. . World News – AU – Trump apologizes to Michael Flynn, Ending Case His Justice Dept. . Shall shut down

The former national security adviser to the president pleaded guilty twice to lying to investigators about his talks with the Russian ambassador.

WASHINGTON – President Trump pardoned former National Security Advisor Michael T on Wednesday. . Flynn, who pleaded guilty twice of lying to the F.. B.. . I. about his talks with a Russian diplomat and his attorney general William P. . Barr tried to switch off.

« It is my great honor to announce that General Michael T. . Flynn was granted a full pardon, ”said Mr.. . Trump wrote on Twitter.

The President’s pardon ends the lengthy legal saga of Mr.. . Flynn. The Justice Department had moved this spring to withdraw charges against him following a public campaign by Mr.. Trump and his allies, but the judge overseeing the case, Emmet G.. . Sullivan’s request to check his legitimacy had stopped.

Although Mr.. . Trump had said months ago that he was « thinking hard about » pardoning Mr.. Flynn and is said to have planned it after losing the election, the intervention of Mr.. Barr had considered the possibility that his administration could end the persecution of a presidential favorite without Mr.. Trump takes explicit political responsibility for the act.

But as the case continues – initially delayed by Mr. . Flynn’s unsuccessful attempt to get an appeals court to prevent Judge Sullivan from laying the groundwork for Mr.. . Barr’s move and then through more weeks of judge’s inaction – Mr.. . Trump ultimately decided to do it anyway.

Mr. . Flynn was the only White House official convicted under the Trump-Russia investigation led by Special Adviser Robert S.. was completed. Müller III. Under Mr.. . Trump and Mr.. . Barr, the government has tried to discredit and dismantle this investigation. Mr. Trump also converted the judgment of his longtime friend Roger J.. Stone Jr. . over seven crimes in a case by prosecutors for Mr.. . Müller.

John Gleeson, a former federal judge and Mafia prosecutor appointed by Judge Sullivan to criticize the Justice Department’s attempt to resolve the case against Mr.. . Flynn argued that the alleged basis for the request made no sense and appeared to be cover for a politically motivated favor to a presidential favorite. He had said that Judge Sullivan should convict mr instead. Flynn – or that Mr.. . Trump should only forgive him.

In this way, Lord. Trump has now discussed this case, which means that Judge Sullivan will most likely dismiss the matter. The pardon precludes the possibility of a new legal battle over whether the judge could convict a defendant who pleaded guilty even though the Justice Department refused to pursue the case.

Mr. . Flynn, the former chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency and an excellent lieutenant general, was an early supporter of Mr.. . Trump’s campaign. He was rewarded when Mr.. . Trump named him National Security Advisor shortly after the 2016 election victory, ignoring President Barack Obama’s warnings of concerns about Mr.. Flynn’s management of the secret service.

Mr. . Flynn was also part of a group of Trump campaign staff with ties to Russian officials whom the F.. . B.. . I. At the start of the counterintelligence investigation launched in July 2016, it examined the extent to which Russia had covertly intervened in the campaign and whether any Trump campaign numbers knew about it or were funny or otherwise collaborated with it.

It turned out that Mr.. . Flynn lied to his colleagues about talks he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey I in December 2016. Kislyak. In the calls, Mr.. Flynn urged Moscow not to escalate to help Mr in response to the outgoing Obama administration’s sanctions over Russia’s covert interference in the elections. Trump, pointing out the possibility that the future Trump administration would work more closely with Russia.

The pattern of lying gave rise to new guesses about Mr.. . Flynn. The F. . B.. . I. sent agents to interview him at the White House, although the Justice Department was considering whether to do it first Mr.. Trump’s new lawyer in the White House had not yet been clarified. Notes from a session related to this interview suggest that one purpose of the interview may have been to determine whether Mr.. . Flynn was going to lie to the F again. B.. . I. Agents – like him.

Despite the dismissal of Mr.. . Flynn, Mr.. . Trump asked the F. . B.. . I. Director at the time, James B. . Comey to any investigation from Mr.. . Flynn. Details of the President’s request were released a few months later after Mr.. Trump fired Mr.. . Come and help cause sir. Mueller’s appointment as special advisor.

Although Mr.. . Trump initially distanced himself from Mr.. . Flynn, the president, later began belittling the Flynn case as a « hoax, » « witch hunt, » and a pervasive conspiracy to sabotage him, as part of his broader assaults on the Russia investigation.

Over time, Mr.. . Flynn’s case became a cause for right-wing media. Although Mr.. . Flynn pleaded guilty – as part of an agreement to also discharge his liability in connection with working for Turkey without registering as a foreign agent – he later reversed course and stopped working with prosecutors.

Mr. . Flynn hired a new attorney, Sidney Powell, who then became known for her Fox News appearances whipping up the Russia investigation, and he eventually tried to withdraw his plea.

woman. Powell has been joining the Trump legal team for the past few weeks trying to overcome his loss in the 2020 presidential election and advancing an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that Mr.. . Trump won by landslide, but fraudulent voting software instead gave the victory to President-elect Joseph R.. . Biden Jr. . After making particularly wild allegations that even Republican officials were involved in a payout program, the Trump team turned her down.

At the beginning of her substitution by Mr.. Flynn, woman. Powell had to Mr.. . Barr stressed the need to keep communications secret and recommended a strategy to replicate the 2008 law enforcement model of a Senator – also before Judge Sullivan – whose case the Department of Justice sought to dismiss after conviction but before conviction on a finding of wrongdoing the public prosecutor.

She asked Mr.. . Barr to appoint an outside prosecutor to search the files for material that the prosecution should have turned over to the defense. After Judge Sullivan rejected conspiracy theories about the prosecution’s wrongdoing, that woman. Powell suggested Mr.. . Barr followed her suggestion and opened a review.

The appraiser Mr.. . Barr appointed submitted documents showing that the F. . B.. . I. had been aggressive when it decided to meet Mr.. . Flynn. While the Justice Department did not say that the previous failure to hand over the files constituted misconduct, it did use them as a basis for Mr.. Barr to drop the charges.

The department’s claim centered on the idea that Mr.. . Flynn’s lies to the F. . B.. . I. were not crimes because they were not essential to any legitimate investigation. One of the files showed that the F. . B.. . I. had tried to close his investigation whether mr. Flynn was a Russian agent before the question arose why he was lying to colleagues about his calls to the ambassador.

This reason for stopping the prosecution was given by Dr. . Gleeson and others since the F. . B.. . I. needs little legal basis to conduct a voluntary interview, and because the secret of Mr.. . Flynn’s lies to his colleagues about his interactions with the ambassador, in part regarding sanctions for Russia’s electoral influence, apparently seemed relevant to the wider Trump-Russia investigation.

Mr. . Gleeson argued that the department was particularly fond of Mr.. Flynn because Mr.. . Trump wanted and urged Judge Sullivan not to allow the judiciary to be used as cover for politically motivated intervention – that’s what the pardon is for. Mrs. For her part, Powell portrayed the case against her client as a corrupt and politically motivated conspiracy and accused Judge Sullivan of being biased.

Mr. . Trump exercised his power of grace generously and not just given grace. Stein but also on numbers such as the former New York Police Commissioner Bernard B.. . Kerik, former governor. Rod R. . Blagojevich from Illinois, the financier Michael R. . Milken and others convicted of fraud, corruption and other crimes.

Michael Flynn, Donald Trump, Special Counsel Inquiry, United States National Security Advisor