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Does anyone remember the Russian investigation or Robert Mueller’s report? In the shadow of the crown crisis, the issue seemed almost gone. Until now
The bitter dispute over the 2016 election campaign and subsequent FBI investigations – all of this suddenly returns to the US political agenda. USA The issue even has the potential to become an important part in the upcoming election campaign.
United States President Donald Trump and his allies have been trying to portray the Russian investigation as a selective conspiracy. They are now making powerful accusations that former President Barack Obama and Trump’s likely opponent in the election, Joe Biden, bear part of the responsibility as a former vice president.
Anyone who believes that Obama and “Sleepy Joe Biden” were not involved in the whole affair will be surprised, Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Friday without giving any evidence. Trump’s campaign team announced that a “witch hunt” had been conducted under Biden’s leadership as vice president. And Trump’s son Donald Junior called for a kind of political revenge in connection with the Russian investigation via Twitter: “It’s time for some political transparency, and the evil figures should be punished accordingly, exactly as they would have been. punished. “
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The centerpiece of Trump’s offensive is loyal Justice Minister William Barr, who is eager to deconstruct the Russian investigation after the fact. In recent months, Barr has intervened in several cases related to the investigation. Among other things, he campaigned for a lesser sentence for Trump’s confidant Roger Stone. Some of the responsible prosecutors resigned. Barr also dropped the charges against two fake Russian companies in March, allegedly in financial changes related to the 2016 election campaign.
In a surprising U-turn, Barr’s Justice Department has now dropped the charges against Trump’s confidant Michael Flynn. The former general had been accused of lying to the FBI. Barr now discovered that the FBI’s interrogation of Flynn had taken place without a substantiated reference to an active investigation and was not material. Furthermore, they were unable to clearly demonstrate that Flynn actually lied.
Flynn had already admitted her lies.
Barr’s statements are amazing. Flynn had even pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. He would become Trump’s new security adviser after the 2016 election and had made two calls to the Russian ambassador to Washington before the official inauguration. Among other things, it was about US sanctions against Moscow. When asked by FBI officials about the Russian investigation, he misrepresented the interviews.
The FBI was able to prove this because the talks had been overheard by US authorities. Trump then had to fire Flynn after just 24 days in office. Flynn then cooperated with investigators, apparently also with the prospect of relief from punishment.
Michael Flynn was once a general and intelligence expert under President Barack Obama. After firing him after an argument, Flynn supported Donald Trump’s candidacy in 2016 and advised the Republican on foreign and security policy issues.
Jonathan Ernst / REUTERS
Trump and his supporters, among other things, use internal FBI documents that have now emerged as alleged evidence that Flynn was the victim of a conspiracy by Obama investigators. In it, investigators discuss their tactical approach before meeting with Flynn, such as the question of whether they should explicitly warn Flynn of a possible misstatement. “What is our objective?” an FBI man wrote in notes. “Truth / confession or let him lie so we can charge him or let him shoot?”
Trump’s allies hold these and other similar work notes, like a trophy. They pretend that Flynn was tricked by the FBI. Flynn was an “innocent man” and a “hero,” Trump said. Everyone involved in the Russian investigation and the Flynn case, on the other hand, were guilty of “treason” and had to pay a “high price.”
Horror for legal experts
Several legal experts and the democratic opposition are horrified by the actions of the Trump administration and Justice Minister Barr. They note that the Russian investigation and the FBI’s actions at the time of the Flynn poll were fully justified because many questions remained unanswered. Among other things, it was suspected that the new Trump administration could offer Moscow the possibility of a relaxation of US sanctions, as thanks for support in the electoral campaign.
Barr’s own internal oversight at the ministry said in a 434-page report last year that while the FBI’s investigation into the Russian affair had serious weaknesses and errors, it was generally not characterized by political bias.
Michael Bromwich, the former head of internal oversight for the Justice Department, spoke of a “black day” for the judiciary after the Flynn investigation ended. Others noted that the completion of the trial was unprecedented, mainly because Flynn had already admitted in a debt statement that he had lied. It was a scandal that the Trump administration’s judicial system was “misused in this way for political reasons,” said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal.
The “New York Times” went even further. In an editorial, the newspaper noted that President Trump is known for praising autocrats and dictators around the world. Now he is imitating them using the Ministry of Justice to protect his friends. All development is “dangerous”, especially if the Ministry of Justice could also be used in a next step to act against the President’s political opponents. Joe Biden must be careful on the campaign trail, the newspaper warned.
Trump and his family do not want to be deterred by outrage. Barr made it clear that he only wanted to guarantee justice and fairness. The president himself hinted that new documents regarding the Russian investigation would be published soon. Trump: “I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of things happen in the coming weeks.” The Flynn case was just “part of the puzzle.”
