The United States Department of Justice will end the prosecution of Michael Flynn, former security adviser to President Donald Trump. The Department has asked the judge to drop all charges against Flynn. Flynn was accused of questionable contacts with Russia in the period after Trump’s election in late 2016.
The unexpected dismissal, which the judge has yet to agree to, appears to be the result of mounting pressure from Trump and his Republican supporters. They have been campaigning for years to have the ministry, led by loyal Trump adept William Barr, distance themselves from the Trump-Russia investigation, which is mainly supported by the Democratic opposition.
The case against Flynn revolved around the fact that he admitted to lying to the FBI in 2017 about his contacts with Sergei Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to Washington. Reason for dismissal now seems to be documents that surfaced in April that allegedly said that FBI agents discussed whether they should try to get Flynn to lie during the interrogation so that he could be prosecuted or removed from office.
Flynn was one of the former Trump associates charged with former special prosecutor Robert Mueller in his investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election. Based on that investigation, Trump’s friend and advisor Roger Stone and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort were sentenced to jail time convicted.
Former military officer Flynn served as Trump’s advisor during the campaign, causing a furore by firing “Lock her up” chants against Hillary Clinton, becoming Trump’s first national security adviser in 2017. Because he had also been fighting against Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador, Trump fired him after 24 days at the time.
Trump nevertheless welcomed the move by Justice on Thursday. He was happy for Flynn, he said.
“Yes, he was a great warrior, and is still a great warrior. Now, in my view, he’s an even bigger fighter. “
Trump publicly criticized the lawsuit against Flynn for years. In March, he said that Justice and the FBI had destroyed Flynn’s life and hinted at a presidential pardon if Flynn would be sentenced.
About the author: John Campbell
John Campbell is the godfather of Polimedia and the oldest author from the whole team. His occasional guidance is crucial for everyone he advises.
