WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, ending years of investigations into Russia, finding Flynn twice guilty of misleading the FBI and then stepping down before being fired by the Justice Department. Was flipped. Her case.
Trump tweeted, ‘General Michael T. It is my great honor to announce that Flynn has been granted a full pardon. ‘ “Congratulations to Jenflyn and her wonderful family, I know you will have a really wonderful Thanksgiving now!”
The pardon comes as part of a wider effort by the president to undo the results of Russia’s investigation into the disappearance of Trump’s single term, which overshadowed his administration and brought criminal charges against half a dozen allies. The president comes months after another aide, Roger Stone, was sentenced, just days before he was jailed.
A Justice Department official said the department was not consulted about the waiver and the plan was reported Wednesday. But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to consider internal discussions, noted that the president has the legal power to pardon Flynn.
The move is likely to provoke supporters who have blamed Flynn as a celebrity and rallied around the retired Army lieutenant general, as Flynn has pleaded guilty twice, but claims it is an unjust act. Trump has repeatedly spoken out against Flynn and hinted at his personal interest in his fate, asking then-FBI Director James Kim to end the criminal investigation in February 2017. National Security Advisor.
In a statement, Flynn’s family apologized and thanked Trump for “answering our prayers and the nation’s prayers.”
Democrats called the apology unauthorized and ideological. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “serious corruption and rampant abuse of power,” while the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. “Don’t be forgiven by Trump, don’t erase,” said Adam Schiff, pleading guilty to Flynn’s guilt.
Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that presidential activists have created an elaborate narrative in which Trump and Flynn are victims and the constitution is subject to the will of the president. “When President Trump voted, the Americans rejected these nonsense. ”
Forgiveness is the final step in a case defined by twists and turns. The most dramatic came in May when the Justice Department suddenly moved to dismiss the case, Insisting that Flynn should not be interviewed in the first place by the FBI, only the U.S. Resist the request of District Justice Emmett Sullivan and appoint a former judge to argue the federal government’s position and evaluate whether Flynn should be held accountable. Contempt for lies.
That former judge, John Gleason, called the Justice Department’s dismissal request an abuse of power and said his reasons for leaving the case were always evolving. And “clear excuse.”
Sullivan immediately refused to dismiss the plaintiff’s action, so Flynn’s lawyer Sidney Powell sought to bypass the judge to direct the federal appeals court to drop the case. A three-judge panel did exactly that, but the full court overturned that decision and sent the case back to Sullivan.
At the September hearing, Paul told Sullivan that he had discussed Flynn’s case with Trump, but also said he did not apologize – probably because he wanted it to be upheld in the courts.
Powell emerged separately in recent weeks as the public face of efforts by Trump to reverse the election-damaging results of President-elect Joe Biden, but Trump’s legal team distanced itself from him as she advanced in a series of numerous conspiracy claims.
The pardon left Flynn with the possibility of a prison sentence, which Sullivan could possibly impose, if he eventually turned down the Justice Department’s dismissal request. The request was made after a review of the case by a federal attorney in St. Louis, who was specially appointed by Terry General William Barr.
Flynn had an FBI interview about conversations that took place during the transition with the Russian ambassador, days after Trump’s inauguration in the lawsuit.
Flynn admitted he lied during the interview, saying he had not discussed with diplomat, Sergei Kislyak, the sanctions imposed on Russia by the out-of-town Obama administration for interfering in the election. During the talks, Flynn urged Kislyak to be “equal-brother” for Russia in response to disciplinary action, assuring him that “we can have a good conversation” about relations between the two countries after Trump became president.
The conversation shocked the FBI, which at the time was investigating whether the Trump campaign and Russia had coordinated to control the election. In addition, White House officials were publicly stating that Flynn and Kisliak had not discussed sanctions, which the FBI knew were untrue.
Obama administration officials warned the White House that Flynn had indeed discussed sanctions with Kislyak and was susceptible to blackmail. He pleaded guilty months later to a false statement charge.
But last May, several years after the lawyer’s defense, the Justice Department abruptly reversed its position.
He asserted that his confession had been obtained through torture and that his confession had been obtained through torture, but that his confession had been obtained through torture and that his confession had been obtained through torture. The department also drew attention to FBI internal notes showing that agents planned to close the investigation weeks before meeting with Kislyak.
Flynn of Middletown, Rhode Island, was one of the first to charge in Mueller’s investigation and provided such extensive cooperation that public prosecutors did not recommend jail time, leaving out the possibility of probation.
But in the morning he was due to be sentenced, after a strong rebuke from Sullivan for his behavior, Fly was asked to shorten the hearing so that he could continue to co-operate and get credit for further sentencing.
After that, he hired new lawyers – including Powell, a conservative critic and Mueller’s investigative clarification critic – who took a more contradictory stance against the government and tried to withdraw his guilty plea.
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