a rando’s thoughts on flynn

But did Trump succeed in protecting himself?

1) To accept the pardon, Flynn has to admit guilt. Which means any accessory crimes not covered have a guilty admission tied to them.

2) Flynn isn’t covered by 5th amendment protection (he can’t legally incriminate himself for crimes he is pardoned from). As such, any court, grand jury and congressional panel can require testimony and Flynn has to testify or face contempt charges.

3) Flynn’s trial is in court. A smart defense lawyer will argue for closing the case, a smart prosecutor will ask for Flynn to elocute first. That elocution has no 5th amendment protection anymore, and if elocution contains another set of lies (remember - Flynn lying got him into this mess), opens another set of crimes and might invalidate the pardon.

So, it looks like saving Flynn only opens light into the process. Trump may think it saves himself, but Trump has a limited understanding of legal process.