For nearly four years, retired Army general and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has been embroiled in a legal battle over charges that he lied to the FBI. But just in time for Thanksgiving, the fight for justice has finally come to an end.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has been granted a Full Pardon,” President Donald Trump wrote in a tweet Wednesday.
“Congratulations to [Gen. Flynn] and his wonderful family,” the president added. “I know you will now have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving!”
White House doubles down
According to Fox News, the White House put out a statement later Wednesday that decried Flynn’s prosecution as a politically motived sham.
The statement argued that Flynn “should never have been prosecuted” and condemned efforts to convict the retired general, calling it all a “relentless, partisan pursuit of an innocent man.”
“While today’s action sets right an injustice against an innocent man and an American hero, it should also serve as a reminder to all of us that we must remain vigilant over those in whom we place our trust and confidence,” the statement added.
Flak from the left
Fox News also shared a statement from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler in which the New York Democrat excoriated Trump’s decision to issue Flynn a pardon.
“President Trump dangled this pardon to encourage Flynn to backtrack on his pledge to cooperate with federal investigators — cooperation that might have exposed the President’s own wrongdoing,” Nadler asserted. “And it worked. Flynn broke his deal, recanted his plea, received the backing of the Attorney General over the objections of career prosecutors, and now has secured a pardon from the President of the United States.”
Nadler called Trump’s actions “an abuse of power” that “fundamentally undermine[s] the rule of law.”
The end of the road
Flynn, for his part, initially pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents who questioned him about a conversation he had with the Russian ambassador following President Trump’s election in 2016.
But as Fox noted, documents were released from the investigation that left many to believe there was a coordinated effort to hurt the former National Security adviser. A note from one memo reportedly read: “What is our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”
Flynn and his lawyer, Sidney Powell, moved to walk back his guilty plea in January of this year, as Politico reported. Now, however, it seems Flynn and his legal team can consider this a fight won.
The post Trump grants full pardon to Michael Flynn: 'An innocent man and an American hero' first appeared on Conservative Institute.
No comments: