Travesty
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Former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe slammed the Justice Department’s decision to drop its case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn on charges he lied to the FBI about his contacts with Russians.
“The DOJ has lost its way. But, career people: please stay because America needs you. The country is hungry for honest, competent leadership,” Comey tweeted.
The DOJ has lost its way. But, career people: please stay because America needs you. The country is hungry for honest, competent leadership.
— James Comey (@Comey) May 7, 2020
McCabe said in a statement Flynn had “high level interactions with Russian officials” whom he “actively tried to influence.” He also said Flynn had lied about the substance of his talks with Russian officials.“His lies added to our concerns about his relationship with the Russian government,” said McCabe. “Today’s move by the Justice Department has nothing to do with the facts or the law — it is pure politics designed to please the president.”
In a court filing Thursday, the Justice Department said it was moving to drop its case against Flynn and was no longer sure it could make its case.
Justice moves to drop case against Flynn
McCabe and Comey were both ousted from their positions at the FBI by Trump and have had long public feuds with the president.
McCabe was accused of lying to investigators about a leak to the media, but the Justice Department in February decided against bringing charges against him.
Comey was criticized by the Justice Department's inspector general in an August 2019 report over his handling of memos on his conversations with Trump and the FBI.
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I still don’t understand the particulars with respect to Flynn.
Yes - the FBI seems to have acted shady and overzealous (same with the FISA warrants)
But Flynn seems super shady too. He got fired for lying to Pence. He lied to the FBI. He doesn’t seem like a good operator either.
The biggest loser here seems to be the rule of law and American law enforcement institutions.
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The whole predicate of his prosecution was the phone call he had with the Russian ambassador. That call was tapped. Later, when questioned about it (without an attorney present) he made erroneous comments about the substance of the conversation. Those were later deemed to be "lies."
Obama knew that the call was tapped by the way.
Later, when FBI reviewed the case, after he plead to "making false statements," documentation came out that there was no evidence of him lying, according to FBI documents.
I'm not familiar enough with the reason for his plea deal, but apparently it has something to do with not prosecuting his son. That, in and of itself, is prosecutorial misconduct.
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I still don’t understand the particulars with respect to Flynn.
Yes - the FBI seems to have acted shady and overzealous (same with the FISA warrants)
But Flynn seems super shady too. He got fired for lying to Pence. He lied to the FBI. He doesn’t seem like a good operator either.
The biggest loser here seems to be the rule of law and American law enforcement institutions.
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Jonathan Turley comments on Obama's comments about Flynn:
In a "leaked private conversation", Obama said:
“The news over the last 24 hours I think has been somewhat downplayed — about the Justice Department dropping charges against Michael Flynn,” Obama said in a web talk with members of the Obama Alumni Association.
“And the fact that there is no precedent that anybody can find for someone who has been charged with perjury just getting off scot-free. That’s the kind of stuff where you begin to get worried that basic — not just institutional norms — but our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk. And when you start moving in those directions, it can accelerate pretty quickly as we’ve seen in other places.”
Turley comments:
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Snort: Obama Pardons James Cartwright, General Who Lied to F.B.I. in Leak Case
President Obama on Tuesday pardoned James E. Cartwright, a retired Marine Corps general and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about his discussions with reporters about Iran’s nuclear program, saving him from a possible prison sentence.
General Cartwright, who was a key member of Mr. Obama’s national security team in his first term and earned a reputation as the president’s favorite general, pleaded guilty late last year to misleading investigators looking into the leaking of classified information about cyberattacks against Iran.
He was due to be sentenced this month. His defense team had asked for a year of probation and 600 hours of community service, but prosecutors had asked the judge overseeing his case to send him to prison for two years.
Now, the retired general will be spared such punishment.Both General Cartwright and his lawyer, Gregory Craig, a former White House counsel to Mr. Obama, thanked the president in statements. “The president’s decision is wise and just, and it achieves the right result,” Mr. Craig said. “It allows General Cartwright to continue his life’s work — to serve, protect and defend the nation he loves. It allows the nation to continue to benefit from his vast experience and knowledge.”
If it weren't for the double standard, he'd have no standards at all.
(Yeah, I know, a pardon is not the same as dropping the case from prosecution.)
