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The day after he pardoned two turkeys, President Donald Trump gave his former national security adviser the same treatment. Trump says it is a “great honor” to forgive the man who was once fired from the White House for lying to both the vice president and the FBI.
I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the vice president and the FBI. He has pleaded guilty to those lies. It’s a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017
Flynn has twice confessed to the FBI lie, but has since withdrawn the confession. Now the case is definitely closed and Flynn can enjoy the weekend as a free man.
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
– I know you want a really great Thanksgiving! Congratulates Trump on Twitter.
– Abuse of power
The decision was by no means unexpected, but it has nevertheless fired the minds of several of the president’s opponents. Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the Congressional Justice Committee, is among those who don’t skimp on gunpowder.
– Forgiveness is undeserved, unprincipled and another stain on President Trump’s shrinking legacy, Thunder Needles calls Trump’s actions an “abuse of power” and a threat to the rule of law.
– Americans voted against this nonsense when they removed Donald Trump from the White House. Incoming President Biden will soon be in his place and will restore the honor to the presidency. Until then, we must be on the lookout for further abuses of power, the Democrat warns.
Neither Jerry Nadler nor Nancy Pelosi are thrilled with the reprieve. Photo: Olivier Douliery / AFP
– It does not change the truth
Nor is Nadler’s head of Congress, Nancy Pelosi, impressed by Trump’s decision.
– Flynn’s actions constituted a series of serious and dangerous violations of our national security. He must be held accountable, Pelosi says of the man who lied to the FBI about his Russian contacts.
“However, Trump and his supporters continue to put the president in front of the country and politicize justice by protecting Trump and Flynn from the law,” Pelosi continues.
Adam Schiff has little left for Donald Trump and his decision. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo
Adam Schiff, chairman of the intelligence committee and longtime critic of the president, points out that Flynn may be free, but by no means an innocent man.
– Flynn pleaded guilty to the lies – twice. A Trump pardon doesn’t change that truth, no matter how Trump and his allies try to give the impression otherwise, says Schiff.
The White House Strikes Back
The stern tone of the Democrats does not surprise most. The same goes for Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, who defends his forgiveness.
– Flynn is an innocent man. Even the FBI agents who interviewed Flynn did not believe he was lying. Repeated investigations show that Flynn was the victim of politically motivated attempts by government employees to undermine the outcome of the 2016 election, McEnany says.
Kayleigh McEnany defends the president and Flynn. Photo: Susan Walsh / AP Photo
The press secretary believes that Flynn was the victim of a political conspiracy and accuses parts of the American press of leading the way with what she sees as “biased” intelligence agents.
– After the 2016 elections, the people of the outgoing administration refused to accept the decision of the American voters and work to undermine a peaceful takeover, continues McEnany.
Controversial case
As part of Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections, Flynn confessed to lying to the FBI about his ties to Russia.
The former officer is a man popular with many Trump supporters, who believe that Flynn is the victim of a political game.
The president’s former national security adviser previously admitted to discussing sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the United States. Flynn has also confessed to lying about this contact during an interrogation with the FBI in 2017.
Earlier this year, however, Flynn decided to withdraw the confession, claiming that FBI agents had violated important procedures during the investigation. Among other things, he was interrogated without the presence of a lawyer.
The Justice Department backed Flynn, arguing that the case should be dropped. The judge in the case disagreed with this, and the case was postponed until further notice. On Wednesday, Flynn was pardoned and, according to US media, Trump can be expected to pardon more former supporters in the coming weeks.
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