed that Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser, Jared Kushner, met executives of Russian state development bank Vnesheconombank, or VEB, in December.

During a US Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Thursday, Democratic Senator Mark Warner alleged that Russia attempted to undermine the 2016 US presidential election with a propaganda campaign "on steroids", using trolls and networks of hacked or infected devices to flood social media with disinformation.

US intelligence agencies have said Russia hacked emails of senior Democrats and orchestrated the release of embarrassing information in a bid to tip the presidential election in favour of Trump, whose views were seen as more in line with the Moscow's.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the accusations on Thursday calling them "lies". When asked if Russia interfered in the US vote Putin said, "Read my lips: No."

"If the president puts Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that's a Russia connection," he said in an exchange with reporters.

OPINION: Why is Russia so happy with Trump?

The Wall Street Journal, citing officials with knowledge of the matter, reported that Flynn had sought immunity from the FBI and the House and Senate intelligence panels in exchange for his testimony. The newspaper said he had so far found no takers.

The House denied the Journal report. "Michael Flynn has not offered to testify to HPSCI in exchange for immunity," committee spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement.

The FBI declined to comment. The Senate committee did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment.

Kelner's statement did not mention the FBI.

He said Flynn "is now the target of unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress and other political critics that he be criminally investigated".

Kelner said Flynn would not "submit to questioning in such a highly politicised, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution".</s>Michael Flynn, former national security adviser in the Trump administration, told the Senate Intelligence Committee he will testify in its Russia probe in exchange for immunity, a congressional official told NBC News.

The committee focused squarely on Russia as it opened a hearing Thursday on attempts at undermining the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the Flynn development.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is in discussions with the House and Senate intelligence committees on receiving immunity from “unfair prosecution” in exchange for agreeing to be questioned as part of ongoing probes into possible contacts between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia, his attorney says.

“General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit,” attorney Robert Kelner said Thursday.

Kelner said no “reasonable person” with legal counsel would answer questions without assurances that he would not be prosecuted, given calls from some members of Congress that the retired lieutenant general should face criminal charges.

Flynn’s ties to Russia have been scrutinized by the FBI and are under investigation by the House and Senate intelligence committees. Both committees are looking into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election and any ties between Trump associates and the Kremlin.

Since July, the FBI has been conducting a counterintelligence investigation into Russia’s interference in the election and possible coordination with Trump associates.

Trump weighed in Friday, tweeting that Flynn “should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic proportion!”

Kelner released a statement after The Wall Street Journal first reported that Flynn’s negotiations with the committee included discussions of immunity. The lawyer described the talks as ongoing and said he would not comment on the details.

A congressional aide confirmed that discussions with the Senate intelligence committee involved immunity. The aide was not authorized to discuss private conversations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

House intelligence committee spokesman Jack Langer said Flynn has not offered to testify to the panel in exchange for immunity.

Four other Trump associates have come forward in recent weeks, saying they would talk to the committees. As of Wednesday, the Senate intelligence committee had asked to interview 20 people as part of the probe.

In his statement, Kelner said the political climate in which Flynn is facing “claims of treason and vicious innuendo” is factoring into his negotiations with the committees.

“No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution,” Kelner said.

In September, Flynn weighed in on the implications of immunity on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” criticizing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her associates in the FBI’s investigation into her use of a private email server.

“When you are given immunity, that means that you have probably committed a crime,” Flynn said during the interview.

Flynn was fired from his job as Trump’s first national security adviser after it was disclosed that he misled Vice President Mike Pence about a conversation he had with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. during the transition.

In the weeks after he resigned, Flynn and his business registered with the Justice Department as foreign agents for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that could have benefited the Turkish government.

The lobbying occurred while Flynn was a top Trump campaign adviser. The Turkish businessman who hired Flynn, Ekim Alptekin, has told the AP that Flynn’s firm registered under pressure from the Justice Department.</s>Michael Flynn, former national security adviser in the Trump administration, told the Senate Intelligence Committee he will testify in its Russia probe in exchange for immunity, a Congressional official told NBC News.

The committee focused squarely on Russia as it opened a hearing Thursday on attempts at undermining the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

A discussion between Flynn and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees has taken place but Flynn refuses to comment on the details, according to a statement from Flynn's counsel Robert Kelner.

"General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it," the statement said.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the Flynn development.</s>Whoa! Michael Flynn – Donald Trump’s former adviser forced to step down due to ties with Russia during the election – may now be willing to testify against his old team. New reports on March 30 claim that he would give up info in exchange for legal immunity!

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, 58, may soon be opening up about what’s really going on between Donald Trump’s team and Russia, according to a report from The Washington Post on March 30.

Flynn allegedly told the Senate Intelligence Committee that he would gladly testify against Trump and his aides in exchange for immunity from any prosecution regarding his own connections to the country.

In a public statement, Flynn’s lawyer Robert Kelner revealed that there are definitely conversations being had between Flynn and the Committee, but didn’t confirm that they are about Russia, immunity, or testifying against Trump. “General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it,” said the statement.

The lawyer also said that Flynn wouldn’t be talking to the press at all, because previous reports have been “awash with unfounded allegations, outrageous claims of treason, and vicious innuendo.” He also described how “decorated” and honorable Flynn is.

Donald Trump: See Pics Of The President Addressing Congress

Interestingly, Flynn once told Chuck Todd on Meet The Press that he believes that “when you are given immunity that means you’ve probably committed a crime.” At the time, he was talking about Hillary Clinton’s aides that had been granted immunity, but it’s definitely intriguing that he is now allegedly looking for something he once called an admission of guilt. We’re certainly interested to hear what Flynn would have to say about the rest of the Trump team, considering he has already admitted to ties to Russia. We’ll just have to wait and see!

HollywoodLifers, do you think that Flynn will really testify against Trump and his team? Let us know!</s>Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is willing to testify before federal and congressional investigators in their ongoing probe into Russian meddling in the US elections, but only if he is granted immunity, his lawyer said Thursday.

“Gen. Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit. … No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution,” Robert Kelner, Flynn’s lawyer, said in a statement late Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal first reported Thursday that Flynn was in talks to try to get a promise of immunity, but that nobody had agreed to his terms yet.

However, aides to the House intelligence committee said they have not received any requests from Flynn yet. A spokesperson for the Senate intelligence committee declined comment Thursday evening.

The White House had no comment on the report Thursday night.

Flynn was forced to resign as one of Trump’s closest advisers after it came out that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his communications with Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak.

Three former Trump aides who are at the center of the federal investigation into Russia’s interference in the US elections have already come forward and said they would testify freely — without the promise of immunity. Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former adviser Roger Stone and former foreign policy adviser Carter Page all said, via their lawyers, last week that they were ready to come before House and Senate investigators.

House investigators have been discussing bringing Flynn in for weeks now, but they have also expressed concerns that Flynn would plead the Fifth Amendment if forced to testify.

Democrats, meanwhile, quickly shot around a comment Flynn made last year on MSNBC, that “when you are given immunity, that means you probably committed a crime.”</s>{"id":46486155,"title":"Flynn offers to testify before Senate in exchange for immunity: Official","duration":"2:37","description":"Trump's former national security adviser, Gen. Michael Flynn, has offered to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee in exchange for immunity, a congressional official told ABC News.","url":"/GMA/video/flynn-offers-testify-senate-exchange-immunity-official-46486155","section":"GMA","mediaType":"default"}</s>WASHINGTON - Former US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is in discussions with congressional investigators about receiving immunity from “unfair prosecution” in exchange for agreeing to testify about ongoing probes into possible contacts between President Donald Trump’s election campaign and Russia.

Flynn’s lawyer, Robert Kelner, said in a statement Thursday that his client is facing “claims of treason and vicious innuendo” and that has been a factor into his negotiations with the intelligence committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate in Congress.

“No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution,” Kelner said. “General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should circumstances permit,” the statement said.

The lawyer described the talks as ongoing and said he would not comment on the details. A congressional aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that discussions with the Senate intelligence committee involved immunity.

The FBI, as well as the Senate and House intelligence committees, are investigating Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and any ties between Trump’s associates and Moscow. Flynn was forced to resign last month from his position as Trump’s first national security adviser after it was revealed that he misled Vice President Mike Pence about a conversation he had with the Russian ambassador to the US in late December.

The conversation, which took place before Trump’s inauguration, centered around lifting then-President Barack Obama’s sanctions against Russia. Any discussion of sanctions at that time would have amounted to a breach of US law barring private citizens engaging in foreign policy.

Flynn’s tenure of just 24 days as national security advisor is the shortest in the history of the office.

Flynn had a history of making incendiary and Islamophobic statements that have drawn criticism from his own military peers. During a White House press briefing on February 1, Flynn put Iran “on notice” over Tehran’s ballistic missile tests.
Michael T. Flynn is willing to testify under the condition of immunity in the ongoing congressional probe on Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.