Late in November 2017, just days before Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, Covington & Burling partner Rob Kelner had visions for a roadshow to seize on the law firm’s representation of the former Trump national security adviser.

In an email to his law firm partners, Kelner sketched out a three-city tour, with client briefings in New York, Los Angeles and Washington addressing the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a decades-old law requiring the disclosure of political influence work for foreign powers. As part of his plea deal, Flynn would admit he “made material false statements and omissions” in foreign-agent filings related to his advocacy for Turkey.