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Lawrence O’Donnell Came Close To Asking Biden About Unmasking Michael Flynn, But Not Quite

Screenshot MSNBC, The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell

Shelby Talcott Senior White House Correspondent
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MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell did not directly ask former Vice President Joe Biden about the discovery that he submitted an unmasking request for information about Michael Flynn during an hour-long interview Thursday.

Biden’s appearance on MSNBC’s “The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell” was his first since the news that he was just one of numerous high-ranking lawmakers to have submitted such a request.

Minutes before MSNBC’s show with Biden ended, O’Donnell snuck in one question about the week’s bombshell. Lawrence opted to ask a general question about the former national security advisor’s case instead of pressing Biden on the news that he submitted an unmasking request.

“The issue of people wanting the attorney general to resign is over the Michael Flynn case, where the attorney general is basically trying to drop the case, as a federal judge questioning how that case is being dropped,” O’Donnell asked. “Mr. Vice President, what was your involvement in the investigation of Michael Flynn and the FBI investigation of Michael Flynn?

I was never a part or had any knowledge of any criminal investigation into Flynn while I was in office, period. Not one single time,” Biden emphatically replied. (RELATED: Documents Shed Light On Media Leak Central To Michael Flynn Case)

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Biden’s unmasking request was revealed in documents released Wednesday. A motion to drop the case against Flynn was filed by the Justice Department on May 7 following the discovery of FBI documents that related to the case.

The MSNBC host and Biden spoke about numerous other topics while barely touching on this week’s big news. The novel coronavirus, how to grieve the loss of a loved one from the virus, the death of Georgia jogger Ahmaud Arbery, Russian interference in the 2020 election and Tara Reade were among the subjects touched upon.

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who is reportedly on the short list to be Biden’s running mate pick, also appeared on Lawrence’s show.