Newly released handwritten notes from FBI agents who interviewed Michael Flynn in January 2017 reveal discrepancies with the bureau’s official report of the interview. The notes, written by agents Joe Pientka and Peter Strzok, were released by the White House Transparency Task Force on September 9.
The FD-302 report, the official FBI document summarizing the interview, recorded Flynn’s responses differently than the handwritten notes. For example, the FD-302 stated Flynn said, “Not really. I don’t remember. It wasn’t, ‘Don’t do anything.’” However, Pientka’s notes recorded Flynn as saying, “Not really. I don’t remember. Hey don’t do anything. Total surprise. I didn’t know about it until media.”
Similarly, the FD-302 reported Flynn responded to questions about calls made to the Russian ambassador by saying, “If so, don’t remember” and “if so, lousy place to make phone calls.” Pientka’s notes, however, recorded Flynn as saying, “If I did, lousy place to call.” The FD-302 stated Flynn remembered making four to five calls that day, while Pientka’s notes suggested uncertainty.
Flynn, who served as national security adviser in President Donald Trump’s administration, was interviewed as part of the broader FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He had multiple conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in late 2016, including on the same day the Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats.
Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in 2017 but withdrew the plea in 2020. His legal team has cited the discrepancies between the handwritten notes and the FD-302 as evidence of potential misconduct. Flynn’s statement on September 9 noted that Strzok had previously mentioned in 2020 text messages that he was reworking the interview summary and “trying to not completely re-write it.”
The FBI has not responded to requests for comment as of publication time.