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It was the first of several possible pardons that analysts believe Trump could extend to his political advisers and allies before resigning on January 20.
FILE: US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the James Brady Press Conference Room of the White House August 3, 2020, in Washington, DC. Image: AFP
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he had pardoned Michael Flynn, the former security adviser whose lies about his Russian contacts spurred the troubling investigation into Trump’s campaign collusion with Moscow.
The expected pardon came in the final weeks of Trump’s presidency, two years of which were spent fighting allegations that Trump had overseen and sought to cover up a dangerous cooperation scheme with Russia.
It was the first of several possible pardons that analysts believe Trump could extend to his political advisers and allies before resigning on January 20.
Among them are former 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort, also convicted in the Russia collusion investigation, Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former adviser Steve Bannon and Roger Stone, whose prison sentence for lying and tampering with witnesses president has already been commuted.
‘INNOCENT MAN’?
Thursday’s announcement helped Flynn avoid a possible prison sentence from being weighed in federal court in Washington.
It also appeared to close the latest case stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s extensive 2017-2019 investigation into the Trump campaign, in which six campaign associates pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial.
“It is my great honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has been granted a full pardon,” Trump tweeted.
He wished the retired Army Lieutenant General a “truly fantastic Thanksgiving.” holidays.
It is a great honor for me to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has received a full pardon. congratulations to @GenFlynn and your wonderful family, I know you will now have a really great Thanksgiving.
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2020
In a broader statement, the White House said the pardon ends “an end to the relentless partisan persecution of an innocent man.”
The statement said the Flynn investigation was part of “a coordinated attempt to subvert the 2016 election” and to “undermine the (Trump) administration at all times.”
SECRET CALLS WITH RUSSIANS
Flynn was initially the target of an FBI counterintelligence investigation for secret phone calls with the Russian ambassador to the United States in December 2016, after Trump’s election victory, but before he took office.
In a key phone call, Flynn sought to undermine the impact of the sanctions and expulsions announced by then-President Barack Obama against Moscow for its interference in the 2016 elections.
In addition to Flynn receiving significant sums of money over the previous two years for appearances with Russian companies, including one in which he sat next to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a gala in Moscow, American investigators were concerned that the chief adviser to Trump’s national security could be vulnerable. engage.
He was forced to resign as Trump’s national security adviser in February 2017, less than four weeks after the administration.
Trump’s efforts to defend and protect Flynn led to the appointment of an independent attorney, Robert Mueller, whose investigation into collusion and obstruction of justice clouded the first half of Trump’s term.
In late 2017, Flynn reached an agreement with investigators and pleaded guilty, twice, to lying to FBI agents, avoiding higher charges related to his alleged illegal pressure on Turkey’s behalf.
But after Flynn’s trial exposed some missteps by the FBI and investigators, Trump and his supporters said it was evidence that the entire Mueller investigation was politically tainted, and Trump labeled it a “witch hunt.”
Just as he was facing a light sentence of possibly weeks in jail, the former Pentagon intelligence chief took a 180-degree turn last year, seeking to withdraw his statement.
Then, in a bizarre series of events that raised charges of political interference, Attorney General Bill Barr, Trump’s chosen head of the Justice department, overruled his own prosecutors in an attempt to drop the case entirely.
The federal judge in the case rejected that measure, and the two parties continued to fight in court.
INDIGNATED DEMOCRATS
Democrats expressed outrage at Flynn’s pardon.
“Trump has once again abused the power of forgiveness to reward Michael Flynn, who chose loyalty to Trump over loyalty to his country,” said Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, which also investigated Russian collusion. .
“Flynn lied to the FBI about his communications with the Russians, efforts that undermined US foreign policy after sanctions were imposed on Russia for interfering in our elections,” he said.
“A Trump pardon does not erase that truth, no matter how Trump and his allies try to suggest otherwise.”
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