Politico | Justice Department drops criminal case against ex-Donald Trump aide Michael Flynn
- Move comes after president and his allies stepped up assault on legal case against former national security adviser
- Abandoned prosecution could be end of one of most prominent cases brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as result of Trump-Russia collusion investigation
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein on politico.com on May 7, 2020.
The US Justice Department has abandoned its prosecution of President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, throwing in the towel on one of the most prominent cases brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his dealings with the Russian ambassador to the US.
But department officials, including Attorney General William Barr, concluded in light of recently disclosed evidence that the FBI’s questioning of him just four days after Trump’s inauguration lacked a proper investigative basis.
“A review of the facts and circumstances of this case, including newly discovered and disclosed information, indicates that Mr Flynn’s statements were never ‘material’ to any FBI investigation,” read the motion to dismiss the 2½-year-old criminal prosecution.