Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 10:52 pm
Despite the new Washington Post report that Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his communications with Russia, it’s still up to Donald Trump’s Department of Justice to pursue any charges against him.
As the newspaper reported: “Any decision to prosecute would ultimately lie with the Justice Department.”
This means that Flynn – who spoke with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak about sanctions prior to taking office – will likely get off scot-free.
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Not only is the Justice Department now run by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but Trump himself said at today’s unhinged press conference that he doesn’t think there was anything wrong with what Flynn did.
“I don’t think he did anything wrong,” the president said. “If anything, he did something right.”
Video:
Pres. Trump on Flynn’s talks with Russia: “I don’t think he did anything wrong, if anything he did something right.” https://t.co/hvIYqfIRui pic.twitter.com/QzKTQCvNyw
— ABC News (@ABC) February 16, 2017
He was just doing his job,” Trump added.
Doing his job?
Flynn reportedly told the Russians – the same Russians that waged a cyberattack against the United States – that the new administration would ease sanctions on Russia once Trump took office. He then lied to the FBI about having done so.
In other words, it wasn’t just the Russians meddling in American affairs. Flynn, too, was interfering with U.S. foreign policy when he had no authority to do so – and when his pledges to Moscow were in direct conflict with the Obama administration’s policy at the time.
It’s deeply disturbing that the new administration, which sees nothing wrong with Flynn’s conduct, is now in charge of holding him accountable for it.
It’s yet another reason why an independent investigation is badly needed.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
