NOT PROSECUTING MICHAEL FLYNN IS AN ATTACK ON THE RULE OF LAW, PART I

…Former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn

Flynn admitted under oath that he was guilty….twice!

President Trump and his allies, have argued for years that Flynn was set up.  But if that’s so, why did Flynn plead guilty two times while in court and under oath?

The Justice Department’s decision to drop its prosecution of Michael Flynn was obviously greeted as a triumph by President Trump.  As usual, the Attorney General (AG) who is supposed to be the people’s Attorney General, is once again acting as the president’s personal attorney.

For three years there has been a serious partisan division over how the FBI handled the Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.  The investigation occurred during much of Trump’s time in office.  Unfortunately, the current presidential loyalist attorney general apparently leaned on the key prosecutor of Mr. Flynn, who recently withdrew from the case.  And this is why the AG is asking Flynn’s judge to withdraw the charges against Mr. Flynn.

Of course, it is not appropriate for the Justice Department to become involved in this case, and the judge doesn’t have to do what the AG is asking him to do.

It is disgusting that the president lied when he was asked about the actions of the Attorney General.  Trump said that Flynn was not guilty, even though Flynn had pleaded guilty twice, He said that Flynn was set-up, which he wasn’t, and he lied when he said that the Obama Administration had gone after his presidency and after Flynn.  The president has been taped saying that he originally fired Flynn because he lied to the vice president.  So who’s the liar?

It was even more disgusting that there was a celebration at the White House as aides cheered Attorney General William Barr, whose decision to appoint a new prosecutor to review the case paved the way for the move to free Flynn.

Barr was largely credited with “shepherding the recommendation” and staying engaged on the Flynn case and matters related to the Russia probe, which was totally inappropriate.  As usual, this info was according to one White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Now the Trump advisers are planning to deploy the Flynn case as a weapon against the Democratic nominee and former vice president Joe Biden this fall.  They are also contemplating a possible visit to the White House by Flynn in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the discussions.  The president has already said that he has planned on bringing Flynn back into his team in the White House.

The president is still saying the former general Flynn was being wire-tapped by the Obama administration, which has been proven to be totally false.

Of course, the White House has declined to comment on whether the president would be making an appearance soon with Flynn.

And President Trump showered Flynn with praise after the announcement calling him “an innocent man.”

“Things are falling out now and coming in line showing what a hoax this whole investigation was,” Trump told reporters. “It was a total disgrace, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a lot of things happen over the next number of weeks. This is just one piece of a very dishonest puzzle.”

Congressional Democrats said they were appalled.

“With no legitimate prosecutorial basis, they’ve simply thrown away a conviction,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), a member of the Judiciary Committee and a former US attorney and state attorney general, said in an interview. “It’s sad and outrageous for the justice system to be used in this way, for naked political ends and a coverup, and they’re obviously exploiting the pandemic as a means to distract from this.”

Democrats, Blumenthal said, “should use every platform and bully pulpit we have to fight this.”

Part II will go further into this issue.

Copyright G. Ater 2020