[ad_1]
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday (November 25) 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 he spent fighting accusations that he had overseen and sought to cover up a dangerous cooperation scheme with Russia.
Flynn had pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI in the early days of that investigation, and was forced to resign as Trump’s national security adviser in February 2017, less than four weeks after the administration.
But after pleading guilty twice in federal court in Washington, the former Pentagon intelligence chief took a 180-degree turn and sought to withdraw his statement just before sentencing.
“It is a great honor for me to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has received a full pardon,” Trump tweeted, wishing the retired Army Lieutenant General a “truly fantastic Thanksgiving.” holidays.
Flynn was initially targeted by an FBI counterintelligence investigation after he had secret phone calls with the Russian ambassador to the United States in December 2016, after Trump’s election victory but before he took office.
INDIGNATED DEMOCRATS
In a key phone call, Flynn sought to lessen 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.
Trump’s efforts to defend and protect Flynn in the first months of 2017 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.
But Trump always defended Flynn, calling the case against him a politicized “witch hunt.”
Democrats voiced outrage at Flynn’s clemency, which came when the judge handling his case rejected the Justice Department’s efforts to remove him.
“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.”
