Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn arrived in Washington on December 18, 2018. He got out of the vehicle arriving for the sentencing hearing in the district court.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
The former federal judge told the court filing on Friday that the Justice Department’s unusual attempt to deny his action against former national security adviser Michael Flynn appeared to be “corrupt and politically motivated” after President Donald Trump’s pressure.
Former Judge John Gleeson’s harsh words came as he said Flynn’s case judge, Emmet Sullivan, both had the right to deny the Justice Department’s request to dismiss the case, and should do so and then be punished for lying to Flynn. The FBI.
Gleason, who is now an attorney in private practice, was appointed by Sullivan earlier this year to argue against the Justice Department’s efforts, which are pending in federal court in Washington.
In her filing, Gleason wrote that the Justice Department seeks dismissal in its own court records. “It does not really try to deny or deny the powerful evidence that its … motion improperly tried to justify this court’s guilt in a corrupt, politically motivated favor.” For a friend and ally of the President. “
Gliss wrote that the Justice Department “made clear excuses for the president to support clearly corrupt political practices.”
Retired Army Lt. Gen. Flyn, who briefly served as Trump’s national security adviser, was convicted of lying to FBI agents about his discussions with Russian diplomats in the weeks leading up to Trump’s inauguration nearly three years ago.
He is yet to be sentenced in this case. For more than a year, he has tried to undo his guilt by arguing misconduct by prosecutors and the FBI.
The Justice Department fought Flynn’s efforts until several months ago. But then he suddenly asked that the case be dismissed.
Timothy Shea, the U.S. interim attorney for the District of Columbia, argued in a dismissal request that Flynn’s interview was not justified by the FBI’s counterterrorism investigation and that Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak had lost “what he said.” . To investigate that.
Such a dismissal request is unusual in a case for which the plaintiffs have been convicted, and Flyn was later found to have assisted the defendant in the ongoing investigation into the proceedings with the help of special counsel Robert Mueller.
The dismissal came after Trump repeatedly criticized Flynn’s actions, although he fired Flynn for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about what he had discussed with Kislik.
Glissen was quoted as saying that he criticized the Justice Department for failing to mention in its own court the impact of Trump’s remarks.
“The government doesn’t disagree with any of this – probably because it can’t. Indeed, the government nowhere mentions the president’s personal lobbying, let alone its horrific attacks on those previously involved in the proceedings.”
“Based on the evidence already in the public eye, the only consistent explanation for the government’s extremely erratic pace – as well as its demonstrable excuses – is that the Justice Department has stepped in for a presidential-led pressure campaign for its political ally.”
Gleason also wrote: “The government now has two chances to explain why the sudden suspicion that Fly lied is creditable.”
“It has failed. There is no right to leave the court on this ground.” He added.
Glissen said the record in Flynn’s case is “part of an indication of improper interference in criminal cases involving the president’s personal and political associates.”
He cited the sharp downgrading of the Justice Department’s recommendation for the sentencing of former Trump campaign member Roger Stone, who has been convicted of lying to Congress. When the trial attorney recommended a stricter prison sentence for the stone, his superiors in the Justice Department rejected him, in an extraordinary court filing, seeking a shorter term.
Trump condemned Stone’s actions, as he has done with Flynn’s case.
Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison. But Trump rescinded the sentence just four days before his scheduled surrender to prison.
Flynn’s lawyers and the Justice Department told the Federal Appeals Court earlier this year to force Sullivan to cancel the petition after it failed to make a speedy request, and then argued to oppose the bid after appointing Gleason.
The appellate court ruled in Flynn’s favor and directed that the case be dropped.
But Sullivan appealed the decision. And the full appellate court immediately overturned the panel’s ruling, saying Sullivan’s dismissal request should be granted first or in one way or another. If the judge refuses to hear the case, Flynn can appeal Sullivan’s ruling.
Sullivan is expected to hear arguments on the dismissal request later this month.
A lawyer for Flynn, and a spokesman for the Justice Department, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday about Gleason’s court filing.
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