[Ay-Pee] The Justice Department on Thursday said it is dropping the criminal case against President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, abandoning a prosecution that became a rallying cry for Trump and his supporters in attacking the FBI’s Russia investigation.The move is a stunning reversal for one of the signature cases brought by special counsel Robert Mueller. It comes even though prosecutors for the last three years had maintained that Flynn had lied to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador in a January 2017 interview. Flynn himself admitted as much, and became a key cooperator for Mueller as he investigated ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.
Axios Adds: Brandon Van Grack, a former member of special counsel Robert Mueller's team, moved to withdraw from the Justice Department's prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn on Thursday. He did not provide a reason for his withdrawal.
Why it matters: Van Grack leads a team that has been accused by Flynn's attorneys of prosecutorial misconduct. New FBI documents stemming from Flynn's move to withdraw his 2017 guilty plea have amplified conservative claims that prosecutors sought to entrap the former top Trump aide into lying about his conversations with the former Russian ambassador.
The big picture: Attorney General Bill Barr appointed an outside prosecutor in February to examine the case against Flynn, which both President Trump and Vice President Pence have weighed in on in recent days.
Barr has disrupted "The wall". Expect consequences and rolling-over on higher-ups
Related:
Brandon Van Grack: 2019-11-06 DOJ Makes Jaw-Dropping Admission in Flynn Case – Prosecution “Mistakenly” Attributed Wrong Notes to Wrong FBI Agents….
Brandon Van Grack: 2019-11-05 New Filing in Flynn Prosecution Casts Further Doubt on the Government's Case
Brandon Van Grack: 2017-12-05 More Anti-Trump Messages Reportedly Sent By Members Of Mueller's Team: "A Lot More Is Going To Come Out"
Brandon Van Grack: 2019-11-06 DOJ Makes Jaw-Dropping Admission in Flynn Case – Prosecution “Mistakenly” Attributed Wrong Notes to Wrong FBI Agents….
Brandon Van Grack: 2019-11-05 New Filing in Flynn Prosecution Casts Further Doubt on the Government's Case
Brandon Van Grack: 2017-12-05 More Anti-Trump Messages Reportedly Sent By Members Of Mueller's Team: "A Lot More Is Going To Come Out"