| Notes |
The most notable witness Thursday was prominent Washington lobbyist Jim Courtovich. He was called by prosecutors as they wrapped up their case to testify about his firm’s work with the Flynn Intel Group. Courtovich and Flynn’s firm had discussed ways to craft a media relations plan to highlight allegations against Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric who lives in exile in Pennsylvania and whom Turkey’s government blames for an unsuccessful coup attempt in July 2016.
Courtovich also testified about what appeared to be an abruptly curtailed effort by Trump campaign lawyer William McGinley to investigate an Election Day op-ed about Gulen published under Flynn’s name by the news outlet The Hill.
Courtovich said McGinley held a conference call to discuss the opinion piece and ask who, if anyone, paid for it. “McGinley wanted to know the origins of the op-ed and if it was related to any program or contract,” the lobbyist recalled.
Rafiekian told McGinley it was not part of the Flynn Intel Group’s Turkey work, but was simply something Flynn was “passionate” about and wanted out by Election Day, Courtovich said.
However, when Rafiekian was asked precisely who was paying for the Turkey work, he was vague or nonresponsive, Courtovich said. “There was not an immediate answer to that,” he said.
Courtovich said he proposed they reach out to Ben Ginsberg, a prominent GOP lawyer whom Courtovich consulted earlier. But that seemed to concern McGinley.
“That’s when McGinley said, ‘I think we have a conflict here. Let’s hang up.’ And that ended the call,” Courtovich said.
Courtovich also described a meeting at Flynn’s consulting firm’s offices in Alexandria in early November 2016, during which the Turkish businessman who inked the $600,000 contract with the Flynn firm, Alptekin, seemed deeply unsatisfied with the Flynn group’s work. |