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Related topics on other nearby pages: Overview / recap articles: Think the FBI Deserves the Benefit of the Doubt? In June 2020, a federal judge ordered that all charges be dropped against Flynn, whom Trump subsequently pardoned in the waning days of his administration. Prior to his exoneration, Flynn was facing heavy fines and prison time for making false statements to federal officials in another perjury trap orchestrated by Comey, who bragged about the setup in the first week of the Trump White House. [...] Flynn initially pled guilty to making false statements to the FBI before firing his attorneys and hiring new representation to withdraw his guilty plea. His reversal followed the release of declassified transcripts, which revealed Flynn never spoke with Kislyak about sanctions. The two only discussed expulsions of Russian individuals under a different process. Handwritten notes from the FBI agents also revealed the sole purpose of their questioning was "to get him to lie so we can prosecute him or get him fired." A bizarre 2017 inauguration day email by Susan Rice to herself also revealed Comey knew there was no legitimate reason to question Flynn. Don't Shrug at Obama's Michael Flynn Scandal. [Scroll down] The FBI did indeed fail to advise Flynn that they were targeting him rather than seeking information about phone calls with the Russian ambassador that they had already listened to. They discouraged him from having a lawyer present and didn't read him anything like the Miranda warning. They did indeed pour so much trouble on Flynn that he amassed some $5 million in legal bills (and had to put his house up for sale). They didn't initially think that he had lied, but merely had a faulty memory. Instead of threatening his mother, the FBI threatened to indict his son, and someone leaked this to the media so that Flynn's son's reputation would be damaged in any event. And the FBI did indeed withhold exculpatory evidence from Flynn's lawyers. Why Is Vindman a War Hero but Flynn a Traitor? [Scroll down] Certainly 33-year military veteran Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn was not treated with the same deference when he became the focus of the deep state coup attempting to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. He served his country with genuine honor and distinction[.] He served both in Iraq and Afghanistan both for the Central Command and the Joint Special Operations Command which included units like Seal Team 6. President Obama appointed him director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he served until he fell out of favor for his criticism of President Obama precipitously withdrawing from Iraq, which created a vacuum the Islamic State rose to fill, with Obama doing nothing as he watched it grow except dismiss it as the "JV team." [...] This is a genuine bombshell involving a plot to overturn an election and one does not have to resort to agenda-driven psychobabble to figure it out. Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn is a war hero who was loyal to the truth, his country and his President. Timely news and commentary: General Flynn Warns of New Staged Jan 6th False Flag. Speaking with Alex Jones about the January 6th debacle, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said he expects another "distraction" like Jan. 6 or the staged kidnapping plot of Michigan's Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer to take place ahead of the 2024 presidential election. "I think we're gonna see staged events, I really do. Do not put past this administration, with their thugs in some cases that they have access to, do not put it past them to stage something," Flynn warned. [Video clip] Millions of Americans sense the same danger lurking as the desperate elite will likely have to pull something if they want to stop Donald Trump from being re-elected. Ex-Director of the DIA Gen. Mike Flynn Alleges Some U.S. Legislators Compromised by Globalists. In a recent no-holds-barred conversation with political commentator Joy Thayer, ex-Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), General Michael Flynn, unveiled a shocking narrative surrounding the moral integrity of certain members within the U.S. legislature. He alleged that the hold of globalist agendas over these officials stems from compromising situations they find themselves in during official overseas trips. He expressed his disdain for what he described as a "totally, completely broken" House of Representatives, which he alleges is under the thumbs of corporate lobbyists and globalists. According to Flynn, these external entities have managed to ensnare some legislators through compromising situations during Congressional Delegation (CODEL) trips overseas. The former DIA chief's narrative took an even darker turn as he alleged that some of these trips saw members of both the Senate and the House being compromised through sleeping with children. General Flynn Exclusive: "Americans See the Truth: Our Ruling Class Is Corrupt, Inept, and Pathological". In an exclusive interview, General Michael Flynn shared his observations and thoughts regarding topics from the Speaker of the House to the potential war in the Middle East. [...] ["]Americans see the truth: Our ruling class is corrupt, inept, and pathological. In the upside-down world they've built, what's bad is good, adversaries are partners, and terrorism is not only acceptable but estimable.["] Lt. General Mike Flynn Sues Andrew Weissmann, Nicolle Wallace and MSNBC for Knowingly Promoting Materially False and Malicious Statements. On Tuesday General Mike Flynn filed charges in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida against far-left smear merchants Andrew Weissmann, Nicolle Wallace and MSNBC for knowing promoting materially false statements that General Flynn "plotted the insurrection" and that he was guilty of lying to the FBI. Both of these are provably false statements used to smear the 33-year military hero and US veteran. This is also very concerning coming from the former top DOJ lawyer and MSNBC "expert" used by the company to promote and defend their leftwing positions, no matter how bizarre or dishonest. Flynn Sues DOJ, FBI for Malicious Prosecution, Wants $50 Million. "General Flynn — who already had a reputation as a hands-on disruptor at DIA, who had publicly excoriated the politicization of the intelligence community, and who had made clear his desire to overhaul the national security structure and the 'interagency process' — was a direct threat, not only to the self-interest of entrenched intelligence bureaucracies and the federal officials involved, but to exposing their prior and ongoing efforts to derail and discredit President Trump," the suit says. The case against Flynn was riddled with contradictions and inconsistencies. FBI agents had already decided to close his case by early January 2017, but higher-ups intervened to keep it open on the justification that Flynn may have violated an obscure and antiquated law called the Logan Act by discussing with a Russian ambassador the priorities of the incoming administration during the transition period. DOJ officials at the time rejected the legal theory. The 1799 Logan Act, which prohibits certain kinds of unauthorized diplomacy, may in fact be unconstitutional, several lawyers previously told The Epoch Times. It has never been successfully prosecuted, much less aimed at an incoming national security adviser. General Michael Flynn Sues DOJ, FBI and US Government for $50 Million for Malicious Persecution and Gross Abuse of Power. General Michael Flynn is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who was the 24th U.S. National Security Advisor for the first 22 days of the Trump administration. General Flynn, a staunch Trump ally and confidante, was forced to resign in 2017 following screaming reports that he had lied regarding conversations with Sergey Kislyak, a Russian diplomat. This was while the Democrat Party and highest levels of US intelligence concocted an attempted coup to take down the sitting President based on what they knew was fraudulent accusations that Trump was Vladimir Putin's stooge. General Michael Flynn was collateral damage. They had to remove him to get to Trump. General Michael Flynn was a huge target of Barack Obama, Democrats, the Deep State, and crooked Judge Sullivan, after he joined with Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign for president. Obama particularly hated Flynn for pointing out the obvious during congressional testimony, that Antifa was sweeping across Syria-Iraq and Obama had no plan to prevent this. General Mike Flynn Goes Off on SCOTUS as America Loses Its Justice System to Tyrants. On Thursday, March 2 at 9:00 am Eastern we had the honor of hosting two of our favorite patriot heavyweights for the Political Prisoner Podcast. Jake Lang, joined us live from prison where he has been held for 774 days without trial. He was joined by General Michael Flynn who Jake interviewed for the Gateway Pundit Political Prisoner Podcast. Jake was nearly killed on January 6th when he was gassed and smothered by a huge pile of people on the steps of the US Capitol. The woman beside him, Rosanne Boyland, was killed that day. She was gassed, crushed and beaten by Capitol Police Officer Lila Morris several dozen times. Capitol Police Officer Lila Morris was filmed beating Rosanne with a stick after she passed out. While Jake was buried under the pile, Capitol police continued to push protesters on top of him. Jake also saw Philip Anderson's limp body laying next to Rosanne Boyland. Jake was able to pull Anderson to safety and saved his life that day. But Jake was not able to save Rosanne from the police. Rosanne Boyland was killed by police on the steps of the US Capitol. The mainstream media ignored the crime and instead lied about Rosanne following her death. General Flynn: Vice President Biden Visited Ukraine 12-13 Times in His Last Year as VP — All Of These Trips Need to be Investigated!. Earlier on Wednesday The Gateway Pundit's Jim and Joe Hoft interviewed General Michael Flynn on the Hunter Biden laptop. During our conversation, General Flynn pointed out that Joe Biden visited Ukraine 12 or 13 times his last year as vice president. Why? And why did Obama allow this? Obama is as much at fault as Joe Biden. [Tweet] General Flynn is calling on Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan to investigate every single one of these trips. General Michael Flynn Shares Incredible Video — America Needs a Hero for More Than One Day. General Flynn and President Trump were targeted by the corrupt Deep State and their lives were thrown upside down for standing up for America First. General Flynn was the Deep State's first target in the Trump Administration. He knew too much so they lied about him and took him down. They used inside swamp monsters who surrounded President Trump and pushed General Flynn out. A short time later these same Deep State criminals who still walk free targeted General Flynn in the corrupt Russia collusion sham. Flynn did nothing wrong. The whole time the corrupt actors in the Deep State targeted President Trump. When they couldn't push him out with their corrupt sham they created unconstitutional impeachments based on more lies. Ultimately the Deep State had to steal the 2020 Election to consummate their illegal and seditious coup. Tucker Carlson details facts around his claim Deep State ousted Nixon for suggesting CIA killed Kennedy. [Scroll down] If you still doubt that we've been watching a reboot of a Deep State special, Carlson urged viewers to consider the case of Gen. Michael Flynn. ["]Now, you may have noticed that the very first person in the Trump administration the agencies went after was Gen. Michael Flynn. Why Flynn? Because Mike Flynn was a career Army intel officer who ran the Defense Intelligence Agency. In other words, Mike Flynn knew exactly how the system worked, and as a result, he was capable of fighting back. Four days after Donald Trump's inauguration, the FBI lured Mike Flynn into a meeting without his lawyer, concocted a series of fake crimes and forced him to resign.["] "So, that's how things actually work in Washington," Carlson said. "Let's stop lying about it." This article was written by Michael Flynn himself: Equal Justice, They Said. Is there really a Logan Act, the ossified 18th-century statute under which no one has ever successfully been prosecuted? It depends. In 2016 James Comey's FBI and the Justice Department interim head Sally Yates used that ruse as a pretext to set a perjury trap for National Security Advisor designate retired Gen. Michael Flynn. But did not former Secretary of State John Kerry meet stealthily with Iranian high officials during the Trump Administration to reassure them that the Iran Deal could be salvaged after the Trump tenure — a deliberate Logan Act subversion of his then government's foreign policy? Dismantle the D.C. Company Town. The news last week that Michael Sussmann was found not guilty by a D.C. jury of his ideological peers was another thumb in the eye of the American so-called system of justice. Scary-looking super-cop John Durham had indicted Sussmann for the same thing that brought down Trump's flash-in-the-pan National Security Advisor Mike Flynn — lying to the FBI — but no one who has been paying attention thought the two men would be treated the same way. Flynn was close to Donald Trump, therefore he must be considered a sacrificial beast, someone to be made an example of, a pariah. And so he was. Sussmann, by contrast, was a covert employee of the Hillary Clinton campaign. He helped get the Russian Collusion Delusion going and lied to the FBI in the process. But he was on the side of the regime party, so, as Jonathan Turley observed as the Sussmann case unfolded, he was afforded every consideration while Flynn found himself ruined. Another Justice Department Fail: The Flynn Unmasking. Barack Obama's crusade to destroy Lt. General Michael Flynn began months before Election Day in 2016. Flynn resigned as Obama's Defense Intelligence Agency director in 2014 amid clashes with his boss at the time, James Clapper, over the administration's approach to the war on terror. In early 2016, Flynn, who had become an outspoken critic of Obama's foreign policy, joined the Trump presidential campaign; a few months later, Obama's FBI opened a counterintelligence probe into Flynn and three other campaign associates. After Trump won, Team Obama accelerated its targeting of Flynn. Obama warned Trump during an Oval Office meeting shortly after Election Day not to hire Flynn, advice Trump promptly rejected. So, Obama set out to make Trump pay for his defiance. FBI Shared Transcripts of Flynn-Russia Calls Without Masking Flynn's Name: Report. The FBI distributed transcripts of calls between then-incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russia's ambassador to the United States without shielding Flynn's name, according to a newly published report, which also found no evidence that requests from then-Vice President Joe Biden and other Executive Branch officials to unmask Flynn's identity were politically motivated. Flynn and the ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, spoke several times after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. Flynn's identity was made known, or unmasked, to a number of Obama administration officials, who requested the unmasking prior to Trump being sworn in. Portions of the transcripts were reported by The Washington Post before Trump's inauguration, citing a "senior U.S. government official." A later article cited nine current and former officials. All likely violated federal code that prohibits disclosure of classified information. The Biden administrative continues the Democrat war against Mike Flynn. Shortly after Donald Trump was elected in November 2016, Obama's deep state went after General Michael Flynn, whom Trump had named as his National Security advisor. After falsely accusing him of colluding with the Russians, the DOJ prosecuted him for lying to the FBI (and threatened his son) and, when that case collapsed, the judge refused to allow the DOJ to dismiss the case. Even though he was vindicated, the legal process impoverished Flynn. You'd think that, with his honorable career and his finances destroyed, that would have been enough for the left, but it wasn't. Now, Biden's Department of Defense is trying to force Flynn to return speaking fees from 2015. Why They Attack General Mike Flynn. The most recent attack by a pathetic U.S. Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Everett Stern, on General Michael Flynn is as ludicrous as it is outrageous. Using sensationalized words like "treasonous," "domestic terrorism," and "extortion" in a complete distortion of "events" that may not have even happened. Needless to say, the jackals in the corporately-owned fake news media like the Guardian jumped on this false narrative [quickly] in yet another effort to smear General Michael Flynn who is, in fact, a great American hero on the battlefield and in the struggle against the socialist junta now running the country into the ground. Any effort by Flynn or anyone else to identify those Republican elected officials who refused to examine the anomalies and irregularities in the 2020 election, and educate the voters regarding this dereliction of duty constituted neither "treason" nor "extortion." In fact, such actions (if they even really happened) would be perfectly legal political activity specifically protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. A paragraph that puts to shame the January 6 Select Committee of the House of Representatives. Lt. General Michael Flynn has filed a complaint against Speaker Pelosi and her Select Committee along the lines of the complaint already filed by former White House Counsel Mark Meadows, but with an important difference. Like the Meadows complaint, Gen. Flynn points out that the committee was not organized in accordance with the provision of the authorizing resolution, H. Res. 503. Where the resolution called for 13 members, the Pelosi panel has only 9 members. Where the resolution called for five members of the minority appointed in consultation with the minority leader, the committee has two members of the minority, selected by the Speaker without consultation with the minority leader. The authorizing resolution called for a ranking member; the committee has no ranking member. And as the Meadows complaint alleges, the Flynn complaint alleges that the subpoenas issued by the committee serve no valid legislative purpose. Gen. Michael Flynn Files Restraining Order Against Nancy Pelosi. Gen. Michael Flynn, who knows a thing or two about witch hunts, is taking action to stop the latest one. Naming all the members of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol as defendants, he has filed a complaint intended to stop a subpoena from that committee. At the same time, according to the Western Journal, Flynn "filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction specifically" against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Smirnoff). It is always refreshing, and far too rare, to see someone fighting back against this latter-day American version of the Stalinist show trials. Michael Flynn sues Nancy Pelosi and Jan. 6 committee. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn filed a lawsuit requesting a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the Jan. 6 committee and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday [12/21/2021]. Flynn's filing with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida seeking declaratory and injunctive relief argues the committee has engaged in "outrageous intrusion" by issuing extensive subpoenas to Flynn and his family, as well as "secret seizure of his and his family's personal information from their telecommunications and/or electronic mail service providers." The onetime national security adviser denied involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot that precipitated the congressional committee. Capitol riot committee subpoenas Michael Flynn and five other Trump allies. The House Jan. 6 committee issued six fresh subpoenas to six allies of former President Donald Trump. Former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, Bill Stepien, Jason Miller, Angela McCallum, John Eastman, and Bernard Kerik were named as the subpoena targets in a press release from the panel on Monday, which said they were "involved in efforts to promote false claims of election fraud or overturn the results of the 2020 election." The subpoenas seek documents and testimony "from witnesses including staff members of the former President's campaign and individuals associated with the so-called 'war room' that drove efforts to halt the counting of electoral votes in the runup to the violence of January 6th," the press release added. Tucker Carlson Interviews General Michael Flynn — The Biggest Target of The Fourth Branch of Government. General Michael Flynn was interviewed by Tucker Carlson. Many CTH readers are well versed in the fraudulent case manufactured by corrupt DOJ and FBI officials against Flynn. This extensive interview allows Flynn to describe what was happening in his own words. [Video clip] Left Doesn't Just Want to Censor You on Social Media. It Also Wants to Close Your Bank Accounts. It is becoming increasingly clear that political leaders on the left and Big Tech are joining arms to not just deplatform dissident voices from social media, but to bar them from the digital space entirely, including from having the ability to make and receive payments online. In the latest example, Chase Bank reportedly planned to close the credit card account of former national security adviser Michael Flynn on Sept. 18, stating that "continuing the relationship creates possible reputational risk to our company." While as of Aug. 31, a Chase spokesperson said that they had "made an error and apologized for any inconvenience caused," the initial gesture can't be ignored. This comes just a couple months after Wells Fargo made the "business decision" to close 2020 Republican Delaware Senate candidate Lauren Witzke's account. Two of the more prominent digital payment services, PayPal and Stripe, have also become active cancel culture participants. Big Tech, woke finance crack down on Flynn, Gateway Pundit, Berenson in cancel culture purge. With national attention riveted over the weekend on two major stories — the frantic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan amid its fall to the Taliban and category 4 Hurricane Ida slamming into the Louisiana coast — Big Tech and woke finance dramatically extended the reach of cancel culture with brazen moves to silence and harass three high-profile voices of political and scientific dissent: independent journalist Alex Berenson, popular conservative news and opinion website The Gateway Pundit, and Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Who Was the Leaker Who Fingered General Flynn? It was very likely Celeste Wallander, a former National Security Council staffer for The One, and her smile gives it away. Perhaps the reason she is smiling these days is that she is The Hologram's nominee for assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. Call it a payback tour for a job well done, and yet another Obama retread in the Hologram regime. Let's explore the evidence. First of all, recall that the January 2017 leak to the press about Flynn's "Russia contacts" was the spark that ignited the Democrat-media complex feeding frenzy leading to the rigged Mueller special counsel (they were all Democrats) and the first impeachment that fizzled when Mueller's clowns could not produce the smoking gun evidence. Of course, there was none, as we now know that the "dossier" was nothing but a Democrat dirty trick concocted by the Shrillary campaign et al. It is also important to understand that whoever leaked that info is a felon walking, as pointed out [elsewhere]. Mike Flynn Makes Rare Appearance To Remind Americans Of Just How Corrupt The Swamp Is. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, is the second-most wrongly persecuted man in the country, behind his former boss. For the high crime of wanting to continue serving his country under the leadership of a president the Washington Establishment did not approve, he was targeted, falsely accused, wrongly prosecuted, and outrageously convicted after having been forced to confess to something he didn't do in order to spare his son. It is utterly grotesque what happened to Flynn, and it proves beyond any doubt that We the People have virtually no control over those who govern (rule over?) us — because we have no way of holding to account those who wronged Gen. Flynn. Michael Flynn denies saying Myanmar-like coup 'should' happen in United States. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn denied that he embraced the idea of a coup in the United States. During a right-wing conference in Dallas called the "For God & Country Patriot Roundup" over the weekend, the former White House national security adviser was asked by someone in the audience, who identified as a "simple Marine": "Why what happened in Myanmar can't happen here?" After cheers erupted in the crowd, as shown in clips posted to social media, Flynn replied, "No reason. I mean, it should happen here." Michael Flynn says coup 'should happen' in U.S.. A former U.S. national security adviser said over the weekend that a military coup to overthrow the U.S. government "should happen." Michael Flynn said at a convention in Dallas that America's armed forces should follow the lead of those of Myanmar, who seized power after a disputed election. He was asked during a question-and-answer session at a QAnon conference by a man who said he was a Marine "I want to know why what happened in Myanmar can't happen here?" Flynn Issues Dire Warning: Dems Trying To 'Dismantle Our Constitutional Republic'. Retired U.S. Army lieutenant general Michael Flynn is warning that the witch hunt against Donald Trump and anyone who dared to support him is never going to stop. During an interview on Flash Point, Flynn said liberals are "working overtime to dismantle" the U.S. Constitution and want to transition America from a constitutional republic as designed by the Founding Fathers and into a nation overtaken by socialism. Michael Flynn Family Files $75 Million Defamation Suit Against Blue Anon's CNN. "Michael Flynn's brother and sister-in-law have sued CNN for $75 million, according to documents filed in New York federal court," reports the far-left Daily Beast. According to the suit, the Flynn family says CNNLOL — an extremist, far-left Blue Anon outlet that spreads conspiracy theories, fake news, and promotes blacklists and violence against Trump supporters — lied about them being followers of QAnon. Devin Nunes Says FBI Informant 'Made Up A Bunch Of Lies' About Michael Flynn. California Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that newly declassified FBI documents show that a confidential source for the bureau lied about former national security adviser Michael Flynn during the early days of the Russia probe in 2016. "When you go through that it's frightening. Imagine being spied upon by your own government, and then that spy makes up a bunch of lies about everybody," Nunes said in an interview on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." "They framed General Flynn," the Republican added. Nunes was referring to an FBI memo released this week of an interview that investigators conducted on Aug. 11, 2016, with Stefan Halper, a former Cambridge professor and longtime confidential human source (CHS) for the FBI. Sidney Powell Live: "There Is More than Enough Evidence in the Public Now to More than Reverse the Election in at Least 5 States". Lieutenant General Michael Flynn is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General who was the 25th United States National Security Advisor for President Trump. Flynn's military career included a key role in shaping U.S. counterterrorism strategy and disarming insurgent networks in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and was given numerous combat arms, conventional, and special operations senior intelligence assignments. His book, The Field of Fight, is brilliant. Grassley Wants To Know How DOJ Found 'No Wrongdoing' In Michael Flynn Leak Probe. Sen. Chuck Grassley on Friday called on the Justice Department to explain its decision to close an investigation into leaks of information about former national security adviser Michael Flynn with a finding of no wrongdoing on the part of Obama administration officials. The New York Times reported Tuesday that federal prosecutors quietly closed a criminal probe into the leak of information to The Washington Post in 2017 regarding Flynn's phone calls in December 2016 with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. According to The Times, prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C. who were investigating the leak found "no wrongdoing" on the part of Obama administration officials. What Else Did US Attorney Jeff Jensen Find That We Don't Know About Yet? On Dec. 17, news broke that U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, Jeffrey Jensen, had resigned and was leaving the Department of Justice (DOJ) to go into private practice. Jensen had been in the national news several times this year due to playing a pivotal role in the retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn case. It was Jensen working as a special investigator supposedly on behalf of Attorney General William Barr and the DOJ [...] who found the explosive documents that directly led to the DOJ's filing to dismiss the case against Flynn in May. Beginning in April, Jensen would periodically surface to hand off batches of sealed documents to lead Flynn defense counsel Sidney Powell. With the unsealing of each new cache of previously classified documents, the more it became apparent that Flynn had been targeted by FBI officials in search of a crime for which they could get him fired and/or prosecuted. To find the previously hidden files that showed how Flynn had been targeted by law enforcement officials in search of a crime for which they could nail him, beginning in February 2020, Jensen searched in two specific locations: [#1] The Mueller special counsel's files located inside the Washington U.S. attorney's office, and [#2] FBI headquarters[.] The Judge's Opinion In Michael Flynn's Case Was So Bad It Should Be Vacated. On Dec. 8, federal Judge Emmet Sullivan dismissed as moot the criminal charge against Michael Flynn following President Trump's pardon of the retired lieutenant general. Those outraged over the vindicative and unjust targeting of President Trump's former national security advisor by the Obama-Biden administration and then the special counsel's office celebrated the conclusion of the case. Yet Judge Sullivan's dismissal came in the form of a vindictive, unconstitutional advisory opinion, designed to convict Flynn of a crime he did not commit and to disparage President Trump and the Justice Department. Flynn's case finally ends — but not before Judge Sullivan flogs a corpse. Gen. Michael Flynn's three-year odyssey in the criminal justice system finally came to an end this week with the long-delayed dismissal of his case in federal court. Ultimately, it took a presidential pardon to compel Judge Emmet Sullivan to release Flynn from the seemingly inescapable vortex of his docket. Yet Sullivan still decided to effectively declare Flynn guilty to the whole world — a final gratuitous act from a court long criticized for using Flynn to criticize President Trump and his administration. It did not matter that this case has been effectively dead for months. The judge issued an opinion that seemed intent on clearing his reputation by trashing what reputation remains for Flynn. Such a decision ordinarily would outrage civil libertarians. But principles of judicial restraint seem suspended when dealing with anyone associated with Trump. Michael Flynn Case Officially Dropped, Judge Releases Whiney, Politicized 43 Page Opinion. Over the last few days there have been rumblings that Judge Emmet Sullivan would still attempt to press the Michael Flynn case despite President Trump's recent pardon. That wouldn't have been surprising given the judge's incredibly biased, politicized behavior over the last few years. As previously covered here at RedState, the DOJ sought to dismiss the charges seven months ago based on new revelations showing the original investigation was politically charged. Flynn was targeted in an attempt to get him fired, and the agents involved did not believe he lied about anything. Now, with no cards left to play, Sullivan is crying uncle. Judge dismisses Michael Flynn case after Trump pardon. Judge Emmet Sullivan dismissed the criminal case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn on Tuesday, putting an end to a case that took a number of turns after Flynn's initial guilty plea three years ago. Trump pardoned Flynn in late November after Sullivan refused to automatically grant the Justice Department's motion to dismiss Flynn's case earlier this year. "The history of the Constitution, its structure, and the Supreme Court's interpretation of the pardon power make clear that President Trump's decision to pardon Mr. Flynn is a political decision, not a legal one," Sullivan said in his Tuesday order. "Because the law recognizes the President's political power to pardon, the appropriate course is to dismiss this case as moot." Dear Judge Sullivan. [Thread reader] Is a Judicial Revolt Against Trump Brewing in the Flynn Case? Is a rebellion against President Trump brewing in federal courts in the District of Columbia? We ask because of the latest development in the case of General Michael Flynn. A judge has questioned whether Mr. Trump's pardon of the general might be "too broad." The judge who made that comment isn't handling the Flynn case. His comment is shocking, though, while the judge who is sitting on General Flynn's case has yet to respond to the government's motion that the case be dismissed as pardoned. It was back in July that these columns first warned that Judge Emmet Sullivan, who is presiding in the general's case, might balk at a pardon. The case had already become so bitter and freighted with politics that when Attorney General Barr moved to drop the case, Judge Sullivan refused to accord to the request the presumption of regularity — meaning the presumption that officers of the government are acting in good faith. Judge Emmet Sullivan still refusing to dismiss Michael Flynn case. In a Freedom of Information case related to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, District Judge Reggie Walton said on Friday that Judge Emmet Sullivan doesn't have a lot of options in dealing with the fact that President Trump granted Flynn a full pardon, "unless he takes the position that the wording of the pardon is too broad, in that it provides protections beyond the date of the pardon." "I don't know what impact that would have, what decision he would make, if he makes that determination that the pardon of Mr. Flynn is for a period that the law does not permit," said Walton, according to the National Law Journal. "I don't know if that's correct or not," the judge continued. "Theoretically, the decision could be reached because the wording in the pardon seems to be very, very broad. It could be construed, I think, as extending protections against criminal prosecutions after the date the pardon was issued. I don't know if Judge Sullivan will make that determination or not," Walton added. Coup Against Trump Still in Progress, Flynn Says in 1st Public Interview Since Pardon. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, in his first public interview since being pardoned by President Donald Trump, said there is "still a coup in progress" against the president. Flynn, who also served during the Obama administration as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and then as Trump's first national security adviser, warned Americans on Nov. 28 that there is currently an "assault" on our way of life that has been going on since the beginning of Trump's presidency. "They've upped their game," Flynn told WVW-TV of certain figures in the Democratic Party, which he said was "in name only" since its shift "way over on the left." "When they lost in 2016, I think that there was a decision to say, 'We're not going to allow this to happen again,'" Flynn said of the Democratic Party's leadership. He then pointed to the heightened political divisiveness during the entire four years of the Trump presidency, during which time the mainstream media, alongside what he described as effectively the "Democratic Socialist Party of America," have been trying to remove Trump from office. The Left Approved of Obama Granting Clemency to Terrorists and Traitors, But Is Triggered by Flynn's Pardon. The political left went into a collective hissy fit at the news that President Trump granted a full pardon to former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. If there was ever a case where there was a miscarriage of justice, it was this one, and the pardon was a long time coming. Flynn was set up by the Obama administration and railroaded by the FBI. Simply put, they went after him for something that was not a crime, then set up a perjury trap for him in order to get him fired as Trump's national security advisor. Obama officials also withheld exculpatory evidence, launched and carried out a bogus investigation over claims of Russian collusion where there was no empirical evidence. Michael Flynn Thanks 'Every Single Patriot Who Circled Me with Prayers'. Former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (Ret.) released a statement this Thanksgiving thanking "every single patriot who circled me with their prayers, wisdom, and kindness." Former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (Ret.) released a statement today, shortly after being pardoned by President Trump. Flynn was targeted by the outgoing Obama administration on charges of "Russia collusion," and pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI when put under pressure. He withdrew his plea when further evidence was revealed. Under the Trump administration, the Department of Justice sought to drop all charges, but the judge refused to do so. Trump pardons ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn, says case should never been brought. President Trump on Wednesday [11/25/2020] fully pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, bringing to end a tumultuous four-year criminal case that felled the three-star general before prosecutors reversed course and declared they had improperly pursued his prosecution. Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about talking with a Russian diplomat during the 2016 Trump administration transition period. Attorney General William Barr earlier this year asked a federal court in Washington, D.C., to allow the Justice Department to drop the case. However, the matter has since been tied up in legal proceedings. Trump's Flynn Pardon: Will the Judge Accept It? Will Judge Emmet Sullivan accept President Trump's pardon of General Michael Flynn? No one has suggested that possibility, other than The New York Sun. The general's case, though, has become a bonfire of the vanities of one district judge who has denied the presumption of regularity to an official act of the United States government — meaning Attorney General William Barr's attempt to drop the case. So why would Judge Sullivan credit President Trump's workaround of a pardon? We understand, the pardon could be the least fettered of all the powers that the Constitution grants to the president. That doesn't guarantee that a runaway judge won't ignore or reject a pardon. The pardon power, after all, is no more holy writ than the clause in Article III that limits the power of the courts to deciding actual cases and controversies. Trump Pardons Ex-Aide Michael Flynn. President Donald Trump has announced he has issued a pardon to former aide Michael Flynn [11/25/2020]. Trump Pardons Michael Flynn, Ex-National Security Adviser. President Donald Trump said he has pardoned Michael Flynn, his first national security adviser, who had pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his conversation with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. Trump made the announcement Wednesday [11/25/2020] on Twitter. The pardon brings to an apparent close a long and bitterly fought criminal case that became a cause celebre for Trump and his conservative allies, who portrayed the prosecution of Flynn as evidence of a broad conspiracy against the president. 'Anonymous' Anti-Trump NY Times Writer Identified as Witness in Gen. Flynn Probe: Senators. Two GOP Senate committee chairs have requested FBI documents that apparently identified the "anonymous" anti-Trump New York Times op-ed writer who claimed to be part of the "resistance inside the White House" two years ago. Several weeks ago, former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) staffer Miles Taylor outed himself as the "anonymous" author. He also penned a book that was released in 2019. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), in a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ), requested the declassification of an 11-page document that allegedly "includes information about the status of the then-ongoing investigations into those individuals and references new information obtained through witness interviews." What Can Be Done for Michael Flynn? Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has been entrapped, prosecuted, and persecuted. He pled guilty to lying to the FBI in an interview that was set up to corner him into a lie. Now, with President Trump having lost the election to former vice president Joe Biden, the stage is set. But for what? Sidney Powell, Flynn's lawyer, met with President Trump in September and asked him to not pardon Flynn. Flynn evidently doesn't want a pardon because it carries the stigma of guilt, which Flynn vehemently denies despite his guilty pleas, reportedly extracted under threat of prosecution of his son. How Flynn reached this awful point is a lesson in FBI misconduct, abuse of power by former special counsel Robert Mueller's team, and misconduct by the trial judge, Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It goes back much further — and higher — than that. Here's Why Judge Sullivan Must Disqualify Himself From Michael Flynn's Case. In the latest development in the seemingly never-ending Michael Flynn case, his attorney has filed a motion for the trial judge, Emmet Sullivan, to disqualify himself for bias or the appearance of it. Flynn's counsel, Sidney Powell, had raised the bias issue during the Sept. 29 hearing on the Department of Justice's motion to dismiss the case against Flynn. Sullivan is likely to move on this case immediately after the election, so the question of his bias is an important one as Nov. 3 looms. Powell's motion arguing for disqualification includes a mountain of support. Many of the issues she cites are not adequate, in my view, to warrant disqualification, and I will not discuss them here. (You can read my analysis of them on Twitter.) Two issues have merit, however, and require that Sullivan disqualify himself. They demonstrate he is no longer acting as an impartial jurist in this case, or, at a minimum, they create an appearance of bias such that a reasonable member of the public would not believe he is acting impartially. Flynn case judge issues unusual order telling government to certify evidence is 'true and correct'. In an unusual order posted Friday [10/23/2020], the federal judge in the case of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn told the Justice Department to file a declaration — under penalty of perjury — by Monday that evidence in the case is "true and correct." The court order was issued after prosecutors admitted accidently altered documents — notes written by former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe — were used. "The government has acknowledged that altered FBI records have been produced by the government and filed on the record in this case," noted Judge Emmet Sullivan[.] The order from Sullivan comes as the government again requested the judge dismiss the criminal case against Flynn, a move Sullivan has so far resisted. Michael T. Flynn Legal Defense Fund. Mike Flynn has served the nation for nearly four decades during time of war and peace, including nearly five years in combat. He has also received numerous awards and military decorations. He is a four-time recipient of the bronze star medal, as well as the intelligence community's gold medallion, and other civilian, law enforcement and defense honors. The costs of legal representation associated with responding to the multiple investigations that have arisen in the wake of the 2016 election place a great burden on Mike and his family. They are deeply grateful for considering a donation to help pay expenses relating to his legal representation. Powell: The Obama Admin Was Complicit — "They Pushed the Disinformation" Against Trump and Flynn. Appearing on Fox Business with Maria Bartiromo, Michael Flynn's defense counsel Sidney Powell cuts through the parseltongue to note the Obama administration was not tricked into allowing a smear campaign against Donald Trump and Michael Flynn; the Obama administration was participating in the creation and pushing of the smear campaign. [...] Everyone knew exactly what they were doing. No one was tricked into participating. Remember, the four-year democrat narrative (pushed relentlessly by media) was how the professional intelligence community worked diligently to verify the Trump-Russia intelligence, and that every aspect briefed to President Obama went through the highest levels of "by-the-book" verification and authentication. Now those same democrats and media voices are claiming the Brennan briefing material was "Russian disinformation." Flynn attorneys say Judge Sullivan 'increasingly hostile,' demand recusal from case. Attorneys for Michael Flynn on Wednesday demanded U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan recuse himself from the case, claiming the judge is "increasing hostile" and "improperly biased" against President Trump's one-time national security adviser. In a court filing, Flynn attorney Sidney Powell wrote that Judge Sullivan's conduct risks "undermining the public's confidence in the judicial process." "His continued presence in the case has become a national scandal undermining confidence in the impartiality of the federal judicial system and faith in the rule of law," Flynn's attorneys wrote. Judge Sullivan protracts Flynn's ordeal. As I heard the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals judges who denied General Flynn's petition for a writ of mandamus [...] they expected Judge Sullivan to dismiss the case against Flynn on the government's motion without further ado when the case was returned to him. This past Tuesday Judge Sullivan held the hearing on the government's dismissal motion and, on the contrary, it sounds like the case will be dismissed over Judge Sullivan's dead body. Emmet Sullivan's Kangaroo Court. A kangaroo court ignores recognized standards of law or justice and has no legitimate authority because due process is often ignored. The "court" often reaches a predetermined conclusion that makes the trial itself something of a farce. That seems an appropriate description of Emmet Sullivan's courtroom in the astonishing case of Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, a patriotic American military hero targeted for felony prosecution on trumped-up charges only because he had been asked to serve in Donald Trump's new administration. When Department of Justice prosecutors announced they were dropping the charges against General Michael Flynn for allegedly lying to the FBI, it should have been a formality for Judge Emmet Sullivan to accept their nolle prosequi (meaning unwilling to pursue) motion because at that point, the opposing parties (prosecution and defense) were no longer adversaries. Without a prosecutor, how does a criminal trial proceed? The Deep State Wins if Trump Loses. Some of the most dangerous beasts in the marsh appear harmless, like, say, a baby bear. You might want to pet it but you'll regret it. Federal judge Emmet Sullivan is such a creature, swaddled as he is in the soft black robes of judicial impartiality. But don't be fooled by Sullivan's placid demeanor, folks, he's actually a fierce, cunning predator, and more than willing to target and kill his political enemies. Enemies like General Mike Flynn, President Trump's short-lived national security advisor. Knowing full well that the Deep State tried to entrap Gen. Flynn, so much so that the prosecution has withdrawn all charges, Sullivan has nonetheless refused to drop the case, hoping that, come 2021, a different man in the White House will let the judge send an innocent man to prison. Remember the Strzok-Page "Insurance Policy" Exchange — FBI Special Agent Barnett Exposes the Hole Card. [Scroll down] I say that because the new information from Special Agent Barnett strongly suggests the "Insurance Policy" was none other than General Michael Flynn himself. You can make their "rationalization" fit into this concept if you just accept that they weren't going to name General Flynn individually when they offered the rationalization. But when you put the context of events into their words — and Agent Barnett's recollection about what was done — or more importantly what was not done — there is only one conclusion. Four "sub-investigations" were opened by the Crossfire Hurricane team under the "umbrella" of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. The sub-investigations of Carter Page, George Papadopolous, and Paul Manafort were opened on August 10, 2016, according to the "Four FISA" report of the Inspector General, at page 59. The IG report also establishes that the fourth sub-investigation of General Flynn was opened six days after the others — on August 16, 2016, the day after the meeting in Andy McCabe's office. Dismiss the case of Michael Flynn. When Michael Flynn heads to court for his final sentencing hearing today, a lifetime of respected national service will hang in the balance on what is said and done. I am not talking about Flynn but of Judge Emmet Sullivan. There is no issue over the dismissal of the charge of Flynn lying to federal investigators. The only issue is whether, just before an election, Sullivan will use the hearing as a forum for injudicious commentary. I have practiced law for years before Sullivan and praised him for his demeanor and record as a judge. He has served with distinction since 1994 in cases ranging from Guantanamo Bay detainees to the flawed prosecution of Ted Stevens to the emails of Hillary Clinton. Then came the case of Flynn, who was charged with a single count of lying to federal investigators. Such a charge ordinarily would result in a short sentencing hearing. [...] Yet this is the third attempt at sentencing for Flynn, as what should have been the simple hearing two years ago was derailed by Sullivan himself. Flynn lawyer in fiery hearing tells judge to recuse self over 'abject bias,'. In a fiery exchange during Tuesday's hearing, former national security adviser Michael Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell claimed that U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan had displayed "abject bias" in the case and should recuse himself. Powell's remarks came during oral arguments before Sullivan over whether the judge should grant a request to dismiss Flynn's criminal case. Sullivan responded to Powell by saying that she was free to submit an argument in writing and should have done so months ago. 'Get Trump': FBI Whistleblower On Mueller Team Details Real Reason Flynn Was Targeted. In a stunning and detailed interview conducted September 17 by U.S. attorney Jeff Jensen, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) case agent for the original investigation of former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and who later worked on Robert Mueller's Special Counsel blew the whistle on myriad problems that plagued those investigations from the very beginning. FBI Special Agent William Barnett told Department of Justice (DOJ) investigators that the handling of the probes troubled him so much that he threatened to quit working on it in one case, and threatened to go to the Inspector General in another. According to the summary of Barnett's interview, he said there was never any basis for the bizarre "collusion" theory the agency and the special counsel relentlessly pursued, to the point that agents made jokes about how they could take any piece of information and claim it was evidence of collusion. He said the Special Counsel Office (SCO) pursued Flynn simply as a means to "get Trump" and viewed FBI investigators as a "speed bump" slowing down the work of the attorneys leading the inquisition. "Get Trump" was the Dominant Theme of Special Counsel Mueller's Crossfire Hurricane "All-Star Team". Early on Friday morning, I went through in summary fashion some of the highlights of the FBI 302 Memorandum of Interview of FBI Special Agent William Barnett. Barnett was interviewed on September 17, 2020, but not for John Durham — it was investigators working with US Attorney Jeffrey Jensen on his review of the Special Counsel Office's investigation and prosecution of Gen. Michael Flynn. Barnett was the original Case Agent for the investigation dubbed "Crossfire Razor" which was focused on the activities of General Flynn prior to and after he became President Trump's National Security Advisor during the campaign, and later in the White House. Barnett led the Razor investigation from August 2016 until early January 2017. As noted in the 302, and as I noted in my first story last night, he was "cut out" of the decision to interview General Flynn on January 24, 2017, not being told about it having taken place until the following day. Weeks after that he asked to be removed from the Razor investigation. New Flynn Document Dump Poses Huge Trouble for Dems. In early September, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected Gen. Michael Flynn's petition for dismissal and voted 8-2 to send the case back to judge Emmet Sullivan. The judge, who rejected the Department of Justice dismissal of the case, must now consider documents Flynn's attorneys filed with the court on Thursday [9/24/2020]. "General Flynn has a Sixth Amendment right to a public exoneration regarding the proceedings against him," the documents state, "and the American people have a right to know the truth about the nefarious conduct and the people who committed it. The defense objects to any redactions and demands that the Government file these documents unredacted on the public record." In messages exchanged on the FBI's "Lync" messaging system in October of 2016, FBI employees exchanged messages about the "Crossfire Road Show," stating that they were "interested to see how this all plays out." They knew exactly how bad it was: "I'm telling man, if this thing ever gets FOIA'd, there are going to be some tough questions asked." FBI agent Interview Reveals Bias Driving Investigations of Flynn, Trump. An FBI agent who worked on the investigation of Michael Flynn and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into "Russia collusion" told investigators that prosecutors had a "get TRUMP" attitude that distorted their inquiry into the facts. The Department of Justice released the record Thursday of a recent FBI interview with Special Agent William Barnett as part of its motion to drop the charges against Flynn. Judge Emmet Sullivan has resisted efforts by the DOJ to drop the charges. Flynn originally pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, but withdrew that plea as exculpatory evidence emerged. A review of the case by U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Jensen uncovered more exculpatory evidence, but Sullivan refused to allow the case to drop. Retired Judge John Gleeson Tells Court Michael Flynn's Guilt Is 'Obvious'. Retired judge John Gleeson argued Friday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) should not be allowed to drop charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn because his guilt is "obvious" and the DOJ has become "corrupt." Gleeson was appointed by Judge Emmet Sullivan to submit an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief arguing against prosecutors' motion to drop charges against Michael Flynn after exculpatory evidence emerged following a DOJ review. The Importance of Rules. [Scroll down] Most Trump voters know about Obamagate, unquestionably the worst travesty of justice in American history. As part of the Machiavellian scheme, James Comey engineered the setup interview of General Michael Flynn, a patriot by almost every account (Judge Emmett Sullivan being one notable exception) which Comey gleefully and publicly admitted was only done because he believed he could get away with targeting a career military officer because he was also a member of the Trump administration. The closer we get to the November elections, the less likely it becomes that Brennan, Clapper, Warner, McCabe, Strzok, or anyone besides convenient scapegoat Kevin Clinesmith will be charged with any sort of crime because of the perception that administering justice would actually be interfering with the November election. Court wrong to block Justice Department from dropping charges against Michael Flynn. The decision this week by the full U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overriding a three-judge panel's ruling that would have allowed criminal charges against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to be dismissed was flawed, but not unexpected. Anyone who listened to the hostile questioning by some of the judges on the appellate court during oral arguments could have anticipated the ruling against the retired Army lieutenant general. In fact, many did. Still, it's unfathomable that a criminal case against a U.S. citizen has been kept alive for nearly four months after federal prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the case because "continued prosecution ... would not serve the interests of justice." Defense, DOJ and Amicus Agree on Expedited Resolution Schedule. The DOJ and Michael Flynn defense attorney Sidney Powell have filed a joint status report and motion for expedited hearing with Judge Emmet Sullivan. [pdf available here] According to the filing the DOJ and defense have conferred with the Sullivan appointed amicus (Gleeson) who will respond to the motion to dismiss by September 11th. Regarding D.C. Circuit v. Flynn: Go Ahead, Kid Me. What's the best move for President Trump in the fight for a just outcome in the case against General Michael Flynn? The question has become acute in the wake of Monday's ruling by the full District of Columbia Circuit. It overruled an order that would have forced the district court to dismiss the case against the general. The circuit opened the door to an investigation of the Justice Department by the district court itself. This puts Mr. Trump in an excruciating spot. Does he unsheathe the pardon to clear the general, letting the Devil take the hindmost? The pardon is recommended by one of the greatest constitutional tribunals in the country, the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal. Or does the Justice Department file in the Supreme Court an emergency petition for a summary reversal of the ruling against Flynn? Our instinct — it's only such — is that Mr. Trump would be wise first to try the Supreme Court. For there is an issue here that doesn't involve Mr. Flynn's culpability. Maximum Antagonism — Judge Sullivan Files Order Dragging Out Flynn Case Past Election. As noted in the order, Sullivan is now telling the DOJ and Flynn defense to file a joint status report outlining their "recommendation for further proceedings" by September 21, 2020. From there a briefing schedule which will require both parties to respond to Sullivan's personal amicus (Gleeson), and additionally respond jointly to any other amicus not ordered by the court. Lastly, Sullivan is requesting three dates for oral arguments. In essence, despite his ability to quickly convene the parties to settle all matters before the court; which includes the unopposed motion by the DOJ and defense to drop the case; Sullivan intends to drag this case out as long as possible and use the amicus as a tool forcing responses from both parties (DOJ and Flynn). So much for the "quick dispatch" outlined within the DC Circuit opinion, this case is going on for several more months. The Continued Frameup of General Flynn. In an unprecedented act, the D.C. Court of Appeals denied General Michael Flynn's emergency petition for writ of mandamus, keeping the prosecution alive despite all charges dropped and an earlier order by an appeals court panel to dismiss the case. The prosecution of General Flynn is an open display of Washington corruption, but one that cannot be fully understood without the story in its entirety. Judge forges ahead with Michael Flynn case after ex-Trump aide loses bid for quick dismissal. A federal judge is moving forward with Michael Flynn's criminal case after an appeals court rejected the effort from President Donald Trump's former national security advisor to have the case quickly dismissed. Judge Emmet Sullivan on Tuesday ordered lawyers for Flynn, the Department of Justice and a court-appointed lawyer to file a joint status report later this month outlining their suggestions for the next steps. Those steps must include a proposal for holding oral arguments on the Justice Department's request to drop its prosecution of Flynn, who pleaded guilty in 2017 of lying to FBI agents before seeking to withdraw that plea early this year. In Flynn case, DC circuit court plays a silly game of legal dodgeball. No, Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser is not about to be frog-marched off to prison. Some in the mainstream media would love to see that happen, of course. Perhaps they think it might somehow justify their own biased and inaccurate reporting on the whole Trump-Russia collusion canard that ensnared an innocent man, Flynn. So, beware of the fallacious predictions that are sure to follow Monday's decision by the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reversing an earlier order by a three-judge panel to dismiss the case against Flynn. Appeals court denies Michael Flynn and Justice Department's effort to end his case. A federal appeals court ruled Monday [8/31/2020] against Michael Flynn and the Justice Department in their request to quickly shut down his criminal case. The 8-2 decision restores power to a judge to question the Justice Department's moves in the politically divisive case, when Attorney General William Barr dropped charges against President Donald Trump's former national security adviser earlier this year despite twice pleading guilty to lying under oath to lying to the FBI. Flynn had fought District Judge Emmet Sullivan's decision to ask a third-party lawyer to argue against the Justice Department's dismissal in the case, and his plans to hold a hearing, which has not yet happened. The Michael Flynn Saga Reveals Democrats' Near-Coup Use Of Federal Power. For the last year, the discussion of the Russia collusion hoax as it relates to Michael Flynn has focused on the criminal case against President Trump's former national security advisor. Now, all eyes remain fixed on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Two weeks ago it heard, en banc, oral argument to decide whether to direct presiding Judge Emmet Sullivan to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn. To Flynn and his family, the criminal jeopardy he faced because of the perjury trap set by Obama administration holdovers is the most concerning. Reasonable Americans of goodwill should be horrified by the personal harm inflicted on the retired lieutenant general and his loved ones. Crossfire Hurricane Was Never a Counterintelligence Investigation. [Scroll down] In the case of Flynn, we know the FBI conducted an ambush interview of him at the White House on January 24, 2017, after Trump had become president. It was allegedly on the pretext that he had a troubling discussion with the Russian ambassador after the election about sanctions that had been levied on Russia by Barack Obama. We later learned that General Flynn didn't speak about sanctions at all, and instead had addressed the expulsion of diplomats. However, Strzok wrote in notes taken after a January 5, 2017 meeting with a closely held group, including Comey, acting Attorney General Yates, and the President that Comey had characterized Flynn's call as "legit." Three weeks later, the day before the FBI interviewed Flynn, Assistant Director Bill Priestep speculated in his own notes about the goals of the interview, which included getting Flynn to lie for the purposes of prosecuting him or getting him fired. FBI and DOJ officials, including Yates, mused about charging Flynn with a violation of the Logan Act, a little known (and probably unconstitutional) law that makes it illegal for private citizens to negotiate with foreign governments. When the interview and the ensuing prosecution of Flynn by Mueller's team for lying to the FBI fell apart a year later, defenders, including Yates in a recent hearing, defaulted back to the "counterintelligence" concerns about Flynn's phone call as the predicate for the interview. He'll Eventually Prevail, but Flynn Stands to Lose the Mandamus Fight. General Michael Flynn is going to lose the battle. That was the takeaway from Tuesday's hearing before the D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Flynn will eventually win the war, but President Trump's first national-security adviser is still in a slog, and there are more scraps ahead. The battle in question is Flynn's petitioning of the D.C. Circuit to issue a writ of mandamus against federal district judge Emmet Sullivan. Mandamus is an extraordinary remedy. It is something of a last resort, when a judge is acting so lawlessly that the damage could be incurable if a higher court fails to intervene. Here, the writ would direct Judge Sullivan to end his highly irregular inquiry into the Justice Department's motion to dismiss the case against Flynn and just grant that motion, as the law requires. Flynn and DOJ argue judge appears 'biased' in bid before appeals court to get case quickly dismissed. In their latest bid to end a protracted legal fight immediately, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's lawyer and the Justice Department argued on Tuesday that the presiding judge in the former Trump national security adviser's case had the appearance of bias. Sidney Powell, the former federal prosecutor who took over Flynn's legal defense last year, and acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall, representing the Justice Department in court following its move to toss the false statements charge against Flynn, clashed with Judge Emmet Sullivan's attorney, Beth Wilkinson, during a four-hour hearing before 10 skeptical judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Your Rundown Of What Happened In The Latest Court Hearing On Michael Flynn's Case. For nearly four hours Tuesday morning, the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals drilled attorneys for Michael Flynn, the Department of Justice, and Judge Emmet Sullivan on a wide range of issues, from the scope of Federal Rules of Criminal Procedures 48(a), which provides that "the government may, with leave of court, dismiss an indictment, information, or complaint," to the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers, the propriety of mandamus, and the need for Sullivan to recuse from the Flynn case. The en banc hearing followed Sullivan's request for a rehearing of the 2-1 panel decision that granted Flynn's petition for mandamus and ordered the longtime federal judge to grant the government's motion to dismiss with prejudice the charge levied against Trump's former national security adviser. Government lawyer suggests Attorney General Barr had secret reasons for dropping Michael Flynn criminal case. Attorney General William Barr may have had secret information that led the Justice Department to seek to drop its criminal case against Michael Flynn, a government lawyer said Tuesday [8/11/2020]. Jeffrey Wall, the acting U.S. solicitor general, revealed the possible existence of that nonpublic information during a full appeals court hearing over whether Flynn's case in federal court should be dismissed, as the Department of Justice has requested. Several judges among the 10 who heard the oral arguments signaled they would likely allow a lower court to rule on whether to drop the criminal charge against Flynn. Should Judge Sullivan Be Disqualified from Flynn Case? An Appeals Court Is Asking. I had the misgivings you'd expect back in late May, when I disagreed with J. Michael Luttig, the stellar scholar and former federal appeals court judge, regarding how the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals should handle the Flynn case. At the time, that court's three-judge panel had not yet heard oral argument on Michael Flynn's mandamus petition — i.e., Flynn's request that the panel find that federal district judge Emmet Sullivan was acting lawlessly. Sullivan had not only failed to grant the Justice Department's motion to dismiss the criminal case against Flynn; he had appointed a former federal judge (the overtly anti-Trump John Gleeson) to posit the argument abandoned by DOJ — to wit, that Flynn should proceed to sentencing because he had pled guilty to a false-statements charge, waiving his right to contest the case any further in exchange for the government's agreement not to file any other charges. Basically, Flynn was asking the appellate court to order Judge Sullivan to dismiss the case. This Is My Letter to America. We are witnessing a vicious assault by enemies of all that is good, and our president is having to act in ways unprecedented in decades, maybe centuries. The biblical nature of good versus evil cannot be discounted as we examine what is happening on the streets of America. It's Marxism in the form of antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement versus our very capable and very underappreciated law enforcement professionals, the vast majority of whom are fighting to provide us safe and secure homes, streets and communities. When the destiny of the United States is at stake, and it is, the very future of the entire world is threatened. As Christians, shouldn't we act? We recognize that divine Providence is the ultimate judge of our destiny. Achieving our destiny as a freedom-loving nation, Providence compels us to do our part in our communities. Full federal appeals court to take up Michael Flynn case. A federal appeals court in Washington has agreed to reconsider a split ruling issued last month ordering the release of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who previously admitted to lying to the FBI. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered Flynn's release after determining that the court didn't have the authority to question the Justice Department's decision to drop the case. On Thursday [7/30/2020], the court vacated that order and set arguments over the decision for Aug. 11. D.C. Circuit will rehear the Flynn-Sullivan case en banc. After a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals ordered Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the Department of Justice's motion to dismiss the prosecution of Gen. Michael Flynn before Judge Sullivan had ruled on the motion, Sullivan petitioned for review by the full D.C. Circuit. Two of the three judges on the panel were appointed by Republicans. By contrast, most of the judges on the full court were appointed by Democrats. Therefore, it's not surprising that the full court has decided to review the panel's order. To be fair, the panel's order is arguably erroneous. Granting a writ of mandamus, as the panel did, is an extraordinary measure. It would be one thing if Sullivan had denied the government's motion to dismiss the Flynn prosecution. But he didn't. The appeals court didn't wait for Sullivan's ruling before finding error and telling the judge what to do. Ordering a court to grant a motion it hasn't yet ruled on is truly extraordinary. Breaking: Federal Court Agrees To Rehear Flynn Case. The D.C. Court of Appeals has agreed to rehear the case against retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the court announced on Thursday [7/30/2020]. The court's decision prolongs an already three-year legal battle between Flynn and the Department of Justice that federal prosecutors asked to be closed with all charges dropped back in May. Federal District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan denied a request to immediately dismiss the case and instead brought in a retired judge to assess and potentially continue the prosecution. 6 Big Takeaways From the Attorney General's Capitol Hill Testimony. [Scroll down] Barr announced that he had tasked a federal prosecutor from Texas with investigating the Obama administration's "unmasking" of former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and others connected with the Trump campaign in 2016. Barr told the committee that he assigned U.S. Attorney John Bash of the Western District of Texas to conduct the probe separately from another prosecutor's ongoing look into the origins of the FBI's Russia-Trump investigation. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the top Republican on the committee, greeted this as breaking news, as did other Republican members. In the course of gathering information in surveilling foreign sources, U.S. intelligence agents routinely intercept communications with U.S. citizens. When that anonymous source is identified at the request of a government official, it's called unmasking. In and of itself that may not be illegal, but using the person's identity for political ends could constitute an abuse of power. DOJ: Flynn's Judge in Catch-22 Situation — Either Disqualified or Not Entitled to Rehearing. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), it's a no-win situation for District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who's seeking a rehearing of an appeals court decision that ordered him to accept the dismissal of the DOJ’s case against former Trump adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Sullivan, through his lawyer Beth Wilkinson, argued that a three-judge panel of the District of Columbia appeals court erred in its order. He's asking for a rehearing by the full court (en banc). But only people with a "personal stake" in the proceedings can seek appellate review, the DOJ said in a July 20 response to Sullivan's petition. "A judge does not have — and under the [Constitution's] Due Process Clause, cannot have — such a stake," the department said. Flynn's lawyers highlighted the same issue, noting that if Sullivan indeed has a personal stake in the case, it would disqualify him as its judge. "It is unsurprising that the district judge fails to cite a single instance in which a court of appeals has granted rehearing at a district judge's behest," the DOJ said. "In fact, we are aware of only one case in which a district judge has even asked for rehearing en banc — a request the court of appeals denied." Don't Rehear This. We have followed the extraordinary case against General Flynn as events have warranted. By all rights it should be a sidebar to the biggest scandal in American political history by far, yet it opens a window on incredible wrongdoing at the highest reaches of the Obama administration in the FBI, the CIA, and the Department of Justice, including Team Mueller. It is a disgrace that Attorney General Barr has sought to expose and to mitigate. The mandamus proceedings to which Judge Sullivan is subject are a sidebar to the sidebar, or a sideshow in the sidebar. Judge Sullivan resists. He seeks to continue the prosecution of General Flynn. Indeed, he has filed a petition for rehearing of the decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granting the writ of mandamus. Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall has now responded to Judge Sullivan's petition for rehearing. Mischief Might Still Be In Store for DOJ and General Flynn at the Hands of Appeals Court Judges In Washington. Prof. Margot Cleveland at The Federalist makes some very cogent and sobering points in her article today about how the process now playing out before the DC Circuit Court of Appeals might lend itself to even more mischief that will only serve to further draw out the proceedings without reaching a final determination for weeks if not months. Prof. Cleveland served for nearly 25 years as a staff attorney for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and knows intimately the process and "tick-tock" that goes on behind the scenes when a motion is pending such as the one filed by Judge Sullivan — properly or improperly. The Petition pending is not one that involves a hearing. Now that the "parties" have been heard from, the matter is in the hands of the 11 Circuit Court judges to decide. The first decision is whether to even have a vote on the petition — one is not required, and if no vote is called for the Chief Judge can direct that the Petition be denied via Order from the Clerk of the Court. What Prof. Cleveland points out is that internally within the Court there are no time limits that attach to the resolution of these kinds of issues. What's In The Legal Briefs Over Whether Judge Sullivan Can Keep Harassing Michael Flynn. Judge Emmett Sullivan has no business seeking a rehearing by the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals of the panel decision granting Michael Flynn's petition for mandamus. Both Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, and the U.S. government hammered that point yesterday in their answers to Sullivan's petition for rehearing en banc. Powell had sought mandamus from the D.C. Circuit after Sullivan refused to dismiss the criminal charge against her client. After uncovering exculpatory evidence Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team had withheld from Flynn's defense attorneys, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the single charge of lying to the FBI that the special counsel's office had levied against Flynn in late 2017. Fiery Flynn brief accuses Judge Sullivan of acting on 'vindictive animus,' aims to end case. Michael Flynn's legal team has filed a brief with the D.C. Circuit Court that lights into District Judge Emmet Sullivan for his bid to drag out the criminal case against Flynn following a motion to dismiss by the Justice Department — and says the court should not rehear arguments after a three-judge panel ordered Sullivan to grant that DOJ motion. The former national security adviser's lawyers argue that Sullivan's court "has hijacked and extended a criminal prosecution for almost three months for its own purposes" and say precedent requires judges to defer to the government on motions to dismiss when it provides detailed reasons for why it wants to dismiss a case, as the DOJ did in the Flynn case. The government alleged that the bureau's fateful interview of Flynn was "unjustified" by their investigation. Flynn attorneys file to oppose Judge Sullivan request for full judge panel to review case dismissal. Attorneys for Michael Flynn filed court documents Monday [7/20/2020] opposing the request by the judge overseeing their client's case that a full panel of judges be allowed to hear briefings and arguments on a pending motion to dismiss the U.S. government's case against the former national security adviser. Judge Emmet Sullivan made the request July 9 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, after a three-judge panel ruled in June that the federal courts should accept Attorney General William Barr's request to drop the Justice Department case. Michael Flynn's Attorney, Sidney Powell, Claims Judge Sullivan Has "Hijacked" the Case Against Flynn. It's been 10 weeks since the government asked Judge Sullivan to dismiss its case against President Trump's former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, and still the case drags on. On Monday [7/20/2020] Flynn's attorney, Sydney Powell (whom The New American has characterized as a "legal lioness" and a "tigress") blew her cork. On July 9 Judge Emmet Sullivan asked the circuit court to convene "en banc" (all 12 judges) to reconsider the court's three-judge panel's ruling that Sullivan must dismiss the case. How Michael Flynn Got Caught In The Crossfire Between Two Obama Agencies Looking To Get Trump. Although the Obama administration weaponized the Logan Act to get Gen. Michael Flynn fired, it never intended to actually use the antiquated law to prosecute him. In fact, it has been the prosecution instigated by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller that uncovered the full extent of the Obama administration's misdeeds. The Logan Act is a law from 1799 dictating that it is illegal for private citizens to negotiate with a foreign power in a way that contradicts the current administration's policy. The Logan Act has been used only twice since then for prosecution, the last time in 1852, and is widely considered by legal experts to be unconstitutional. Would the District Court Accept a Pardon of Flynn? If the President goes ahead and pardons General Michael Flynn — as the Wall Street Journal, in an editorial scoop, is suggesting this morning [7/11/2020] — would the United States District Court for the District of Columbia accept it? Or would Judge Emmet Sullivan proceed to try to sentence and even jail the general, despite the pardon? Those will sound like fantastic questions only if one hasn't been following this astounding case. That's because the showdown over General Flynn has become a fight over what in law is called the "presumption of regularity." It is a deference that is supposed to be accorded to government agencies. This principle has been given in Latin as omnia presumuntur rite et solemnitur esse acta, donec probetur in contrarium — or, as Google translates it, all things are presumed to be duly and solemnly done, until the contrary is proved. That the "presumption of regularity" has been withheld in the Flynn case is, at least to us, a shocking development. The first blood in this fight was drawn by Judge Sullivan, who recoiled at the motion by America to drop the case against the general, despite his guilty plea. The Justice Department did so after discovering new evidence that cast doubt on its own agents and officers. Which should have been the end of it. Judge Sullivan's Appeal for 'En Banc' Hearing Has Good Chance at Success. Judge Emmet Sullivan's refusal to abide by the D.C. Circuit Court's decision to dismiss the Flynn case and subsequent appeal for an "en banc" decision is not without precedent. Flying under the radar is the role that Judge Sullivan has played in simultaneously overseeing both the Michael Flynn case and a major lawsuit against Trump. In Blumenthal v. Trump, Jerry Nadler, who oversaw the House impeachment of Trump, and some 200 congressional Democrats sought to sue the president according to the obscure "Emoluments Clause." The basic contention is that Trump is in a compromising position because his business holdings occasionally receive funding or contracts from foreign entities, much like any other elected official with business interests in foreign countries. Michael Flynn could make a campaign comeback for Trump, insiders say. As Michael Flynn's three-year legal drama nears its end, some of President Trump's allies are hyping a new job for the ousted national security adviser: campaign surrogate. "He's the perfect example of deep-state victimization," former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told Politico. "Great surrogate — lots of people would come to see him." Flynn, a former three-star general who headed the Defense Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration, was one of Trump's most vociferous boosters ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Flynn Defense Files Supplement #2 Motion to Dismiss — Includes New Exculpatory DOJ Release. Earlier today Sidney Powell filed a new supplemental brief (#2) [pdf here] in support of the unopposed motion to dismiss. The supplement covers the defense position on the newly released information from USAO Jeff Jensen which includes: notes taken by Tash Guahar at a January 25, 2017 briefing; the FBI work product that was an outcome of that briefing; and later notes by acting DAG Dana Boente. The notes and FBI briefing summary are also on pdf here and embedded below. It's a lot of granular information to consider — so it's worth beginning with the filing by Sidney Powell to see how the evidence released pertains to the current status of the case. Elusive Government Memo Shows FBI Did Not Think Michael Flynn Intentionally Lied. The Justice Department this week provided Michael Flynn's lawyers with a long-rumored government memo which shows that FBI officials did not believe that the former national security adviser intentionally lied in a White House interview at the center of his legal battle. The memo, dated Jan. 30, 2017, and published Friday, also said that FBI investigators did not believe that Flynn was working as an agent of Russia. Judge Sullivan Digs In — Asks DC Circuit for a Full Panel Rehearing (en banc) on Dismissal of Flynn Case. Judge Emmet Sullivan is refusing to accept the three-judge appeals court ruling — which granted a writ of mandamus and instructed Sullivan to dismiss the Flynn case per the DOJ and Flynn defense unopposed motion. Today Judge Sullivan is asking the Full DC Circuit Court panel to conduct an en banc rehearing of the issues. There is no guarantee the full DC Circuit will agree to the en banc request. However, given the nature of the court, it should be anticipated. What really appears to be the undiscussed background is an effort to keep dragging this issue out as long as possible. This is beyond judicial activism running amok, we have now entered the realm of judicial weaponization. Appeals court stays decision ordering judge to dismiss Michael Flynn case. An appeals court stayed a decision ordering a judge to accept the Justice Department's motion to dismiss its criminal case against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an order on Friday [7/10/2020] that gives the former Trump national security adviser and the DOJ 10 days to respond to Judge Emmet Sullivan's Thursday petition for a rehearing by the full appeals court. The filing further stated that the three-judge panel's June 24 decision ordering Sullivan to grant the DOJ's motion to drop the criminal charges against Flynn has been stayed "pending disposition of the petition for rehearing en banc." The Case Against Michael Flynn Peddled by Anti-Trump DOJ Officials Suffered *The* Kill Shot Today. It's over. The game is over. As we've said before, this was the anti-Trumpers' final battle. The prolonged legal fight over Michael Flynn was their Waterloo — and just like with Napoleon, it ended in total defeat. All that's left is the judge in the case, Emmet Sullivan, further embarrassing himself by appealing the D.C. Court of Appeals ruling that he toss the criminal case against the former Trump official. He's not. He can't because he knows he's going to eat it. Sullivan had accused Flynn of being a traitor in open court and was not one to hide the fact that he was going to send Flynn away to prison for a term much longer than what the Mueller team had recommended. These folks are arrogant. They had to admit that they're wrong. More and more documents that have been revealed show a history of prosecutorial misconduct by those at the Department of Justice. Top FBI officials, like disgraced top brass men Andrew McCabe and James Comey, were out to get Flynn no matter what. Flynn judge asks appeals court to reconsider dismissal order. A federal court judge is putting up a highly unusual fight against an appeals court ruling seeking to immediately shut down the prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn for making false statements in the FBI's investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Lawyers for U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan filed a petition Thursday asking the full bench of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to review a 2-1 decision a panel of that court issued last month, directing Sullivan to cancel his plans for a hearing and instead grant the government's request to drop the case. DOJ Provides Defense With Handwritten Notes from Tashina Guahar Meeting January 25th. Today the DOJ has released additional exculpatory information to the Flynn defense team surrounding hand-written notes taken by Tashina Guahar and FBI agent Peter Strzok. The 1/25/17 meeting takes place the day after two FBI agents interview Flynn at the White House. There's also an internal document from the DOJ dated 1/30/17, and notes by former DOJ AAG -- who later became FBI counsel -- Dana Boente. The notes and internal document are filed under seal per Judge Sullivan's prior order. However, with previous filings the documents were made public the following day; so we might see the content tomorrow. Last Week Judge Emmet Sullivan Was Ordered to Dismiss General Flynn Case — What [...] is [he] Waiting For? [Scroll down] Judge Sullivan and his Deep State attorneys argued that the government could charge you, hide evidence, fine you and bankrupt you AFTER charges from the government were dropped due to massive corruption identified in the made up case. After the government ended their case and the defense for Flynn agreed to end the case, corrupt Judge Sullivan obtained attorneys who previously represented corrupt Deep State DAG Sally Yates. On May 11, 2020, John Gleeson penned a Washington post article titled, "The Flynn case isn't over until the judge says it's over". This was published in the far left Washington Post — John Gleeson also represented despicable deep state heroine Sally Yates. Sidney Powell Drops a Bomb or Two on the Glaring Problems With the Flynn Case. Sidney Powell won a significant victory when her writ of mandamus was granted by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals requiring Judge Sullivan to dismiss the case against General Michael Flynn. At this time, Judge Sullivan has not entered the dismissal. Powell sat down with Jan Jakielek for an extended interview about the case and dropped a few bombs in the process. Sidney Powell: Inside the Michael Flynn Case and DOJ Reform. In the court case against Lt. General Michael Flynn, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit has ordered Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the DOJ's request to dismiss. But what will happen next? In the eyes of General Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell, what are the implications of Judge Sullivan keeping the case open? Is there more exculpatory evidence to come in the Flynn case? And, what are some possible steps to take to strengthen the U.S. Department of Justice as an institution? [Video clip] If We Don't Act, 2% of the People Are About To Control the Other 98%. There is now a small group of passionate people working hard to destroy our American way of life. Treason and treachery are rampant and our rule of law and those law enforcement professionals who uphold our laws are under the gun more than at any time in our nation's history. These passionate 2 percent appear to be winning. Despite there being countless good people trying to come to grips with everything else on their plates, our silent majority (the indifferent) can no longer be silent. DC Court Of Appeals Blasts Judge Sullivan For Michael Flynn Power Grabs. Make no mistake about it, Wednesday's [6/24/2020] decision granting a writ of mandamus compelling U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the government's motion to dismiss the disgraceful prosecution of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn was a sharp rebuke of Sullivan. Although couched in judicious language, the majority opinion leaves no doubt that Sullivan's actions, including both his refusal to grant the government's dismissal request and his appointment of a clearly biased "friend of the court" to argue for Flynn's continued persecution were not just wrong but a fundamental abuse of our system of government. How The Flynn Case Became A Dangerous Game Of Legal Improvisation. The dismissal of the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn sent shock waves across Washington, including Congress which was hours away from a hearing addressing the case. Any appellate decision taking unprecedented measures to stop "irreparable harms" and "irregular" conduct is newsworthy. However, those admonishments were not describing Flynn's conduct but that of his trial judge, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan. The D.C. Circuit panel took the exceptionally rare step of ordering Sullivan to stop further proceedings and dismiss the case to avoid further damage caused by his prior orders. One month ago, I wrote a column criticizing the handling of the Flynn case by Judge Sullivan after the government moved to dismiss its own prosecution. The law in this case is clear and the case should have been dismissed. Instead, Sullivan took the extraordinary action of appointing a retired judge, John Gleeson, to argue positions that neither of the actual parties supported. Before 'takedown' of General Flynn, he was planning to audit John Brennan for running billions 'off the books'. Sidney Powell, attorney for retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, said her client, in his duties as the White House national security adviser, was prepared to "audit" the U.S. intelligence community. That, according to the former federal prosecutor, is partly why federal agents "set up" Flynn. Powell, who took over Flynn's defense last summer, told the "Vickie McKenna Show" on 1310 WIBA Madison that her client was "totally set up" because he threatened to expose wrongdoing by top intelligence officials in the Obama administration. It Was Obama All Along. Comey, Priestap, and McCabe were following Obama's orders and setting up the interview to entrap Flynn into lying or admitting a violation of the Logan Act, the 1807 law precluding American citizens who lack governmental authority from negotiating policy matters with representatives of foreign governments. Comey had already determined that the Flynn-Kislyak conversations appeared to be legitimate. There is absolutely no doubt about their legitimacy: Flynn, as incoming national security adviser to the already-elected Trump, would be highly derelict in his duty if he hadn't had such conversations with Kislyak and a wide variety of foreign government representatives on any subject relevant to Trump's concerns. A Coup Against Our Institutions. Matthew Spalding, a scholar of the Constitution and dean of Hillsdale College's Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C., has written an important essay on the troubling possibility that the treatment of General Michael Flynn by the Obama administration and, later, by holdovers in the FBI, the Justice Department, and the CIA, represents not just a personal disaster for Flynn — who was, for a week or so, President Trump's national security advisor — but also a brewing constitutional crisis for the United States. Many commentators, myself included, have described the whole "Donald-Trump-was-a-Russian-Asset" caper as the biggest political scandal in U.S. history. We were ridiculed or condemned by the Left and the NeverTrump fraternity alleged to be on the Right for saying that, but time has proven us right. We were right, too, that this scandal was less a "hoax," as it was sometimes called, than an attempted, if slow-motion, coup. It was an attempted coup because it aimed to disrupt the peaceful transition of presidential power from one administration, and one party, to another. Flynn never pled guilty. The short explanation is that the statute requires materiality. As the DOJ pointed out, the false statement must be material to an investigation. [...] Non-existing investigations cannot be screwed up. And therefore one cannot plea guilty to a non-crime. J'Accuse Barack Obama! When President Obama was in his 75-day transition to the Presidency, he initiated correspondence with Supreme Leader Khamenei of Iran to explore, at the least, some form of what French diplomats call détente, or even entente. But Iran remained an adversary to the United States. Instead of rapprochement, the Shia theocracy was sanctioned by UN Security Council resolution 1803 on March 3, 2008. As it happens, this was prologue to l'affaire Flynn, a scandal whose events resemble those of that affaire to remember, the notorious Affaire Dreyfus. That's Alfred Dreyfus the army officer, not Richard Dreyfuss the actor. The first Obama term was devoured by its socialist pursuit of the Holy Grail, nationalizing the healthcare industry. The second Obama term pivoted to a no-holds-barred rush to allying with Iran. In July 2012, Obama hired Gen. Michael Flynn, a 33-year veteran and hero, to serve as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. In August 2014, Obama fired Flynn over, it is widely agreed, Flynn's opposition to Obama's policy of an 'Iran deal' at any cost. It Looks Like the Anti-Flynn Judge Could Defy Appeals Court and Keep This Clown Show Going. It was a political witch-hunt; one could argue a political assassination. The anti-Trump elements in DC took him out over phone calls; run-of-the-mill diplomatic phone calls with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. And we now know, based on former disgraced FBI Agent Peter Strzok's notes we know that even James Comey admitted that the calls were not out of the ordinary or even improper. They were "legit." Strzok was also the man who reportedly signed off on the FBI's counterintelligence probe into Russian collusion that set off this circus in 2016. Sullivan actually allowed amicus briefs to be filed as well. So, every anti-Trump legal mind could take a swipe at Flynn. He outsourced the prosecution. It's madness. Oh, and Gleeson just happened to work for the firm that is presenting Sally Yates, the DOJ's resister-in-chief, who refused to enforce Trump's executive order on immigration. Flynn's new legal team under Sidney Powell, which was assembled in 2019, said new evidence will show that Flynn was the victim of a plot within the FBI. That proved to be true; Comey and Andrew McCabe, both former disgraced FBI officials, were gunning for Flynn at all costs. Judge Rao Got It Right Based On Separation of Powers. There has been some critical comments around the internet about the majority opinion by Judge Rao, in which it is said that she stopped Judge Sullivan from having a hearing on the DOJ motion to dismiss the case against General Flynn, and then asserted a lack of evidence of wrongdoing as a basis to direct Judge Sullivan to to dismiss the case — when the hearing she won't allow is the vehicle for developing the very evidence she says he needs. Understanding — maybe or maybe not — that such an argument skips right over the reasoning why a hearing is not allowed, while only lamenting about that fact that a hearing is not being allowed, some who are advancing this line of "thinking" are posing hypotheticals about how far advocates of a broad "separation of powers" argument would be willing to go to use it as a "shield" to insulate Executive Branch — cough "Bill Barr" cough — decisions from judicial scrutiny. Sidney Powell Discusses Peter Strzok CYA Notes — "There's A Criminal Conspiracy in There". Michael Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell appears with Maria Bartiromo to provide insight into the DC Circuit Appellate court ordering the dismissal of the Flynn case. One of the key points Ms. Powell draws attention to is that her client was targeted. Within that targeting there's a criminal conspiracy. In hindsight it is very clear the White House, DOJ and FBI knew they were treading on thin ice. Susan Rice's memo to file is clearly a CYA memo for the White House. James Comey's memos are clearly a CYA effort for his participation. Bill Priestap kept his own notes reflecting his CYA; and Peter Strzok's notes appear to have the same motivation. Former US attorney: Flynn case was 'manipulated' at highest levels of Obama admin to go after Trump. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's rights were violated and he should consider a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and former Obama administration officials, former U.S. attorney Brett Tolman said Friday on "Fox & Friends." "That's why there is an action called a Bivens action. That is to go after a federal investigator that violates someone's constitutional rights. It's specific for that occasion and I hope is he looking at it strongly," said Tolman, an attorney who served as a federal prosecutor in Utah from 2006 to 2009. Flynn's lawyers said this week that newly uncovered notes from former FBI official Peter Strzok indicate then-FBI Director James Comey appeared to downplay Flynn's calls during the presidential transition with Russia's ambassador as "legit" during a meeting where then-President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden also weighed in. Obama and his Gang of Untouchables. Despite a steady flow of evidence confirming that Obama's White House directed the operation to infiltrate, spy on, and sabotage Trump's presidential campaign and then employ those same forces against Trump after he won, the media refuses to report any of it. Notes released this week once again reveal that the targeting of Lt. General Michael Flynn, Trump's incoming security advisor, was openly discussed during a high-level Oval Office meeting in early January 2017 with Obama, Biden, James Comey, Susan Rice, and Sally Yates. The notes, apparently transcribed by disgraced FBI official Peter Strzok based on a debriefing with Comey after the January 5, 2017 meeting, indicate Obama wanted to make sure the "right people" would investigate Flynn. [...] So, it's clear that on at least two occasions, President Obama and his FBI director discussed the investigation into Trump and his associates. That bombshell is not hearsay or a Deep State "conspiracy theory" or the delusions of Fox News hosts; it has been confirmed by Obama's closest aides. In Re: Michael T. Flynn, Petitioner. [Scroll down] So now the ball is in Judge Sullivan's court. Will he comply with the mandamus writ and grant the motion to dismiss? Or will he seek a rehearing en banc by all 12 active (as opposed to senior) D.C. Circuit judges in the hope of having the panel decision reversed and the mandamus lifted? For now, Judge Sullivan has entered a so-called "minute order" staying the hearing on the motion. This indicates that he is not yet willing to dismiss the Flynn prosecution. In the ordinary course of events, circuit courts rarely grant motions for rehearing en banc. But then neither the frame-up of Gen. Flynn by the Obama-era FBI nor Sullivan's handling of the resulting prosecution has been ordinary. The Flynn case has always been a highly charged political litmus test regarding the legitimacy of the Trump administration. And throughout the proceedings in the case, there have been warning signs that Judge Sullivan may not be playing with a full deck. In open court and on the record, he ranted about Flynn, a decorated 33-year Army combat veteran, being a foreign agent who sold out his country. The charge, mind you, is lying to an FBI agent. But Sullivan seemed to think he was presiding over the Aaron Burr treason case. Then, after a brief recess during which someone must have brought him up to speed on the facts, he came out on the bench and half-heartedly backtracked his unhinged tirade. FBI Agent's Notes Indicate Biden Brought Up Idea Of Investigating Flynn, Court Filing Says. Handwritten notes by ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok in January 2017 appear to indicate former Vice President Joe Biden brought up the idea of investigating former national security advisor Michael Flynn, according to attorneys representing Flynn. The attorneys say that Strzok's notes indicate that Biden thought Flynn might have violated the Logan Act when he conversed with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, according to court papers filed on Wednesday [6/24/2020]. "The previously sealed document also says that former President Barack Obama told top members of his administration that 'the right people' should investigate Flynn," The New York Post reported. Top Federal Appeals Court Orders Charges Against Michael Flynn To Be Dismissed. A top federal appeals court on Wednesday ordered a lower court to grant the Department of Justice's motion to dismiss all charges against Michael Flynn, who previously served as the White House National Security Adviser. In a 2-1 ruling, the federal appellate court for the District of Columbia wrote that Emmet G. Sullivan, the trial judge in Flynn's case, exceeded his authority under the Constitution and Supreme Court precedent when he refused to grant an unopposed motion by DOJ to dismiss charges against Flynn. The ruling was authored by Circuit Judge Neomi Rao. "[W]e grant Flynn's petition for a writ of mandamus in part and direct the district court to grant the government's Rule 48(a) motion to dismiss," the court ruled. "In light of that grant, we vacate the district court's order appointing an amicus as moot." A user-friendly analysis explaining why Flynn's case got dismissed. You've no doubt heard that the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a decision dismissing Michael Flynn's case. Judge Neomi Rao used impressively accessible prose in the decision, but it's still written in legal language. This post simplifies her argument even further. Here's the vital point: Rao, a Trump appointee, and Judge Karen L. Henderson, a Bush appointee, ruled in Flynn's favor, and ordered that Judge Emmett Sullivan stop trying to keep the Flynn prosecution alive. Judge Robert L. Wilkins, an Obama appointee, dissented. The decision is not yet final. Wilkins, or another judge on the appellate court, may still ask for the entire court to review the matter. This possibility explains why, in the decision itself, Rao takes the time to write a brutal takedown of Wilkins's silly reasoning. Michael Flynn case dismissed: Judge Sullivan's novel actions served injustice. The dismissal of the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn sent shock waves across Washington, including Congress which was hours away from a hearing addressing the case. Any appellate decision taking unprecedented measures to stop "irreparable harms" and "irregular" conduct is newsworthy. However, those admonishments were not describing Flynn's conduct but that of his trial judge, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan. The D.C. Circuit panel took the exceptionally rare step of ordering Sullivan to stop further proceedings and dismiss the case to avoid further damage caused by his prior orders. Judge delays all proceedings in Flynn case after appeals court sides with DOJ. A federal judge halted all proceedings in the case against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, issued a minute order Wednesday evening [6/24/2020] after an appeals court panel sided with the Justice Department in its effort to force the judge to allow it to drop its case against President Trump's first national security adviser. "In light of the Opinion and Order issued by the Court of Appeals on Mr. Flynn's petition for writ of mandamus, the deadlines and hearing date set forth in the Minute Order of May 19, 2020 are HEREBY STAYED," the order by Sullivan said. Agent Strzok CYA Memo? — Strzok Notes Indicate Obama White House Involvement in Targeting Michael Flynn. In a court filing yesterday [06/23/2020] the DOJ provided — initially under seal — the Flynn defense team with more exculpatory evidence. The filing includes hand-written notes taken by FBI agent Peter Strzok in/around key dates in early January 2017. The filing was unsealed today, and the Peter Strzok notes are released. [...] The notes are written by Peter Strzok during a conversation with former FBI Director James Comey; that context is important. What the notes contain are Peter Strzok writing down what Comey relays to him from conversations with White House officials. Circuit Court Just Ordered Flynn's Criminal Charges To Be Dropped — But Judge Sullivan Might Escalate Things Anyway. In a 2-1 decision, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted Michael Flynn's petition for a writ of mandamus and ordered federal district court Judge Emmet Sullivan to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn. The court also vacated Sullivan's appointment of John Gleeson as amicus curiae. The federal appellate court, however, refused to reassign the case to another judge, concluding Sullivan's conduct was not "so extreme as to display clear inability to render fair judgment." In not reassigning the Flynn case, the majority in In re Flynn handed Sullivan a face-saving out, but will the longtime federal judge accept defeat or escalate matters, firmly proving his judicial bias and own intemperance? DC Circuit Did NOT Boost American Confidence In Our Justice System Yesterday. Yesterday [6/24/2020] brought some qualified, great news. As my colleague Bonchie wrote, a 3 judge panel of the DC Circuit Court ordered Judge Emmet Sullivan to dismiss the charges against Lieutenant General (Retired) Mike Flynn. [...] First of all, I am very happy for General Flynn. I pray that Judge Sullivan finally gets a clue and puts paid to this long running travesty of justice and personal tragedy for General Flynn. I am not sanguine about that coming to pass any time soon. The reason I wrote "qualified great news," is that it could very well happen that the the DC Circuit decides to hear the issue en banc (the legal eagles tell me that's legalese for, "all the judges on the court hearing the issue"). Judge Sullivan's Resistance Theater Comes to a Pathetic End, Ordered to Dismiss Flynn Charges. I'm sure this saga isn't really over, because it never seems to be really over, but for now, it appears that Judge Sullivan's resistance theater is coming to an end. The D.C. Circuit ruled on Sullivan's ridiculous, farmed out argument that he should be allowed to continue sentencing Michael Flynn, even after exculpatory evidence was revealed. Obama and Biden were up to their necks in the Flynn persecution. On Wednesday [6/24/2020], news broke that was so big that (at least as of this writing) both the New York Times and the Washington Post ignored it: Barr's DOJ finally forced the FBI to release Comey's debriefing of the January 5, 2017 meeting that led to the General Flynn persecution. The notes, which Peter Strzok wrote based on a conversation with Comey, show Obama directing the FBI to investigate General Flynn using "the right people," while Biden came up with the idea that Flynn should be prosecuted under the Logan Act, an old, unconstitutional law that is inapplicable to a national security advisor. As well as showing a White House conspiracy against the incoming administration, the notes also reveal that Susan Rice's bizarre inauguration email to herself was false and that Biden lied to Americans about his involvement. Although heavily redacted, the portion of the notes that the DOJ released to the public is unambiguous. Michael Flynn Lawyer Sidney Powell: 'Rule of Law' Prevailed. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's (Ret.) attorney, Sidney Powell, exclusively told Breitbart News that the "rule of law" prevailed after an Appeals Court ordered a lower court to grant a request by the Department of Justice to drop its case against the former National Security Adviser. Powell told Breitbart News she is "Delighted to see the Rule of Law work. The Court of Appeals decision is consistent with every other court that has addressed these issues." Explosive New FBI Notes Confirm Obama Directed Anti-Flynn Operation. Newly released notes confirm President Barack Obama's key role in surveillance and leak operation against Michael Flynn, the incoming Trump administration national security adviser. The handwritten notes, which were first disclosed in a federal court filing made by the Department of Justice on Tuesday [6/23/2020], show President Obama himself personally directed former FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to investigate Flynn for having routine phone calls with a Russian counterpart. He also suggests they withhold information from President Trump and his key national security figures. The handwritten notes from fired former FBI agent Peter Strzok appear to describe a Jan. 5, 2017, Oval Office meeting between Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Comey, Yates, and then-national security adviser Susan Rice. The meeting and its substance were confirmed in a bizarre Inauguration Day email Rice wrote to herself. Obama's Marching Order on Flynn Revealed in Peter Strzok's Notes: 'Have The Right People On' It. The D.C. Court of Appeals handed down their ruling on the Michael Flynn case: dismiss it. The last battle of the Trump-Russia collusion circus is over. We won. The Left lost. The liberal media lost. The anti-Trump deep state lost. We win, you lose. It took more than a few rounds, but justice did prevail. [...] The decision caps off one of the most absurd legal sagas in recent memory. There was no case. New documents revealed a plot from within the Department of Justice to ensnare Flynn in a perjury trap. Based on this evidence, disgraced top FBI officials James Comey and Andrew McCabe wanted to get Flynn no matter what. Strzok Notes Reveal Obama Directed Flynn Investigation, Biden Raised Logan Act Violation. Handwritten notes taken by former FBI agent Peter Strzok revealed that President Barack Obama directed the FBI to continue investigating Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Flynn just weeks before he was to become President Trump's national security adviser, in a meeting during which Vice President Joe Biden suggested that Flynn violated the Logan Act. Up until now, it had been unclear exactly how involved Obama was in the FBI investigation of Trump's national security adviser. [...] Obama himself directed that "the right people" investigate Flynn. Appeals court orders judge to dismiss Flynn charges. A federal appeals court on Wednesday [6/24/2020] ordered a judge to grant the Department of Justice's (DOJ) unusual move to drop charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. A three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals approved Flynn's petition to intervene in the case after a district court judge had tapped an outside counsel to argue against the DOJ's move. The panel ruled 2-1, with two Republican-appointed judges carrying the majority, that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan overstepped his authority in second-guessing the prosecutors' decision. Michael Flynn lawyers receive Peter Strzok notes from US attorney. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's legal team has received notes taken by former FBI special agent Peter Strzok. A court filing Tuesday [6/23/2020] said U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Jensen of Missouri, who was picked by Attorney General William Barr to review the government's case against Flynn, "obtained and analyzed" the document. "While the page itself is undated; we believe that the notes were taken in early January 2017, possibly between January 3 and January 5," acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin for the District of Columbia wrote to Flynn's team. "These materials are covered by the Protective Order entered by the Court on February 21, 2018; additional documents may be forthcoming." Michael Flynn Circus Devolves Into Court-Weaponized Partisanship. Media reports following Friday's [ 6/12/2020] oral argument in the Michael Flynn criminal case focused on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals' apparent hesitancy to order Judge Emmet Sullivan to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn. But a second and more troubling theme went unnoticed: the further politicalizing of the judicial system. The right has long condemned the unfortunate conversion of the third branch from a neutral arbiter of the law to a politically motivated policymaker. No longer do judges say what the law is; they pretend the law says what they want it to say. Last week's oral argument exposed a further degeneration of our supposedly impartial judiciary — that judges are moving beyond policymaking to outright electioneering. Flynn's Fight For Freedom Not Over, Gleeson's Amicus Appointment Raises Serious Questions. Former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's attorney argued before the D.C. Court of Appeals Friday that the judge overseeing the case does not have the authority to operate as a prosecutor, as he is attempting to subvert the authority of the Department of Justice and the prosecutors in Flynn's case, who have petitioned that charges be dropped against her client. Judge says court may have picked 'intemperate' lawyer to argue against DOJ dropping Flynn case. One of the judges on the panel overseeing an appeal to force Judge Emmet Sullivan to let the Department of Justice (DOJ) drop its prosecution against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said Friday that the court might have appointed an "intemperate amicus" to oppose the DOJ. It was an apparent swipe at outside counsel John Gleeson, who wrote a lengthy 73-page brief this week opposing the DOJ's motion to dismiss the Flynn case, in which he said the government's arguments "are riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact" and "are not credible as the real reasons for the dismissal of a criminal charge." Gleeson is a Sullivan-appointed "amicus curie," which is Latin for "friend of the court" — meaning he is a third party allowed to present arguments in a case. The judge's critique, however, was meant to underscore the point that Sullivan should be given leeway to make his own decision in the case. Will The DC Circuit Court Order Sullivan To Dismiss The Flynn Case? It All Comes Down To One Judge. Over the course of nearly two hours, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals quizzed attorneys for Michael Flynn, the Department of Justice, and Judge Emmet Sullivan. The questions posed during oral argument suggest the court is hesitant to order Sullivan to dismiss the criminal case against Flynn — at least at this time. How the court will rule, however, likely rests in the hands of Judge Karen Henderson. New Brief Filed In Michael Flynn Case, Proves The Anti-Trump Resistance Is Running The Show. [Scroll down] Rather than put an end to Flynn's three-year nightmare, however, Sullivan announced he would accept amicus curiae briefs from outside parties. Sullivan also appointed Gleeson to argue against dismissal of the charge, even though Gleeson had just published an op-ed condemning the Department of Justice's move. Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene and order Sullivan to dismiss the case. Briefing in that case ended Wednesday, and oral arguments on Powell's petition are set for Friday [6/12/2020]. But those impending proceedings didn't stop Sullivan's ploy, and in his 70-plus-page brief, Gleeson more than gave the longtime federal judge exactly what he wanted: a political hit on President Donald Trump that the press could parlay into a new faux scandal. Or, as Powell told me, it was a "pathetic, result-driven" brief, both "flatly wrong and ridiculously predictable." But as predictable as the finished product was, it was still appalling to see the federal judiciary co-opted by the Resistance. "Trumped-Up": Former Judge's Filing Is An Example Of "Irregularity" In The Age Of Rage. Retired federal judge John Gleeson was recently appointed by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to argue against dismissal of the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and to advise him on whether the court should substitute its own charge of charge for Flynn for now claiming innocence. I have been highly critical of Sullivan's orders and particularly the importation of third parties to make arguments that neither party supports in a criminal case. Now Gleeson has filed a brief that confirms the worst fears that many of us had about his appointment. Gleeson assails what he called "a trumped-up accusation of government misconduct." The ultimate position advocated in Gleeson's arguments would be a nightmare for criminal defendants, criminal defense counsel and civil libertarians. Indeed, as discussed below, Gleeson was previously reversed as a judge for usurping the authority of prosecutors. Gleeson actually makes the Red Queen in "Alice in Wonderland" look like an ACLU lawyer. After all she just called for "Sentence First - Verdict Afterward" Gleeson is dispensing with any need for verdict on perjury, just the sentence. However, since these arguments are viewed as inimical to the Trump Administration, many seem blind to the chilling implications. From the First Page, Judge Gleeson's Brief Against Flynn is a Travesty. You know a lawyer's bluffing if he inundates the court with case authority for an ostensibly simple principle. The amicus brief that Judge Gleeson filed with Judge Sullivan in the Flynn case has those string cites. Gleeson's bluffing. Worse, he's lying. It's typical for dishonest attorneys to use fake citations — cases that do not stand for the principles asserted — in their endless string sites, hoping no one will check. This what Judge Gleeson did in his brief: Every one of his 14 citations in footnote two on page 1 is a lie. That's all you need to know about his brief. The Second Act of the Flynn Case Has Begun, and It's a Total Circus. Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, now remains in legal purgatory as the case against him has fallen apart in recent weeks. Flynn pleaded guilty to "lying to the FBI" charges, which were politically motivated. The entire reason he was targeted was exposed as a hoax. This is a joke of a court case now. The former general was part of the Trump-Russian collusion circus act that engulfed the Obama DOJ. The entire counterintelligence probe launched by the FBI was based on the unverified and thoroughly debunked Trump Steele dossier, aka Trump dossier, which was a Democrat-funded opposition research project. [...] The FBI had zero evidence to investigate Flynn; there was no collusion. The FBI was actually done investigating Flynn, but disgraced FBI official James Comey wanted a scalp. He was going to get Flynn no matter what. The agents who interviewed Flynn also admitted that they felt Flynn didn't lie to them. Who is John Gleeson? John Gleeson is the former judge tasked by Emmet Sullivan, the judge in the Michael Flynn case, with talking him into sentencing Flynn in a case that the prosecution has moved to dismiss. One wonders whether any such "talking" is required, other than for the sake of appearances. [...] Judge Sullivan got exactly what he wanted. Even without the op-ed, Gleeson's argument was 100 percent foreseeable. He was a left-wing judge whose attitude towards crime depends on the identity of the alleged criminal. He favored leniency for street criminals but, it now seems, favors toughness for political enemies. Also, as Bill Otis says, Gleeson has no appreciation of the distinction between judge and advocate. Thus, op-ed or not, he was always the perfect candidate to advise Judge Sullivan, who clearly wants to assume the role of advocate in the Flynn case. Michael Flynn Prosecution Turned on Logan Act Hoax. The FBI and the DoJ have very reluctantly revealed more and more information about how the Obama administration conspired to subvert democratic elections. Recent bombshell documents prove that President Barack Obama was directly involved in the conspiracy against Donald Trump. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates was surprised to learn directly from Obama in the Oval Office about the anti-Trump efforts. Obama knew more about the conspiracy than Yates did. This week, the Uniform Services League filed a Friend of the Court brief in support of Lt. General Michael Flynn opposing his further prosecution. Philadelphia criminal defense attorney Todd Mosser authored the brief. I filed it as local counsel admitted in that Court. Todd Mosser's excellent brief presents the law and also points out how the newly disclosed information means that Flynn is actually innocent, not just that bad behavior by the FBI taints prosecution. Mosser explains how Flynn cannot be prosecuted for perjury or contempt. But we discovered a lot more information than could fit reasonably in the brief. So here are some outtakes that have broader implications and concerns about our politics. [...] Flynn Case Comes To A Head: Judge Asks Court For More Time; DOJ: You Don't Have The Authority. The years-long case against former Trump national security adviser retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn continues despite the Department of Justice announcing weeks ago that it wants it thrown it — but the end is near. Keeping the case alive is Federal District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan, who has refused the Justice Department's request to immediately dismiss the case, instead deciding to first reexamine the case with the help of retired judge John Gleeson. But the standoff between the Justice Department and Sullivan appears to be coming to a head, both filing directly conflicting motions on Monday to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has since announced that it will be holding oral arguments next week. With Flynn (Almost) Free and Clear, the Scoundrels Need to Be Brought to Justice. [Scroll down] From the moment Trump won the election, the "resistance" — Democrats, turncoat Republicans, and the overwhelming majority of journalists — has fought a house-to-house battle against him on every front, the political equivalent of Stalingrad or Berlin. In the teeth of the panic of the CCP virus, the president needed a moral victory, and he got one. But the Flynn case isn't just another skirmish in the never-ending war for the soul of America. It is, in fact, the "fons et origo" of the attempted coup by elements of the Obama administration (likely including the former president himself), senior Democrat officeholders, the FBI, and the broader intelligence community, especially the CIA. As more details are unearthed and revealed thanks to Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, the outlines of the plot have become ever clearer — as has the realization that we are witnessing a scandal infinitely worse than Watergate: an attack on our electoral system, the peaceful transfer of power, and on the Constitution itself. In Appellate Brief, DOJ Unloads On Behavior Of Rogue Judge In Flynn Case. The Department of Justice on Monday [6/1/2020] unloaded on the antics of the rogue federal judge overseeing the Michael Flynn trial, accusing him of usurping the constitutional authority of the executive branch to make prosecutorial decisions and ignoring both statutory law and federal court precedent requiring him to dismiss the case against Flynn. After Judge Emmet G. Sullivan refused to grant the unopposed DOJ motion to dismiss the charges against Flynn after the government unearthed and relevant reams of evidence that the government had abused its power and unlawfully targeted Flynn, Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell filed a writ of mandamus with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia asking it to order the trial court to dismiss the charges against Flynn. The appellate court ordered Sullivan to respond by close of business on June 1 and invited DOJ to file its own response as well. Judge Sullivan ripped the judicial mask off, and what's behind it is ugly. General Michael Flynn filed a Petition for Writ of Mandate requesting that the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit order Judge Emmett Sullivan to dismiss Flynn's case, in the face of Sullivan's refusal to do so. On Monday, as the appellate court requested, both Judge Sullivan and the Department of Justice filed briefs defending their positions. Sullivan's was a disaster. The fact that Judge Sullivan even had to file a brief is unusual. In the ordinary situation, while a writ of mandate requests an order that a judge do or undo something, the "real party in interest" is the party who sides with the judge's original position. That party writes the brief. In this case, however, both parties are on the same side, and the judge stands opposite them. Justice Department asks appeals court to force dismissal of Flynn case, report. The Justice Department on Monday [6/1/2020] reportedly asked a federal Appeals Court to force a lower court judge to dismiss the prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. District Judge Emmet Sullivan declined to immediately dismiss the case against Flynn, after the Justice Department announced May 7 that the agency had dropped its case on Flynn lying to the FBI in 2017 about his communications with the Russia ambassador to the U.S., according to Politico. Flynn pleaded guilty but vacated his plea agreement after switching legal counsel and amid recently declassified documents indicating FBI agents broke protocol in getting the confession shortly after the Trump administration entered the White House. Stage Is Set for Showdown Over General Flynn. It looks like the stage is set for quite a showdown over separated powers and the fate of General Michael Flynn. [...] The stakes, though, are bigger than General Flynn alone. That's because the district judge, Emmet Sullivan, has signaled he's considering opening a new legal attack against the general and, through him, the Justice Department itself. He's suggested he's prepared to empower various "friend of the court" lawyers, known as amici, to undertake a whole new probe of the Justice Department's handling of the Flynn case. He's suggested that the "presumption of regularity" is up for review. That's a polite way of saying that Judge Sullivan is prepared to open the question of whether the Justice Department's decision to drop the charges in the Flynn case was on the up-and-up. The first amici he tapped, John Gleeson, an ex-United States district judge in New York, was one of the authors of an op-ed piece in the Washington Post suggesting that the decision of America to drop charges against General Flynn "reeks of improper political influence." The Editor says... The DOJ supports its petition for writ of mandate with an explosive brief. It was highly unusual for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to order Judge Emmett Sullivan to explain his refusal to grant General Michael Flynn's motion to dismiss. That made it easy to miss that it also allowed the Department of Justice the right to file a brief supporting its petition. Sullivan filed his pathetic and dishonest brief on Monday. The DOJ's brief, however, is filled with devastating facts and entirely on-point legal authority. What makes it even more compelling is its front page, which is weighted with the names of big guns. The DOJ is taking this matter very seriously. You have to see the names on the DOJ's brief to appreciate just how many people in the DOJ are paying very close attention to Flynn's petition. U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco Responds to DC District Court — Refutes Arguments Presented by Flynn Judge Emmet Sullivan. The DOJ has responded to the DC District Court invitation to file a brief in support of intervention by the appellate court. In an unusual move the response from the Department of Justice comes directly from the office of the United States Solicitor General, Noel Francisco. The DOJ points out the Judge has no standing to violate Article II and Article III of the U.S. Constitution in an effort to anoint himself as prosecutor, judge and jury of a criminal case outside of his judicial authority. "The Constitution vests in the Executive Branch the power to decide when — and when not — to prosecute potential crimes," Francisco argues. Additionally, rules of criminal procedure "do not authorize a court to stand in the way of a dismissal the defendant does not oppose, and any other reading would violate both Article II and Article III" the DOJ writes. Judge Sullivan Delivers Response in Flynn Case and It's Something. Judge Emmet Sullivan has delivered his response in the Michael Flynn case to the writ of mandamus. He tapped an outside attorney to make his case for him, something that is apparently highly unusual under these circumstances, where both parties are asking for a dismissal after new evidence of FBI malfeasance came to light. If this judge can't make his own arguments and decisions, why is he on the case? Michael Flynn Judge Just Told the D.C. Circuit Why He Refused to Immediately Dismiss Prosecution. A much-anticipated explanation from the federal judge presiding over Michael Flynn's criminal case was submitted on Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The D.C. Circuit previously ordered U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to explain, within 10 days, why he didn't immediately grant the Department of Justice's motion to dismiss the Flynn case. That order came down after Flynn's lawyers filed an emergency petition for a writ of mandamus with the D.C. Circuit, asking the appellate court to direct Sullivan to dismiss the case. Declassified transcripts add to evidence that FBI had no legal basis to interview Michael Flynn. In the end, the words that Michael Flynn uttered to Russia's ambassador that landed the former Trump national security in a three-year legal nightmare were simply this: "We need cool heads to prevail." That was the message Flynn delivered to Sergey Kislyak on Dec. 29, 2016, the day outgoing President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Russia for meddling in the U.S. election, according to newly declassified transcripts of the conversation. Yes, Flynn talked sanctions. But his message not to escalate a sanctions war was similar to what his future boss, Donald Trump, presented the next day and what many other experts recommended. And it was hardly words worthy of a crime or a counterintelligence threat, a fact that the career agents who worked the Flynn case concluded on their own before their bosses meddled in the matter. Here Are The Possible Reasons Mike Flynn's Judge Hired His Own Attorney. When the Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss the charges against Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, it didn't expect much pushback. Instead, the judge in the case declined the dismissal, opened up a separate investigation into Flynn and hired a high-profile defense attorney for himself. The district court judge, Emmett Sullivan, has hired attorney Beth Wilkinson to represent him as the Flynn case moves forward, a highly unusual decision for a judge. Wilkinson is known for representing people in high-profile cases; She is the same attorney who represented Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his nomination process. Republican senator: 62 leaks threatened national security in early days of Trump administration. A top Republican senator called the number of leaks during the first several months of President Trump's tenure "completely out of control." Sen. Ron Johnson, the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, told Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo that there were dozens of leaks that threatened national security in those days and argued they were part of a scheme to "frustrate and sabotage" the Trump administration. The leaks in that time period have taken on renewed significance as Attorney General William Barr has appointed multiple U.S. attorneys to review politically sensitive investigations, particularly the Russia investigation and the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Declassified Flynn Transcripts Contradict Key Mueller Claims Against Flynn. Highly sought-after summaries and transcripts of intercepted phone calls between former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak contradict key claims made by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his criminal case against Flynn. The transcripts were provided to Congress on Friday and obtained by The Federalist. [...] The transcripts, which were declassified by former acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Ric Grenell and current DNI John Ratcliffe, were provided to Congress by Ratcliffe, who began working in the position earlier this week following full Senate confirmation of his nomination. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairmen of the Homeland Security and Finance committees, respectively, had repeatedly called for the transcripts to be declassified and provided to Congress. Flynn Attorney Sidney Powell Releases Statement on Flynn Transcripts. DNI John Ratcliffe released the Flynn-Kislyak transcripts on Friday afternoon [5/29/2020]. Ratcliffe sent the transcripts to Senators Grassley, Ron Johnson. The transcripts were copied to Democrat Senators Dianne Feinstein and Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, Devin Nunes and Adam Schiff. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the transcripts on Friday afternoon. Michael Flynn transcripts show conversations with Sergey Kislyak were normal. Transcripts of the infamous calls between Michael Flynn and then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak reveal what was already known: The conversations between an incoming administration official and a foreign representative weren't treason, they were perfectly normal. The Obama administration had just sanctioned Russia for its meddling in the 2016 election. Flynn is requesting that Kislyak lobby to keep Russia's response "reciprocal" because he didn't want things to escalate — particularly in the fresh days of new leadership. Funny how the liberal media didn't think there was anything wrong with President Barack Obama making a similar plea to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the run-up to the 2012 election; promising he'd have more "flexibility" if he was re-elected and asking Russia not to escalate tensions. Dan Bongino: 'The Obama Order That Changed Everything'. Susan Rice's now infamous "by the book" email to herself was only one of the peculiar actions taken by the Obama Administration during those final days. Stranger still was President Obama's January 12, 2017 executive order #12333 which allowed the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the government's other 16 intelligence agencies. Sidney Powell Discusses DOJ/FBI Selective Releases as Richard Grenell Points Out Senator Mark Warner's Conflicts. When considering that Robert Mueller was used as a weapon (threat) and a shield (bury information); and when considering Senator Mark Warner's recent protestations against Grenell; it is well worth going back in history to May 2018 when SSCI Vice-Chairman Warner was demanding the Mueller investigation must not allow congressional oversight. Yes, it now makes sense, why Senator Mark Warner was demanding DAG Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray must keep records from congress.
Michael Flynn Judge Emmet Sullivan Needs To Recuse Himself Already. Judge Emmet Sullivan must recuse from the Michael Flynn criminal case because he no longer maintains any semblance of impartiality. On December 1, 2017, Flynn appeared before federal Judge Randolph Contreras and pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to FBI agents. Less than a week later, and without explanation, the case was reassigned to Sullivan, who has served as the presiding judge in the Flynn case since then. Circumstances have long suggested that Judge Sullivan holds an anti-Flynn bias. After all, he once intimated during court proceedings that the retired lieutenant general had committed treason. Mueller shows the FBI needs disbanding. He was for a decade following 9/11 the federal government's police chief as FBI director. Thanks to fawning by the Washington press, Bob Mueller retired with a sterling reputation despite blowing the anthrax case. In 2017, he came out of retirement and tried to frame President Donald John Trump. John Dowd, Trump's lawyer, provided the details to Gregg Jarrett of Fox. Dowd told Jarrett, "Mueller's scheme was the same one captured in the (newly released) FBI set-up notes pertaining to Flynn. They knew they had nothing, but using their official power they created and perpetuated the facade of an investigation." Dowd said Mueller admitted he had nothing to the president's lawyers on March 5, 2018. But the investigation dragged on for another year. Michael Flynn case — return the focus to where it belongs and do this. Former federal appellate Judge J. Michael Luttig makes some excellent points regarding Judge Emmet Sullivan's erratic performance in the Flynn case, writing in the Washington Post. I respectfully disagree with him, though, that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals should, at this stage, find Sullivan has demonstrated such bias that the case should be reassigned to a different judge. That would deprive Sullivan of the opportunity to explain himself, while needlessly extending the proceedings, further prejudicing Michael Flynn. While Luttig is understandably worried about the public reputation of the court, the constitutional priority here is Flynn's due-process rights. The Remains of Administration. Each day that the Obama administration fades into the past, its wrongdoings manage to wander back into the present. After years of suppression, all sorts of strange events keep popping up to remind us of what little is left of the Obama years — the Susan Rice memo, Christopher Steele deleting his computer records, FBI-doctored and lost 302s, text messages wiped clean, the bizarre Obama January 5, 2017, Oval Office meeting, the ambush interview of Michael Flynn, the unmasking and leaking of redacted names swept up in reverse-targeting surveillance operations, the administration fraud perpetrated on the FISA courts. The list is so overwhelming and bizarre that it ensures that anything at any time can now appear. And the result keeps reminding Americans of how corrupt were the years between 2009 and 2017 and how untruthful was the coverage of such institutionalized wrongdoing. 'Tail wagging the dog': Washington Post, leaker reignited FBI's Flynn probe. Not much was going on in the Michael Flynn probe until The Washington Post and a leaker reenergized the FBI, according to a newly disclosed transcript of closed-door testimony by former bureau Director James B. Comey. The FBI had filled out the paperwork to end the Flynn-Russia probe, but Mr. Comey halted the closing in early January 2017. Transcripts emerged of the incoming White House national security adviser talking by phone with Kremlin envoy Sergey Kislyak. The retired three-star Army general and Mr. Kislyak talked about not overreacting to economic sanctions that President Obama imposed on Dec. 31, 2016, in retaliation for Moscow's election interference. Mr. Comey went to work. He provided top-secret call intercept material to Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper, who told Mr. Obama. At a Jan. 5 White House meeting, the FBI chief and Mr. Obama again discussed that Flynn had talked with Russians during the transition. There is no law, per se, against such communications. The Curious Flynn-Kislyak Call Gets Curiouser. The infamous phone call between then-incoming National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, like so many tales of Russian collusion, is not as it first appeared. In light of new evidence, it's likely there's no truth to the running narrative about the December 29, 2016 phone call that has been the basis of Flynn's legal nightmare for more than three years. The case against the three-star general, concocted by Barack Obama's corrupt FBI, centers on the accusation that Flynn discussed U.S. sanctions with Kislyak and later lied about it to the FBI. And now that we know Flynn's name in the call was never masked — as the Washington Post reported last week, it was surveillance conducted by the FBI, not by national security officials — Kislyak's involvement deserves more scrutiny. It's Not The Trump Administration Politicizing Flynn's Case, It's Judge Sullivan. Not quite two weeks ago, Judge Emmet Sullivan threw open the doors of his federal courtroom to the swamp when he invited third parties to pontificate on the propriety of the Department of Justice's motion to dismiss the criminal charges against Michael Flynn. The next day Sullivan went further: He appointed a former federal judge, John Gleeson, as an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, to argue that the government's motion to dismiss should be denied. Judge Sullivan's selection of Gleeson as amicus curiae gave away the game. The same day Sullivan named Gleeson as amicus curiae, an op-ed by Gleeson and two cohorts ran in the Washington Post declaring the government's decision to dismiss the charge against Flynn "reeks of improper political influence." Joe Biden Oddly Rants That He'll Break a Law Democrats Relentlessly Accused Republicans of Breaking. [Scroll down] So let me get this straight. If Biden is elected, he's going to start calling other countries and dictating foreign policy to them before he's sworn in? Well, that's very interesting. I mean, it's not like Democrats have been wringing their hands over the Logan Act for the last four years or anything. In fact, the entire pretense of the Michael Flynn setup was that he had broken the Logan Act by talking to the Russians. But here's Biden announcing to the world that he's going to break the very law his party and their media allies tried to lionize when they thought they could target Trump officials with it. No, I'm not exaggerating. References to the Logan Act have been legion over Trump's term, including just recently as some tried to justify what happened to Flynn by still citing the little-used law. A simple Google search will pull up more examples than you'll have time to read. The Obama People Turned the Whole Philosophy of the American Founding Upside Down. The way we know that the Obama people were up to no good is what they did not do with Russia and Flynn. They did not call up the Trump campaign and say, with respect to Russia, that some of the Trump people were fishing in dangerous waters. Why not, if their purpose was to help America and not conspire to damage Trump? And President Obama did not tell president-elect Trump what his real beef was with LTG Flynn when, as Lee Smith writes, he called Trump two days after the 2016 election to warn him about Flynn. "Trump told aide Hope Hicks that he was bewildered by the president's warning." No doubt, because Obama wasn't leveling with him. The Flynn Saga Seems Too Complex? Read This. Author Robert Fulghum once wrote, "All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School." In the exceedingly complex tale of the Michael Flynn prosecution, it's easy to drown in the details. But it helps to remember that many of the principles of due process and fairness enshrined in our Constitution actually spring from our common experience in the court of kindergarten. Many of us can recall with bitterness a time we were blamed for something we didn't do, or being judged by a teacher with obvious bias, or having your words twisted in order to make the "crime" fit a predetermined punishment. Let us then convene the court of kindergarten to make relatable some of the many injustices committed by the government in the Flynn case. [...] The Flynn Frame-Up: Everything Was Done by the Book. Consider the predicament members of the Obama administration were in after Donald John Trump won the 2016 election. Their undertaking to destroy and stop the Republican nominee for the presidency had failed. The powerful criminal and intelligence agencies of the federal government had engaged in behavior we would expect from corrupt third-world countries. They abused the FISA court system to spy on Trump campaign associates and hence Trump himself. They listened in on phone calls. They arranged baited meetings using foreigners in attempted set-ups. They leaked to the press. But none of their manifold efforts produced any evidence that Trump or any member of his campaign team had colluded with the Russians to influence the election. When we stand back and look at the manner in which the Obama administration went after the Trump campaign, it is truly bizarre. For the government to take such unprecedented action against a political opponent, you would expect to see a credible, verifiable tip as the catalyst. You would expect the tip to be really, really credible and specific, considering the gravity of making the entire Trump campaign team criminal suspects of the opposition party government. Curiously Odd Decision By Judge Sullivan to Hire Beth Wilkinson. Just when you thought the Gen. Flynn case couldn't get any weirder. [...] Gen. Flynn's counsel files a Petition for Writ of Mandamus with the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, asking the Court to "Mandate" that Judge Sullivan dismiss the case based on controlling Circuit precedent, an exercise that almost never produces a Writ such as that sought by the Defendant. Giving a "one-finger salute" to the filing of the Petition, Judge Sullivan enters an Order setting a briefing schedule for the filing of opposition and reply briefs on the issues before the Court as set forth in the DOJ motion to dismiss, setting a hearing date nearly two months away. The next morning the Circuit Court of Appeals ORDERS the district judge to personally respond to the Petition for Writ of Mandamus and address the issue of whether he has any discretion on the question of granting the motion to dismiss the case — giving him only 10 days to do so, which includes a federal three-day holiday weekend. Judge Sullivan doubles down by hiring private legal counsel to assist him in responding to the Circuit Court's order. Judge Sullivan does the equivalent of pasting "I'm guilty" on his forehead. A Motion to Dismiss a criminal case is a routine procedure when the government realizes, for whatever reason, that there is no further reason to prosecute a defendant. Because the Constitution gives the prosecutor sole discretion about whether to bring a case and then, having brought it, whether to miss it, the judge has a limited role — and that role is to protect the defendant. Thus, it is the judge's responsibility to make sure that the government isn't toying with the defendant by dismissing a losing case while intending to refile in the hopes of drawing a more amenable judge or jury. Absent that problem, the judge's only job is to rubber-stamp the dismissal. Judge Sullivan refused to use that rubber stamp. He also declined to act as Flynn's last defense against an overreaching prosecution. Instead, Sullivan did something strange. He asked a retired judge, one who had published in the Washington Post an article hostile to the motion to dismiss, to file a brief with the court opposing the motion. Sen. Whitehouse Insults a Judge About To Hear Flynn's Appeal. How long, we wonder, until the Senate Judiciary Committee or the Chief Justice of the United States — or someone — upbraids Senator Sheldon Whitehouse? The Wall Street Journal has been all over the senator's bullying (he threatened the Supreme Court with restructuring if it didn't rule the way he wanted in a gun rights case). His personal attack on a federal appeals judge as she's about to decide an important matter, though, cries out for more than newspaper editorials. The judge is Neomi Rao. She rides the District of Columbia Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. She is one of three judges on the panel that will hear the emergency petition for a writ of mandamus filed by General Michael Flynn. The writ General Flynn is seeking would order the district judge hearing General Flynn's case — Emmet Sullivan — to grant the motion of the United States to dismiss the charges altogether, ending the prosecution. The petition for the writ was filed Tuesday [5/21/2020]. Judge Sullivan Lawyers Up. Judge Emmet Sullivan has hired Beth Wilkinson to represent him as he defends his unusual actions in the Michael Flynn case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Sullivan already asked for assistance from outside counsel when he appointed John Gleeson to argue against the Justice Department's motion to dismiss the Flynn prosecution. That extraordinary move helped land Sullivan in the dock, so to speak, thus causing him to enlist Wilkinson as his lawyer. A highly regarded litigator, Wilkinson represented top aides to Hillary Clinton in her email controversy. She also assisted Brett Kavanaugh when Christine Blasey Ford made her unsubstantiated allegations against him. Judge Emmett Sullivan [...] Arranged Speaking Gig for James Comey at Howard University for $100,000. The confused judge who has unconstitutionally inserted himself into the Justice Department's case against General Flynn made some actions behind the scene that are just as troubling. Judge Sullivan helped Jim Comey get his speaking gig at Howard University for $100,000. How much more corruption can America take[?] The corrupt judge who inserted himself into the General Flynn case, who insinuated the General was a traitor, has a lifestyle that matches his actions in court. He's not only famous for his unethical standards and actions in the Flynn trial, he also ordered that deported asylum seekers must be returned to the US. FBI chief Christopher Wray opens internal probe of Michael Flynn case. FBI Director Christopher Wray on Friday ordered an internal investigation of the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The move follows the Justice Department's decision this month to drop its prosecution of Flynn, who pleaded guilty in late 2017 to lying to the FBI. President Trump alleges the Flynn case was part of a conspiracy by "dirty cops" to "take down" his presidency. "FBI Director Christopher Wray today ordered the Bureau's Inspection Division to conduct an after-action review of the Michael Flynn investigation," the FBI said in a statement first reported by Fox News. The FBI's internal-affairs Inspection Division reportedly will handle the review. FBI Director Wray opens internal review into how bureau handled Michael Flynn case. The FBI announced Friday [5/22/2020] that Director Chris Wray has ordered an internal review of the handling of the bureau's investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, which will include examining whether current FBI employees "engaged in misconduct." "FBI Director Christopher Wray today ordered the Bureau's Inspection Division to conduct an after-action review of the Michael Flynn investigation," the bureau said in a statement. Why Didn't the FBI Record the Flynn Interview? There are so many angles to the FBI-Michael Flynn imbroglio, and most have been covered in great depth across a divergent set of viewpoints. But one aspect that has not been covered, and that opens up a wider lens into FBI policy, is the fact that the FBI refuses to audiotape, much less videotape, interviews of witnesses or suspects such as Flynn. That policy is counterproductive and makes no sense in 2020. The FBI needs to take itself out of the J. Edgar Hoover era and align itself with modern law enforcement best practices. Whether Flynn lied in his interview has become a bone of contention between supporters and critics. It doesn't matter to the motion to dismiss the charges against Flynn that was filed by the Justice Department because even if he did lie, the department says it cannot "explain, much less prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt, how false statements are material to an investigation" that the government had no basis to conduct because it had no evidence Flynn had broken the law. Michael Flynn Deserves a Justice Department Worthy of the Name. The exoneration of General Michael Flynn falls far short of justice being fully served. Make no mistake. Provided Judge Sullivan is compelled to do the right thing, it's a step in the right direction. But, even if Judge Sullivan does the right thing — allows Flynn to withdraw his coerced plea and dismisses all charges against him — complete justice requires more than just the innocent being acquitted of false charges perpetrated to serve personal, political, or ideological purposes. It also requires that these wrongs be recognized as the crimes they are and be officially avenged. Only then will damages inflicted by selfish, self-aggrandizing perpetrators upon the sanctity of the rule of law in our country approach being remedied. D.C. Circuit Orders Judge Sullivan to Respond to Flynn Mandamus Petition. Is Judge Emmet Sullivan's collusion cameo nearing its end? Today [5/21/2020], the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, on its own motion, ordered Judge Sullivan to respond within ten days to the petition for a writ of mandamus filed by Michael Flynn. Earlier this week, Flynn's counsel, Sidney Powell, filed the petition for that extraordinary writ, asking the appellate court to instruct Sullivan to grant the Justice Department's motion to dismiss the case against Flynn. That was after Judge Sullivan not only declined to grant the prosecution's motion, but (a) invited non-parties to intervene in the case by filing amicus briefs (transparently, to make arguments that he somehow has authority to deny DOJ's motion); and (b) appointed one amicus, former federal judge John Gleeson, as a quasi-prosecutor to make arguments that prosecutors are declining to make in favor of entering a judgment of conviction and sentencing Flynn. Declassified Email REVEALS Obama-Comey Conversation About Flynn. [Scroll down] [Susan] Rice's email had previously been released, but a portion pertaining to the conversation about Flynn remained redacted until May 19. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence approved the declassification after a request by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). The previously public portions of the email, which Rice sent to herself after the meeting, showed that Obama advised the senior officials present about being "mindful to ascertain if there is any reason that we cannot share information fully as it pertains to Russia." The newly declassified portion of the email shows that Comey responded to that instruction by pointing out that he is concerned about the frequency of communications between Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. How Russiagate Began With Obama's Iran Deal Domestic Spying Campaign. Barack Obama warned his successor against hiring Michael Flynn. It was Nov. 10, 2016, just two days after Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton to become the 45th president of the United States. Trump told aide Hope Hicks that he was bewildered by the president's warning. Of all the important things Obama could have discussed with him, the outgoing commander in chief wanted to talk about Michael Flynn. The question of why Obama was so focused on Flynn is especially revealing now. The Department of Justice recently filed to withdraw charges against the retired three-star general for making false statements to the FBI in a Jan. 24, 2017, interview regarding a phone call with a Russian diplomat. The circumstances surrounding the call and subsequent FBI interview have given rise to a vast conspiracy theory that was weaponized to imprison a decorated war hero and a strategic thinker whose battlefield innovations saved countless American lives. There is no evidence that Flynn "colluded" with Russia, and the evidence that Flynn did not make false statements to the FBI has been buried by the bureau, including current Director Christopher Wray. Graham to start hearings on Russia probe, Flynn in June. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Thursday [5/21/2020] that the Senate Judiciary Committee will start hearings in June on the FBI's investigation into Russian election interference and President Trump's campaign. Graham said in a statement that the hearings will deal with the Justice Department's decision to drop its case against former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, the warrant applications against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and if former special counsel Robert Mueller should have been appointed. In the Flynn case, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issues a surprising order. [Scroll down] Unless we learn otherwise, this was a random assignment through the court's intake system, but it was a lucky one for Flynn. Judge Henderson is a G.H.W. Bush appointee and Judge Rao is a Trump appointee. In other words, neither is a judicial activist. Both women believe that the law means what it says and should not be interpreted to force a desired political or "social justice" outcome. Only Judge Robert L. Wilkins is an Obama appointee. The judges issued the order "Per Curiam." That means all three agreed about the order. Given that Wilkins is an Obama appointee, his willingness to side with the other two judges is intriguing, although it doesn't hint at how he'll ultimately rule. Although I hate optimism when staring at this type of order, the fact that the court wants briefing suggests that it's inclined to grant the mandamus petition. Lying to the cops should not be a crime. Martha Stewart and Michael Flynn have something in common. Both were nearly ruined for lying to the cops. [...] The FBI plotted to trick a man they knew was innocent to lie, prosecute him for lying, and use the prosecution to pressure him into becoming a witness for them in the treason case they were conjuring up against the president. They failed. According to their own report, Flynn didn't lie about the calls. That's no surprise, since Flynn knew from his earlier work as Obama's Director of the National Intelligence Agency that phone calls with the Russians are routinely listened in on. He knew that he couldn't lie, and he didn't. But these feds are indefatigable. With some help from their bosses, they re-wrote their report to twist Flynn's words into a lie (though even the re-write is ambiguous). [...] The American rule is innocent till proven guilty, not innocent till they can trick you into a lying to the cops. Comey mum on email suggesting move to freeze out Flynn, as Rice says she ignored advice. A newly declassified email that former National Security Adviser Susan Rice sent herself on President Trump's inauguration day has raised new questions about James Comey's role in the outgoing Obama administration's treatment of Michael Flynn — but the former FBI director has not yet publicly commented on the contents of the memo. The email Rice sent to herself on Jan. 20, 2017, documented a Jan. 5 Oval Office meeting with former President Barack Obama and others, during which he provided guidance on how law enforcement should address Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race. Parts of it were released previously, but the section on Comey's response had been classified as "TOP SECRET" until now. The Railroading of Michael Flynn. [Scroll down] Three weeks into the Trump administration, the Flynn hunt bagged its trophy. The newly installed national-security adviser was compelled to quit. The stated rationale was that Flynn had lost the confidence of the new vice president because he had supposedly misled Mike Pence about some phone calls between Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the United States. That those phone calls became public knowledge was almost certainly the result of Obama-administration leaks of highly sensitive intelligence information. That was February. In May, the Flynn hunt resumed. Robert Mueller was named a special prosecutor tasked with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible ties to Donald Trump and his presidential campaign. After months of aggressive targeting, Mueller succeeded in getting Flynn to plead guilty to lying to the FBI — even though the actual FBI agents who had interviewed Flynn assessed that he hadn't lied at all. Still later, when Flynn's lawyers sought documents that would clear him of the charge he had lied, the Justice Department fought to keep them secret. FBI Offered To Pay Christopher Steele 'Significantly' To Dig Up Dirt On Michael Flynn. An FBI offer to pay former British spy Christopher Steele to collect intelligence on Michael Flynn in the weeks before the 2016 election has been one of the more overlooked revelations in a Justice Department inspector general's report released in December. The reference to the FBI proposal, which was made in an Oct. 3, 2016, meeting in an unidentified European city, has received virtually no press attention. But it might have new significance following the recent release of government documents that show that Steele peddled an unfounded rumor that Flynn had an extramarital affair with a Russian woman in the United Kingdom. It is not clear how and when Steele came across the rumor, or if it was the result of the FBI asking him to look into Flynn. The Rice CYA Memo, Unredacted. How amusing to find President Obama's national-security advisor, Susan Rice, suddenly calling for public release of the Flynn-Kislyak conversation intercepted by the Obama administration in late December 2016. I called for its release nearly three-and-a-half years ago. Dr. Rice, in a familiar pattern for her, has spent the ensuing years saying things that were obviously untrue only to reverse herself once the paper trail starts to dribble out. Try not to get dizzy. Rice has gone from claiming to have had no knowledge of Obama administration monitoring of Flynn and other Trump associates, to claiming no knowledge of any unmaskings of Trump associates, to admitting she was complicit in the unmaskings, to — now — a call for the recorded conversation between retired general Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak to be released because it would purportedly show that the Obama administration had good reason to be concerned about Flynn (y'know, the guy she said she had no idea they were investigating). Michael Flynn's name was never masked in FBI document on his communications with Russian ambassador. A Republican effort to determine who may have leaked the name of Michael Flynn in connection to his 2016 contact with the Russian ambassador has centered on the question of which Obama administration officials requested his identity be "unmasked" in intelligence documents. But in the FBI report about the communications between the two men, Flynn's name was never redacted, U.S. officials said. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) announced this week that he wants to subpoena witnesses over the unmasking of Flynn, as part of a larger effort to unearth information about the FBI's investigation of Trump campaign officials. On Tuesday [5/19/2020], he sent a letter to acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell asking why a declassified list of Obama administration officials who had made requests that revealed Flynn's name in intelligence documents "did not contain a record showing who unmasked" Flynn's identity in relation to "his phone call with" the Russian diplomat, Sergey Kislyak. Susan Rice's Email Proves FBI Had No Legitimate Reason To Question Flynn. Yesterday's [5/19/2020] release of Susan Rice's inauguration-day email to herself provided further evidence of former President Barack Obama's participation in the FBI's targeting of Michael Flynn. The recently declassified paragraph in Rice's email, however, proves significant for another reason: It confirms the FBI had no valid investigative purpose for questioning Flynn on January 24, 2017. In February 2018, Sens. Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham announced that as part of their efforts to conduct oversight of the FBI and DOJ they had discovered "a partially unclassified email sent by President Obama's former National Security Advisor (NSA) Susan Rice to herself on January 20, 2017 — President Trump's inauguration day." At the time, the Republican senators noted that in her email Rice "purport[ed] to document a meeting that had taken place more than two weeks before, on January 5, 2017," and then quoted the unclassified portions of the document: [...] Declassified Susan Rice Email Confirms Michael Flynn Was Personally Targeted In Oval Office Meeting. Michael Flynn was personally targeted during a crucial Jan. 5, 2017 Oval Office meeting arranged by then-President Barack Obama, a newly declassified document shows. On Jan. 20, 2017, as President Donald Trump was being inaugurated, former White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice sent herself a bizarre email detailing the Jan. 5 meeting between her, Obama, then-Vice President Joe Biden, then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, and fired former Federal Bureau of Investigations Director James Comey. In the email, portions of which were not declassified until recently, Rice recorded that Flynn, who at the time was the incoming national security adviser for Trump, was personally discussed and targeted during the meeting with Obama. Materiality is the Key to the Flynn Impasse. There are two aspects to the current imbroglio over the Justice Department's attempt to dismiss the Michael Flynn case, which U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan so far has rejected. The first is procedural — whether Sullivan following Rule 48(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure must dismiss. The second is substantive, whether the basis the government gave for dismissal is legitimate. As is almost always the case, left and right are completely at odds on the issue. On the right the government and conservative analysts rightly point out that Sullivan's refusal to dismiss must fail. There is no longer any controversy between the parties. Discretion to prosecute is an exclusively executive function in this country. The Constitution, common practice, and existing case law all overwhelmingly support this interpretation. Both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for Sullivan's own District (the District of Columbia) have so ruled. Procedurally, he's fighting a losing battle and looks foolish for it. The Hunting of the President. Let us return to the effort to prosecute Mr. Flynn. The purpose of the FBI to interview him was entrapment pure and simple. Someone — probably James Comey — sent agents to the White House to ensnare the president's national security adviser in a lie. Then FBI Director James Comey said as much when he bragged about sending agents into the White House, "something ... I wouldn't have gotten away with in a more organized administration." The FBI never informed the White House legal team prior to Mr. Flynn's interview, the better to catch him off guard. The FBI failed to share its transcript of the Flynn-Kislyak conversation with Mr. Flynn during their interview. As would be appropriate if they were merely seeking to verify rather than to prosecute Mr. Flynn for falsifying his testimony. Thus, he had only his memory of a passing conversation to recall what he had said. Finally, the FBI never warned Mr. Flynn that he would be held accountable for what he said in the interview. Boy was he in for a rude awakening. Flynn's Lawyer Files Petition for Writ of Mandamus. Sidney Powell, Michael Flynn's lawyer in the criminal case against him, has filed a Writ of Mandamus to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The petition asks the D.C. Circuit to issue an order directing the district court to grant the Justice Department's motion to dismiss its case against Gen. Flynn. It also asks that the district court be ordered to vacate its order appointing amicus curiae in the case and that the case be reassigned to another district judge for any further proceedings. I speculated [elsew]here about the prospects for succeeding with such a petition at this stage of the proceedings before Judge Sullivan. It seemed to me that the prospects aren't good because Sullivan hasn't yet ruled on the government's motion to dismiss. I hope I'm wrong. The petition Powell filed on Gen. Flynn's behalf does not mince words. Here's Why So Many Treasury Department Officials Requested Unmaskings of Gen. Flynn. We all wondered why the names of so many Obama Treasury Department officials appeared on the list of those who requested unmaskings of Gen. Michael Flynn's telephone calls. [...] None of this is surprising, especially after the Obama IRS' targeting of conservative groups for two years prior to the 2012 presidential election. We all remember the image of Lois Lerner invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination before Congress. By 2015-2016, Obama had politicized every government agency. Most, if not all, agencies were led and primarily staffed by bureaucrats who all shared the same goal. That was to prevent Donald Trump from winning the presidency and following his victory, the goal changed to removing him office by any means necessary. Obamagate Must Result in Criminal Prosecutions. During his very last days as vice president, Biden unmasked General Michael Flynn and by a very strange coincidence, it happened to be the very same day Flynn's name was leaked to the media. In the unlikely event Biden had some legitimate reason for unmasking Flynn at the time, it's improbable that he would remember what that reason might have been, more than three years later. Leaking Flynn's name is a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison. The moral of the story is be careful what you wish for, because you might get it. New Brief In Michael Flynn Case Pulls Back Curtain On The Coming Circus. On May 18, several filings hit the docket in the Michael Flynn case, but not the one conservatives anticipated since Judge Emmet Sullivan's shocking announcement last week that he intended to seek input from amicus curiae on whether to grant the government's motion to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn. Those on the right decrying Judge Sullivan's judicial overreach anticipated the prosecuting U.S. attorney to promptly petition the D.C. Circuit Court for a writ directing Judge Sullivan to dismiss the case. Instead, conservatives caught a glimpse of the circus Judge Sullivan has invited into his courtroom. Flynn attorney files emergency appeal to shut down Judge Sullivan's orders, boot him from case. Michael Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell on Tuesday filed an emergency writ of mandamus to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking the immediate removal of Judge Emmet Sulivan from the case — and saying that under appellate precedent set by the "Fokker Services" case, Sullivan or his replacement must dismiss the prosecution, as the Justice Department has requested. Writs of mandamus are extraordinary remedies, which are appropriate when there has been a "usurpation of judicial power" that is "clear and indisputable" — and, Powell argued, Sullivan's behavior fits the bill. Powell pointed in particular to Sullivan's bizarre suggestion in December 2018 that Flynn had "sold out his country" and could have been prosecuted for "treason," as well as Sullivan's misstatements on the facts of the case. Dan Bongino offers two shocking theories about the target on Flynn's back. Dan Bongino has come up with a knock-your-socks-off theory about why Flynn's December 29, 2016, telephone call with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak didn't need unmasking. He also offers a surprising twist on the charging papers against Flynn, something that may expose the DOJ's con on the court. A lot of people noticed something interesting in the newly released list showing Obama-era people unmasking Flynn communications: No one unmasked Flynn's call with Kislyak. [...] How did the Obama team find the Flynn phone call? Bongino thinks there was a set-up. Three weeks before leaving office, on December 29, Obama suddenly took the dramatic step of expelling 35 Russian diplomats and imposing sanctions on Russia. He knew Kislyak would immediately get on the phone with Trump's incoming National Security Advisor — that is, Flynn — to find out what Trump intended to do three weeks hence. That's exactly what Kislyak did. In Michael Flynn case, Judge Sullivan's gross overreach turns justice into mob rule. The case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn is rapidly moving from the dubious to the preposterous. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan is being widely applauded for resisting the dismissal of a case that the Department of Justice insists cannot be ethically maintained. Faced with no dispute between the parties, Sullivan decided to create a contested case by inviting in third parties to create a conflict and now is suggesting that he may substitute his own criminal charge rather than let Flynn walk free. In the past, I have publicly praised Sullivan. However, this is fast becoming a case of gross judicial overreach as the court appears to assume both judicial and executive powers. Sullivan can disagree with the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, but he cannot substitute his own judgment for it. Minimization, Tech Cuts, Unmasking — A Guide. To understand "unmasking" it may be helpful to get down to a procedural level. [...] The real problem arises when unmasking is not done for articulable official purposes but instead for personal or political reasons — usually as a prelude to leaking the USPER's name to the outside world, which is a crime. A few instances of unmasking by a given official may not appear overly troubling on its face, but when unmasking becomes a pattern of behavior real suspicions can arise that the unmasking official is actively seeking information to leak for political purposes. The suspicion arises because it would be unusual to be second guessing the highly trained preparers of intelligence documents on such a regular basis. That seems to have been the case with Samantha Power. The problem isn't with the unmasking per se so much as with the use that the unmasked information is put to. In the case of Flynn, of course, it was part of an elaborate frame job. 'Obama Did It': Bongino lays out new 'gems' that show whose 'fingerprints are all over Flynn scandal'. Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino presented evidence on his show Friday [5/15/2020] suggesting former President Barack Obama was behind the "astonishing set-up" of former national security advisor Mike Flynn." Taking to Twitter to promote the show, Bongino tweeted: "Obama Did It. Here's the evidence, his fingerprints are all over the Flynn scandal." Bongino cited an Epoch Times article that said "the name of Michael Flynn wasn't masked to protect his identity in transcripts of his calls with a Russian ambassador that were distributed or revealed to President Barack Obama and a number of top officials in his administration." A Common Feature in the Guilty Plea From Gen. Flynn and a Criminal Case From the Uranium One Scandal. Most who are reading this have probably heard this story by now — DOJ prosecutors headed up by Rod Rosenstein and Andrew Weissman, in a politically charged investigation, violated DOJ written policy in order to secure a plea agreement in a criminal case that advanced their interests in steering the case to a particular outcome having nothing to do with the merits. I mentioned one time they did that in this story regarding the farcical reporting on the Flynn case by the non-lawyers at Lawfareblog. Abbreviated version — a written DOJ policy tells federal prosecutors that they must charge a defendant with the most serious readily provable offense, and any plea agreement entered into with such a defendant must include a guilty plea to the most serious readily provable offense. The policy states that the most serious readily provable offense is that which would carry the longest potential term of imprisonment. The
Sound of Wireless Tapping. Yesterday [5/18/2020] I linked to a FISA court order that is available (in redacted
form) on the web site of the Director of National Intelligence. It tells us that the NSA keeps logs that document every
query made against their enormous Signals Intelligence database. All our texts, all our emails, and metadata about all
our telephone calls (who called whom and when and for how long) are in there. Some — not the
NSA — claim that the telephone calls themselves are in the database. The court also revealed that at least
as early as 2015, the FBI Counterintelligence Division It Is Very Strange That General Flynn Was Unmasked Almost 50 Times. Last week, acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell released the list of Obama officials who requested Flynn's name be unmasked in collected intelligence. Reviewing the list, it seemed notable that Flynn's calls were unmasked nearly 50 times by 39 officials. The really strange part is that the unmasking began on November 30, 2016. That was the first time U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power requested an unmasking. The most interesting part of this list would be the person Flynn was speaking with. However, in the absence of that, there is a logical explanation. Dan Bongino Finds Out There's a Fourth Way the Government Can Spy on a Citizen. [Scroll down] The government is surveilling Kislyak. They're receiving transcripts of his phone calls. How do they know who he's speaking with? FBI officials know Flynn would be vacationing in the Dominican Republic at the end of December. It would be easy for Obama officials to identify a Kislyak call to the Dominican Republic. How can Obama officials guarantee that Kislyak will call Flynn while he's there? They might announce sanctions against Russians or they might expel 35 Russian diplomats and close two Russian compounds for interference in the 2016 presidential election. Which is exactly what they did. To be precise (and this distinction will become clear shortly), on December 28, Obama signed Executive Order #13757 which enacted sanctions on several Russians and Russian entities. On the next day, December 29, 2016, Obama announced the closing of two Russian compounds and the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats. Odd timing, is it not? Why did they wait so long after Election Day? Clash of the titans: Should Flynn's Team Seek a Writ of Mandamus? After the Department of Justice decided to drop the case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, it seemed like the presiding judge's signature was a mere formality. Unfortunately, however, Federal District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued an order inviting third party groups with no interest in the case to file amicus briefs second-guessing the department's decision to drop the case. Given past precedent, Flynn could very well seek a writ of mandamus based on the court's unacceptable decision to politicize his case. Democrats are exposing themselves in Michael Flynn case. Samantha Power was "the largest unmasker of US persons in our country's history," then-Rep. Trey Gowdy said in October 2017, when he was interviewing her during the House Intelligence Committee's Russia probe. As US ambassador to the United Nations, she made hundreds of "unmasking" requests during the final year of the Obama administration, although her post had no obvious intelligence function. She asked that the identity of Gen. Michael Flynn be revealed in classified intelligence reports seven times between Election Day 2016 and the inauguration of President Trump on Jan. 20, 2017, although she testified later to have "no recollection" of the requests. "Now, did I have a significant appetite for intelligence? I do," Power told Gowdy. No kidding. Not that she was alone. We now discover, thanks to a document declassified by the nation's intelligence chief, that more than three dozen members of the Obama administration, including Joe Biden, also had an unhealthy obsession with unmasking Flynn. Obama must testify about Flynn persecution and prosecution. During the 2008 campaign, Obama promised to fundamentally transform our country. This may be the one campaign promise he kept. [...] The Obama Gang lied and cheated to help Hillary Clinton win. They tried to destroy the Trump presidency by concocting the Russia Hoax, including the framing and persecution and prosecution of General Flynn. They tried to sabotage the transfer of power from Obama to President Trump. The banana republics use tanks and soldiers to interfere in transfers of power. The Obama Gang used FISA warrants based on the phony Steele dossier, the framing of General Flynn, the misconduct by Comey to leak memos to get his pal Mueller appointed to persecute and prosecute Trump friends and officials, and other misconduct. When all failed, they impeached President Trump without any evidence as required by the Constitution. Rogue Judge Sullivan. mmet Sullivan, the U.S. District Court judge presiding over the Michael Flynn criminal trial, has delayed ruling on the Justice Department's motion to dismiss all charges against Flynn in order to get a third party's views. Sullivan's action is unconstitutional, cruel, and an enormous abuse of his judicial power. [...] Sullivan has appointed former U.S. district court judge John Gleeson to oppose the Justice Department's motion to dismiss and, reportedly, to argue that Sullivan should hold Flynn guilty of perjury for falsely confessing to crimes he didn't commit. That is unconstitutional under the controlling precedents because it violates the Separation of Powers doctrine of constitutional law which mandates that the power of one branch of government cannot be seized and used by another branch. Michael Flynn Versus Nidal Hasan. In 2016, President Obama deployed the upper reaches of the FBI, DOJ and intelligence agencies against Gen. Flynn. The president was present in the meeting on January 5, 2017, the same day his chief of staff Denis McDonough made a request to unmask Flynn. Vice president Joe Biden made a similar request on January 12. On January 20, 2017, outgoing national security advisor Susan Rice wrote an email to herself claiming the president wanted all to be done "by the book." In 2012, Rice also claimed spontaneous response to a video caused the murder of four Americans in Benghazi, knowing full well that was false. McCarthy Discusses When Flynn Was NOT Unmasked and The Missing Pientka 302. Former Chief Asst. U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy [...] has reviewed the documents; looked at the research; reviewed what the IG said was not happening; and came to the same conclusion as CTH. The Obama surveillance of Flynn did not include 'unmasking' because the collection was not incidental. McCarthy points the media's incurious compass needle toward the CIA, but don't expect any DC media to follow it. The truth is adverse to MSM interests. There's only one way for the Flynn-Kislyak call and content to be tracked, captured, discussed and shared by the Obama administration without the unmasking between 12/29/16 and 01/04/17. A reverse targeted intercept on Flynn through Kislyak. Media liberals used to denounce FBI abuses — until bureau went after Team Trump. Democrats and their puppets in the media — once fierce critics of US law enforcement and spying agencies — have suddenly become their biggest champions, at least when the issue is these agencies' targeting of Team Trump. Newly released documents in the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn add to mounting evidence of what seem like serious, politically motivated abuses by the FBI and Justice Department. And liberals are cheering the abuse. Even columnists at the once anti-cop, anti-FBI New York Times are now solemnly lauding the bureau as "the nation's premier law enforcement agency." Unmasking? The Real Story Is When Flynn Was Not Masked in the First Place. Despite Wednesday's [5/13/2020] blockbuster news about the dozens of Obama-administration officials who "unmasked" then-incoming Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn, there remains a gaping hole in the story: Where is the record showing who unmasked Flynn in connection with his fateful conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak? There isn't one. There is no such evidence in the unmasking list that acting national intelligence director Richard Grenell provided to Senators Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R., Wis.). I suspect that's because General Flynn's identity was not "masked" in the first place. Biden Aide Unloads On 'Partisan, Rightwing Hack' Catherine Herridge For Reporting On Flynn. A top Biden communications aide attacked CBS' Catherine Herridge over a Wednesday report showing the names of the officials who unmasked former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Herridge went public with documents, declassified by acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, that revealed former Vice President Joe Biden was among those who had called for Flynn to be unmasked. Forbes: Sullivan defying SCOTUS, DC appellate precedents in his Flynn stunt; NYT: Sullivan "renowned for his independent streak". Remember stare decisis? It was all the rage in late 2018, and again in early 2017, when two Republican nominees got confirmed to the Supreme Court. Senate Democrats made them pledge fealty to the principle of stare decisis, which requires that previous Supreme Court precedent must be followed and upheld in all but the most unusual circumstances for the stability of the law. Over at Forbes, Mark Chenowith labors under the impression that this principle still applies. He notes that Judge Emmet Sullivan's attempts to appoint a prosecutor to look for crimes that Michael Flynn might have committed by accepting a plea deal violates not one but two controlling precedents. One such precedent was delivered just a week ago in US v Sineneng-Smith, on a 9-0 Supreme Court vote and an opinion. Flynn attorney: "Mystified by the entire thing" on Sullivan orders, but what's next? Sidney Powell is hardly alone in being "mystified" by Judge Emmet Sullivan's latest moves in the trial of Michael Flynn, but she may be the most disillusioned. Powell told Sean Hannity last night that Sullivan's attempts to punish her client are inexplicable, especially considering the heroic way she portrayed Sullivan in her book Licensed to Lie, which exposed corruption and abuse of power in the Ted Stevens case. History has repeated itself in the attempt to railroad Flynn, Powell argues, only this time Sullivan's greasing the rails rather than reaching the obvious conclusion that investigatory and prosecutorial misconduct has created a vast injustice — again. David Horowitz to Newsmax TV: Flynn Case 'Failed Coup D'etat'. The case against Michael Flynn was a "failed coup d'etat" of President Donald Trump, noted conservative author David Horowitz told Newsmax TV on Friday [5/15/2020]. In an interview on "The Chris Salcedo Show," Horowitz decried the prosecution of the former general — and noted the Department of Justice's announcement it was dropping the criminal case against Flynn showed the underpinnings of it have now collapsed. "That's a failed coup d'etat," Horowitz said. No, Obamagate is not a Trump diversion. No, President Donald Trump is not ranting and raving about Obamagate to keep himself center stage or to distract attention from COVID-19, as liberal media are suggesting. They still don't get Trump. [...] Everyone knows that Trump has long been outraged by the Russia hoax, and with good reason. Even after he has been thoroughly vindicated of this frame job, the perpetrators have escaped accountability, and the left still pretends Trump is the guilty party. Trump was effectively exonerated when the vaunted, high-powered and obscenely funded Mueller team couldn't find a shred of evidence to tie Trump to Russian election meddling. Now, with the revelation that Obama administration officials and the FBI collaborated to incriminate General Michael Flynn, we have a smoking .357 Magnum in the hands of scores of those officials. Democrats Have Abandoned Civil Liberties. Emmet G. Sullivan, the judge in the case of former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, is refusing to let William Barr's Justice Department drop the charge. He's even thinking of adding more, appointing a retired judge to ask "whether the Court should issue an Order to Show Cause why Mr. Flynn should not be held in criminal contempt for perjury." Pundits are cheering. [...] One had to search far and wide to find a non-conservative legal analyst willing to say the obvious, i.e. that Sullivan's decision was the kind of thing one would expect from a judge in Belarus. George Washington University professor Jonathan Turley was one of the few willing to say Sullivan's move could "could create a threat of a judicial charge even when prosecutors agree with defendants." [...] A Laurel-and-Hardy team of agents conducted the interview, then took three weeks to write and re-write multiple versions of the interview notes used as evidence (because why record it?). They were supervised by a counterintelligence chief who then memorialized on paper his uncertainty over whether the FBI was trying to "get him to lie" or "get him fired," worrying that they'd be accused of "playing games." After ex-CIA chief Brennan sought to 'unmask' Flynn he wails releasing names is 'abominable abuse of authority'. Former CIA Director John Brennan, one of dozens of Obama administration officials who requested the "unmasking" of incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, has called the recent release of those names an "abominable abuse of authority." In an interview with his benefactor, MSNBC, Brennan also blasted the Justice Department for dropping its case against Flynn, despite evidence that the FBI, then under Director James Comey, set up a perjury trap for the retired three-star Army general. Brennan seemed to be channeling the administration he worked for when he characterized the decision as "blatant political corruption at the highest levels of U.S. government." Former DOJ Insider Says Key Flynn Document Likely Lost 'Intentionally'. For many, there is no single segment of the Michael Flynn story that doesn't reek of Deep State debauchery, and that continues to be the case on Friday [5/15/2020]. Flynn was charged with lying to the FBI at the beginning of the "RussiaGate" probe several years ago. Just last week, a damning declassification occurred in which a handwritten note from the FBI agents who interviewed Flynn was released publicly showing that these investigators had considered forcing Flynn to lie in order to charge him with a crime. In short: Flynn got caught up with some dirty cops. Undercover Huber Chronicles the Extraordinary Actions Taken by Team Mueller to Avoid Turning Over Flynn's Original 302. It's amazing that, to this day, neither of Gen. Michael Flynn's legal teams have been able to obtain the FBI's 302 from the January 24, 2017 White House ambush interview. Prosecutors claim this document has vanished. Rep. Devin Nunes spoke to Fox News' Maria Bartiromo about the original report. He said Congress had been briefed on it by FBI sources who said, "'Look, there's nothing to see here, Flynn wasn't lying.' So we knew this at the beginning of 2017, so you can imagine my astonishment when it began to leak out in the press that General Flynn was being busted for lying to the FBI. And that, that's what the Mueller team — the dirty Mueller team — that's what they were going to bust him on." Nunes told Bartiromo the original report has vanished. "It's gone. Poof. It's out of sight — we can't find it." Recently Released Comey Testimony Provides Further Evidence of The Original Flynn 302 Written by Pientka Before It Mysteriously Went Missing. FBI Agents Peter Strzok and Joe Pientka interviewed National Security Advisor Michael Flynn on January 24, 2017. According to documents presented in the court case, agent Peter Strzok did the questioning and agent Joe Pientka took most of the notes. Following the interview agent Pientka then took his hand-written notes and generated an official FD-302; an FBI report of the interview itself. There has been a great deal of debate over the first draft, the original FD-302 as it was written by Joe Pientka. In the case against Flynn the DOJ prosecutors never presented the original Pientka 302. On May 2, 2020, the DOJ, using new information gathered by U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen, declassified and released a segment of James Comey testimony that was previously hidden. Within the transcript Comey says Pientka wrote the Flynn 302 on January 24th immediately following the interview. Documents Indicate FBI Unmasked Flynn, Disseminated Unfinished Intelligence on His Calls. Recently published documents indicate that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) unmasked former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's name in "unfinished" intelligence and disseminated that intelligence — likely a transcript of Flynn's calls with a Russian ambassador — to then-Director of National Intelligence and a group of Obama White House officials, which then illegally made its way to the press. Flynn Judge Ignores Supreme Court and the Constitution. Which part of United States v. Michael Flynn does Judge Emmet Sullivan not understand? There is no third party in the case title — only the names of the accuser and the accused. There is no understudy prosecutor to be employed when one party says he's innocent and the other admits they have no case. Game over. The defendant is a free man unless you are in Judge Sullivan's court where the signpost up ahead says "The Twilight Zone." On our planet, when there is no prosecutor to prosecute, there is no prosecution. Case is dismissed. Not on Judge Sullivan's planet. For Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn it must have seen like a ruling from a parallel universe when, in an Alice-In-Wonderland meets Groundhog Day moment, for Judge Sullivan's appointed former Judge John Gleeson to argue against AG Barr and defendant Flynn, and even invent a new charge of perjury for withdrawing his guilty plea entered under severe coercion and duress. On shutting down Sullivan's circus. In light of Judge Sullivan's bizarre orders in the Flynn prosecution, there is talk about the possibility of filing a petition with the court of appeals seeking to have it pull the plug on the Flynn proceedings. However, I don't think the D.C. Circuit would grant such a petition, and I question whether, at this stage, it should. The problem is that Sullivan hasn't ruled one way or the other on the government's motion to dismiss the case against Gen. Flynn. Technically, all he has done is ask for briefing from outside parties on the question of whether he should grant the motion. Sullivan shouldn't have asked for outside help. He should have done his own research, if necessary, and granted the motion without further ado. Who Illegally Leaked the Michael Flynn Call to the Media? Here's Who I'm Betting On. While requesting the unmasking of Flynn itself isn't a crime if you have the proper security clearance, the unmasking of American citizens for political purposes is illegal, so the leaking of Flynn's name to the media was indeed a criminal act. There were dozens of Obama officials who made unmasking requests after the call took place who could be responsible for the leak. The question that remains is "Who is responsible for leaking it?" Based on the information we have, I think the leaker is one of two people: [...] Kayleigh McEnany Explains Why Republicans Are So Mad About Obamagate. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany laid out all the reasons President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans are up in arms about revelations on the Obama administration's use of the intelligence community. McEnany detailed how Vice President Joe Biden was found to have requested the unmasking of Gen. Michael Flynn just one day before the Washington Post published a story on Flynn that relied on leaks from the Obama administration. She also laid out how several former Obama administration officials had testified they found no empirical evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, but said the opposite publicly. The Ruling Class Railroading of Michael Flynn. The release of the names of Obama officials who sought the unmasking of Michael Flynn is longer than expected. It seems to include everyone but the White House custodian. Naturally, the media is treating this revelation as perfectly normal. You see, one party spying on the other is only shocking if Republicans do it. But if Democrats do it? Well, the Obama officials who wanted a peek at Flynn's conversations were simply "doing their duty." Right. That's why they had been spying on him since at least 2014. Recall that the Cambridge academic Stefan Halper, the "confidential informant" the FBI used to try and trip up George Papadopoulos, had been spying on Michael Flynn too. Halper reported on a visit Flynn made to Cambridge as far back as 2014. Judge Sullivan's "perjury" gambit. Judge Sullivan's decision to have a former federal judge argue against the DOJ's motion to dismiss the Michael Flynn prosecution is bizarre enough. In addition, though, Sullivan asked the same judge to consider whether Flynn should face a perjury charge based statements he made to the court in connection with his guilty plea. I assume Sullivan recognizes that the DOJ's motion to dismiss the charge of false statements to the FBI makes it very difficult, if not impossible, for Sullivan to sentence Flynn on that charge. The judge is looking for an alternative way of nailing Flynn — one that doesn't require Justice Department participation or approval. James Clapper's convoluted interview on Flynn unmasking raises more questions than answers. Questioned Thursday morning [5/14/2020] by a Democrat-friendly CNN "reporter" about the three unmasking requests he made in late 2016 and early 2017, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper essentially pleaded the fifth by claiming someone else had made the requests on his "behalf" and alleging that he doesn't even remember why. His answers were difficult to believe. [Video clip] Judge Sullivan Ignores Shocking Record of False Guilty Pleas. We may be slow, we often say, but then again, too, we didn't just fall off the turnip truck. So in respect of Judge Emmet Sullivan's outrage over General Michael Flynn's desire to withdraw his guilty plea, let us just say our eyes are dry. The judge has gone so far as to appoint an ex-judge to recommend whether to charge the general for lying when he pled guilty. As if such pleading guilty to a crime one didn't commit is all that unusual. The fact is that it's by no means rare for persons to plead guilty to crimes they didn't commit. Some are scared. Others confused. Some lack the intestinal fortitude or financial wherewithal to stand up against the warnings or threats from the prosecutors. What's so unusual in the Flynn case is that the Democrats and liberals are siding against the poor schlepper caught in the prosecutorial vice. In the Flynn Case, It's Time for an Extraordinary Writ. Do not wait. That is the part of wisdom for President Trump and Attorney General Barr as the United States seeks to end its wrongful prosecution of General Michael Flynn. It is for the United States to petition the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for a writ of mandamus against Judge Emmet Sullivan. [...] We say that because with every passing week it will be harder to stop Judge Sullivan from violating the constitutional restrictions on the power of our courts. The courts may decide only actual cases and controversies. When both sides desire to end their dispute, the power of the court to act is over. Judge Sullivan seems so emotionally invested in this case that he chafes at that restriction. Meantime America and General Flynn are both being damaged. This is exactly the kind of situation for which the extraordinary writs exist. Memo To Mitch McConnell: You Won't Get Judges If You Don't Hold Resistance Accountable For Russia Hoax. For three years, a false and dangerous narrative of treasonous collusion with Russia to steal the 2016 election was woven throughout the media and government. [...] Despite being controlled by Republicans throughout the ordeal, the Senate was largely absent from the fight with the exception of just a few senators — Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin being the primary investigators whose oversight work and document demands paid off. And their work should not be underplayed. It is due to them that the detailed texts got out about the anti-Trump machinations of FBI investigator Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page. They sounded the alarm about Christopher Steele, author of the Clinton research, whom the media and government had falsely claimed was trustworthy. They detailed FISA abuse. They were concerned about the Flynn case from the very beginning, and fought with the FBI for information about it. They were also responsible for seeking information about the unmaskings that recently made the news. It all should have been much bigger news. Instead Of Dismissing, Michael Flynn Judge Opens His Court To Litigate Russiagate. Late on May 12, the federal judge presiding over the Michael Flynn criminal case entered a short order announcing to the world his intent to accept outside briefing on the Department of Justice's motion to dismiss the charges against Flynn with prejudice. Absent reconsideration or reversal of that order, Judge Emmet Sullivan has just ensured that the Russia collusion hoax will be relitigated on the federal docket. While Flynn's connection to the broader Russia conspiracy theory was tangential, he was caught up in the plot to take down the president when FBI agents discovered he had spoken with the Russian ambassador in late December 2016. Realizing they could use the Russia collusion investigation as a pretext to quiz Flynn on this conversation, FBI Agent Peter Strzok intercepted the documents closing the investigation into Flynn, then led a casual chat with Flynn, designed to trip up the newly named Trump national security advisor. Flynn Unmaskers Named and Shamed. [A] motley crew of 16 partisan scumbags make up the list of people who unmasked Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn between the time of the Trump victory and the time Trump was inaugurated. Some are of no surprise: Clapper, Brennan, Samantha Powers and Holy James Comey. But a whole lotta treasury officials, ambassadors, Obama's Chief of Staff and one Joseph R. Biden are on the list too. Why were all these people looking at Flynn? Ambassadors? Treasury officials? And, notably, sleepy Joe Biden. The resistance will say that it is normal and routine to unmask American citizens in the course of foreign snooping but it is a felony to publicly reveal classified information and someone leaked Flynn's identity to the Washington Post which ran an article on January 12, 2017 naming Flynn. Recent Decisions of the Court of Appeals for DC Circuit Show Sullivan Must Dismiss Flynn Case. I'm seeing a lot of online "lawyering" on the legal question(s) before Judge Sullivan, with many focusing on the orders today with regard to accepting amicus curiae briefs, and later appointing retired federal Judge John Gleeson to serve as a "Friend of the Court" and offer a brief against the DOJ motion to dismiss the Flynn case. Notwithstanding all the online punditry, the issue before the Court as posed by the DOJ motion is very simple. The fact that Judge Sullivan is accepting amicus briefs and claims he needs a "Friend of the Court" to brief the opposing view on a minor point of procedural law is a transparent revelation of his duplicitous motives. To suggest that he needs "advice" on whether Gen. Flynn should be held in contempt of court for perjury simply ignores his own 33 years experience as a federal judge — signaling that in all that time he's never figured out what misconduct would be considered sufficient to cite a party before his court for contempt. Had Trump Not Won The Election, Fmr. Obama Officials' Malfeasance Would've Continued. During Fox News' Hannity Wednesday night [5/13/2020], Sara Carter detailed just "how expansive" and "frightening" it was that top officials in the Obama administration "unmasked" Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's identity to target Donald Trump. Further, she said, if President Trump hadn't been elected, "we would never be the wiser." Carter explained, "When you look at the list of Obama officials, beyond John Brennan, beyond James Clapper. For example, Mike Neufeld with the U.S. Treasury. He was working intelligence on Iran. So when he asked for unmasking on Michael Flynn, you have to ask yourself, 'ok, what was he looking for? What was he trying to find?'" Open Memorandum to Barack Obama. [Scroll down] Your statement is entirely false. However, it does explain the damage to the Rule of Law throughout your administration. First, General Flynn was not charged with perjury — which requires a material false statement made under oath with intent to deceive. A perjury prosecution would have been appropriate and the Rule of Law applied if the Justice Department prosecuted your former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe for his multiple lies under oath in an investigation of a leak only he knew he caused. McCabe lied under oath in fully recorded and transcribed interviews with the Inspector General for the DOJ. He was informed of the purpose of the interview, and he had had the benefit of counsel. He knew he was the leaker. McCabe even lied about lying. He lied to his own agents — which sent them on a "wild-goose-chase" — thereby making his lies "material" and an obstruction of justice. Yet, remarkably, Attorney General Barr declined to prosecute McCabe for these offenses. Flynn Was Never Charged With Perjury, But Now Could Be Facing Charges... of Perjury. Ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's war with the government isn't over just yet. He scored a decisive win, with the Department of Justice filing a motion to dismiss the bogus "lying to the FBI" charges against him. Charges that were politically motivated, part of an elaborate and expansive FBI plot to entrap the former top Trump official. James Comey and Andrew McCabe were out to get Flynn no matter the cost. Department policy and the Constitution [notwithstanding]; they were going to him. Flynn was the target of the FBI's counterintelligence probe into Russian collusion because he spoke with the Russians... because that's what incoming national security advisers do. That's their job. In the end, there was no evidence of collusion — nothing. There was no evidence to even target Flynn in a counterintelligence probe. And yet, the anti-Trump elements at the DOJ proceeded anyway. The FBI was running amok. Sol Wisenberg says Flynn case judge may be trying to force pardon out of Trump with unusual orders. Former Whitewater deputy independent counsel Sol Wisenberg joined "The Ingraham Angle" Wednesday to discuss U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan's order allowing a third party to present arguments opposing the Justice Department's motion to dismiss the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. That third party is retired federal judge John Gleeson, who openly criticized the Trump administration's handling of Flynn's case in a recent Washington Post Op-Ed. That has raised concerns that he was selected to improperly bolster Sullivan's efforts to keep the Flynn case alive. Judge Sullivan's Appointed 'Stand-in' Judge Gleeson Represented Crooked Sally Yates and Worked with Mueller's Pitbull Andrew Weissmann. The Barr Justice Department dropped its case against General Mike Flynn last Thursday after bombshell documents were released that proved he was framed by Comey's FBI. This was a major win for justice in America after General Flynn was targeted and destroyed by the Obama deep state for daring to speak out against the former failed president. The Constitution Requires Judge Emmet Sullivan's Lawless Amicus Order Against Michael Flynn Be Overturned. On May 13, Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a blatantly biased and unconstitutional order in the long-lasting Michael Flynn criminal case. To preserve the rule of law and our constitutional separation of powers, the Department of Justice has no choice now but to seek a writ of mandamus from the D.C. Circuit Court ordering the criminal charge against Flynn dismissed and reassigning the case to another judge. On Tuesday [5/12/2020], Judge Sullivan shocked court watchers when he entered an order stating that, "at the appropriate time," he intended to enter a scheduling order permitting "amicus curiae" or friend of the court briefs to be filed in Flynn case. Flynn, who more than a year ago pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI, was seeking to withdraw his guilty plea when the Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn. The list of names who requested to "unmask" Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. The identities of innocent U.S. citizens who are incidentally picked up in wiretaps or surveillance of foreigners, suspected terrorists, or spies are supposed to be strictly hidden, even within the intelligence agencies, to protect the constitutional rights of the citizens. "Unmasking" of these names is supposed to be extremely rare and carefully controlled with authority to request unmaskings limited to only a few. Below is the list of requests to unmask then-Trump National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn by date: [...] Trump calls for Obama testimony amid unmasking controversy; Graham cool to idea. President Trump on Thursday pressed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham to call former President Barack Obama to testify amid new developments surrounding the origins of the Russia investigation and efforts at the time to "unmask" Michael Flynn's name in intelligence reports. "If I were a Senator or Congressman, the first person I would call to testify about the biggest political crime and scandal in the history of the USA, by FAR, is former President Obama," Trump tweeted Thursday. "He knew EVERYTHING." Sen. Ron Johnson to Request Biden, Other Obama-Era Officials Testify on 'Unmasking'. Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) signaled Wednesday [5/13/2020] that he will request Obama administration officials, including former Vice President Joe Biden, to testify in the wake of revelations that they may have sought to "unmask" communications by retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. "Right now we're in the information-gathering phase of this and this obviously, from my standpoint, raises a lot more questions than it actually answers," Johnson told reporters, according to The Hill. "We will start requesting interviews with those individuals." Supreme Court Ruled Unanimously Last Week Against Improper Use of Amicus Briefs; Relevant for Flynn Case. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously last week against the improper use of amicus briefs by judges to shape a court case as they wish — which is what Judge Emmet G. Sullivan is doing, critics say, in the ongoing Michael Flynn case. On Tuesday [5/12/2020], Judge Sullivan announced that he would accept amicus briefs about whether he should grant the Department of Justice's (DOJ) motion to dismiss the case against Flynn. On Wednesday, Sullivan went a step further, appointing retired judge John Gleeson as amicus curiae ("friend of the court") to argue against dismissal, and to argue Flynn be held in criminal contempt. From 'Russiagate' to 'Obamagate': The tables turn on the Obama administration. The wheels of justice may turn slowly, as dictum claims, but those who ignore the relentless grind risk a painful surprise. That is the lesson for mischief-makers who engaged in a cloak-and-dagger plot to depose President Trump. More than 1,200 days have passed since Mr. Trump arrived in the White House — three times longer than it took to build the Empire State Building. It's long enough for justice to run — or walk — its course. The sudden upending of the case against former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has turned a trickle of facts into a flood. U.S. Attorney General William Barr last Friday atoned for the injustice his predecessors heaped upon the former decorated U.S. Army general by moving to drop charges that he lied to the FBI during the wide-ranging Trump-Russia collusion investigation. "The Government is not persuaded that the January 24, 2017 interview was conducted with a legitimate investigative basis and therefore does not believe that Mr. Flynn's statements were material even if untrue," read the court filing. Ben Rhodes melts down over Grenell's unmasking of Flynn's 'unmaskers'. Former White House spin doctor Ben Rhodes isn't taking acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell's unmasking of Gen. Michael Flynn's Obama administration unmaskers very well. Here's some of his wild flurry of tweets and retweets: [...] Rhodes in fact seems to be pre-spinning the actions of the unmaskers - who can be read about [elsew]here. 'Criminalize routine intelligence work'? In light of the recent revelations about the FBI's effort to get Flynn on process crimes since there was no evidence he was a spy, calling the unmaskings 'criminalizing' is pretty rich. The crime here was the Obama administration's effort to frame Flynn, and the effort went straight to the top. Rhodes is doing what the Obama administration was famous for its projections. The unmasking of Joe Biden. The declassification of material from the Michael Flynn case has exposed more chilling details of a concerted effort by prosecutors to come up with any crime to use against the former national security adviser. This week, however, a letter revealed a new unsettling detail. Among more than three dozen Obama administration officials asking to "unmask" Flynn from the investigation was former Vice President Joe Biden. This revelation came less than 24 hours after Biden denied any involvement in the investigation of Flynn. It also follows a disclosure that President Obama was following that investigation. Federal Judge Orders Arguments on Whether Michael Flynn Should Be Jailed for Perjury. Federal Judge Emmet G. Sullivan late Wednesday [5/13/2020] issued a stunning ruling in the prosecution of Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former National Security Advisor. The two-pronged order (1) appoints a former federal judge to argue against dismissing the case; and (2) considers holding Flynn in criminal contempt for perjury. [...] Judging by the order, Sullivan is not pleased that Flynn took up the court's time by pleading guilty, firing his lawyers, hiring new lawyers, and moving to withdraw his guilty plea. As if that wasn't enough, the Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss its case against Flynn. Is This Why the Judge Presiding Over the Flynn Case Is Allowing Amicus Briefs from Anti-Trump Lawyers? Justice for Michael Flynn has hit another snag. Judge Emmet Sullivan is ensuring that every method to legally slow down this case is utilized. I mean, there is no case. No one has opposed the motion to dismiss the charges lobbed against Flynn, who pleaded guilty to politically motivated "lying to the FBI" charges. The ex-national security adviser for President Trump was forced to plead guilty after the government threatened him and his family with financial ruin. Alas, new documents show that Flynn was the victim of an entrapment plot from the FBI's top brass. James Comey was out to get Flynn by any means necessary. There was no basis to interview Flynn regarding the bureau's counterintelligence probe into Russian collusion. There was no basis for him to be interviewed for any federal investigation; they had no evidence. Still, Flynn was interviewed by agents who said they didn't think he lied to them. Comey didn't care. He wanted a scalp, and now that dirty cop operation has been exposed. The Department of Justice filed a motion to drop the case. No party involved has opposed it. And yet, Judge Sullivan refused to drop the case and proceeded to invite the entire anti-Trump legal apparatus to file amicus briefs against the DOJ's motion. Samantha Power Caught Lying Under Oath, Testified She Had 'No Recollection' of Making Unmasking Request Related to General Flynn. Former US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power lied under oath to Congress about unmasking General Flynn. CBS News reporter Catherine Herridge on Wednesday obtained the list of Obama operatives who unmasked General Flynn and released it to the public. Names included former VP Joe Biden, former CIA Director John Brennan, Samantha Power, former DNI chief James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey and others. According to the new documents released, Samantha Power sought to unmask General Flynn SEVEN TIMES. Samantha Power Claimed She Never Tried To Unmask Michael Flynn, But Records Show She Unmasked Him 7 Times. Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power testified to Congress in 2017 that she never sought to unmask records containing information about former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Newly declassified documents from the National Security Agency (NSA), however, show that her name appeared on at least seven separate requests to unmask Flynn's name between Nov. 30, 2016, and Jan. 11, 2017. Power was asked explicitly during sworn 2017 testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) whether she had ever attempted to unmask information related to Michael Flynn, a retired general and former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency who later briefly served as national security adviser under President Donald Trump. List of officials who sought to 'unmask' Flynn released: Biden, Comey, Obama chief of staff among them. Top Obama administration officials purportedly requested to "unmask" the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn during the presidential transition period, according to a list of names from that controversial process made public on Wednesday [5/13/2020]. The list was declassified in recent days by Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell and then sent to GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson, who made the documents public. The roster features top-ranking figures including then-Vice President Joe Biden — a detail already being raised by the Trump campaign in the bare-knuckle 2020 presidential race where Biden is now the Democrats' presumptive nominee. The list also includes then-FBI Director James Comey, then-CIA Director John Brennan, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and Obama's then-chief of staff Denis McDonough. Reminder: Brennan and Co. Targeted Flynn In Part Because He Knew About Billions They Were Running Off The Books. Word broke nationally Tuesday that former Obama-era CIA Director John Brennan had suppressed evidence that Vladimir Putin was more interested in a Hillary Clinton win in 2016 than a Donald Trump win. My colleague Nick Arama covered the rumblings of that story in late April. Brennan, in fact, seems to the be the big fish under U.S. Attorney John Durham's microscope, but not just because of the latest news about suppressing Putin's preferences. Sidney Powell, the formidable attorney responsible for helping Ret. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn successfully battle the drummed-up charges against him, has very specifically said Brennan has his fingerprints all over the smearing of her client because Flynn had a keen interest in auditing the intelligence community and ferreting out corruption. But it's the corruption itself that's stunning. Judge Sullivan Draws The Line — Seeks To Stop Coup Inquiry. Let's review. In the American system of justice, only the government can bring criminal charges against an individual. You may file a complaint with the police claiming you have been assaulted or your neighbor stole your property, but only the representatives of the people as a whole can then actually prosecute the case. If a case is prosecuted it will be handled according to a very clearly delineated set of rules. The people will be represented by a prosecutor. The accused will be represented by defense counsel. Presiding over it all, neutral and unbiased, will be a judge, whose sole objective will be to ensure justice is done. That system, handed down to us via English common law, has been the backbone of our nation since its inception. Until yesterday. Joe Biden Aide Attacks CBS Reporter for Flynn 'Unmasking' Memo. A top Joe Biden aide lashed out at a CBS News correspondent for reporting on the release of a new memo indicating the former vice president was aware of the "unmasking" of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. On Wednesday [5/13/2020], CBS News's senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge made public a memo from acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell. The memo, which was declassified earlier this week and sent to members of the United States Senate, included a list of Obama administration officials who requested the names of American citizens picked up in national security surveillance between the end of the 2016 general election and when President Donald Trump took office in January 2017. The Politicized Order Inviting Amicus Briefs against the Flynn Case's Dismissal. Late Tuesday [5/12/2020], federal district judge Emmet Sullivan issued a bizarre order, inviting third-party groups with no legal interests in the case to file amicus briefs addressing the Justice Department's motion to dismiss the false-statements charge against Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national-security adviser. The cantankerous jurist is stoking opposition to the dismissal. He knows the law calls for him to accede to attorney general Bill Barr's decision. But Barr can't stop Sullivan from turning the dismissal into anti-Trump group therapy — and who knows, maybe the grieving Legal Left will figure out some way for the judge to convict Flynn despite DOJ's retreat. President Trump Slams Biden, Pushes 'Obamagate'. President Trump recently reacted to the latest revelations about General Michel Flynn, as well as the Obama administration's involvement in the transition of power and information to the current White House team. He has called it "the biggest political crime in American history." What could be the start of a new corruption case all began on January 5th, 2017. During a meeting, then-President Obama gave guidance to key Justice Department officials, who would be tasked with protecting his administration's secretly funded Clinton campaign research, better known as Fusion GPS. Judge In Michael Flynn Case Isn't Tossing Charges Just Yet. The federal judge handling the case against Michael Flynn signaled Tuesday [5/12/2020] he is not yet ready to grant the Justice Department's request to throw out charges against the former national security adviser. Emmet G. Sullivan, a district judge in Washington, D.C., said that he will allow for the submission of amicus curiae briefs, in which individuals and organizations who did not take part in the case can argue for or against the Justice Department's request to withdraw charges against Flynn. Former US attorney on judge's 'outrageous' decision in Flynn case: I thought I'd 'seen everything'. Former U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman thought he had "seen everything" over the course of his career until a federal judge opened the door Tuesday for legal experts and other outside parties to oppose the Justice Department's motion to drop the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Appearing on "Fox & Friends," Tolman said he believed Judge Emmet Sullivan's decision was "outrageous" and that the Washington D.C. judge had turned himself into an "activist," willing to set aside rules, ethics, and precedent in favor of partisanship. Flynn judge to allow 'amicus' submissions, delaying immediate resolution and drawing planned ethics complaint. D.C. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan issued an order Tuesday indicating he'll soon accept "amicus curiae," or "friend of the court" submissions, in the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn — drawing immediate scrutiny and a planned ethics complaint against Sullivan, who had previously refused to hear amicus briefs in the case. Sullivan's order indicated that an upcoming scheduling order would clarify the parameters of who specifically could submit the amicus briefs, which are submissions by non-parties that claim an interest in the case. Sullivan specifically said he anticipated that "individuals and organizations" will file briefs "for the benefit of the court," as he prepares to rule on the government's motion to dismiss the case. Corrupt Judge Sullivan Now Invites Leftwingers Who Want Flynn Jailed To Submit Their Own Motions. Sullivan is saying that there is no actual real court case here because there are not opposing parties in the action — he is claiming that Barr, due to politics, is on Flynn's side, and you can't have a court hearing with two parties who agree. You need to bring in other parties — through the amicus curae ("friend of the court") process. And he's inviting Adam Schiff to file an amicus brief and become, in essence, the actual party opposed to Flynn. Because Barr is — there is no way around this insinuation — is corrupt and his filings must be ignored by the court as rigged or fraudulent. Senate Republicans Will NOT Question Barack Obama Over Michael Flynn, Despite Trump Request. Senate Republicans will investigate the Obama administration's decision to target national security adviser Michael Flynn following the 2016 presidential election, but they do not intend to subpoena former President Barack Obama or require him to testify in front of a panel, Politico reports. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told media Tuesday [5/12/2020] that his committee is prepared to investigate former Obama administration officials, particularly officials affiliated with the Department of Justice, and the FBI over their targeting of Flynn in light of Attorney General William Barr's decision to drop perjury charges against the former national security advisor. Barack Obama will likely be left off the list of those asked to testify. The Editor says... United States v. Flynn: An Invitation To the Anti-Trumpers. The decision of a United States judge to stall America's motion to drop its case against General Michael Flynn appears calculated to delay the matter until after November. That's how it looks, at least to us, in the wake of the judge's decision to invite outside parties to file friend-of-the court briefs on what to do next. Could it be that the judge hopes the Democrats will win the election and, come January, drop the motion to drop the case? Judge wants to hear from "outside groups" in the Flynn case. True to his reputation, Judge Sullivan isn't letting go of the matter. Today [5/12/2020], he put on hold the Justice Department's move to drop charges against Michael Flynn, saying he expects independent groups and legal experts to argue against the motion. The expectation is reasonable, but Sullivan's reaction to it is questionable. Flynn judge to allow 'amicus' submissions, delaying immediate resolution and drawing planned ethics complaint. D.C. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan issued an order Tuesday indicating he'll soon accept "amicus curiae," or "friend of the court" submissions, in the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn — drawing immediate scrutiny and a planned ethics complaint against Sullivan, who had previously refused to hear amicus briefs in the case. Sullivan's order indicated that an upcoming scheduling order would clarify the parameters of who specifically could submit the amicus briefs, which are submissions by non-parties that claim an interest in the case. Sullivan specifically said he anticipated that "individuals and organizations" will file briefs "for the benefit of the court," as he prepares to rule on the government's motion to dismiss the case. Judge Emmet Sullivan Likely Committed Reversible Error In Taking the Guilty Plea of General Michael Flynn. [Scroll down] Judge Sullivan states in open court and on the record he still does not know how the false statements were material. Without knowing that, he can't determine if there actually is a factual basis for Gen. Flynn's guilty plea because Judge Sullivan MUST KNOW that factual basis BEFORE he can adjudge Gen. Flynn to be guilty of the offense to which he is pleading guilty. But Judge Sullivan didn't just say he didn't know if the statements were material one time — he came back to it at the end of the hearing and confirmed a second time that he didn't know if Gen. Flynn's statements were material. [...] The DOJ motion says the issue of "materiality" cannot be factually established based on the investigative records in the case. It is also clear that Judge Sullivan never made a finding on materiality that needs to be reversed. The guilty plea was invalid as a matter of law independent of the DOJ motion. Judge in Michael Flynn case may allow 'amicus' briefs on whether to drop case — is there reason for freak out? The Department of Justice, after concluding that the prosecution of Michael Flynn was the product of misconduct by FBI and DOJ officials, moved to drop the case against Flynn. But not so fast. Flynn pleaded guilty, a plea that the DOJ motion to drop the charges calls into question. A judge has discretion whether to allow a case to be dropped, but normally if the prosecution doesn't want to prosecute, a judge will not force a prosecution. But where a guilty plea has been entered and accepted by the court, and a motion to withdraw the plea rejected by the court, the court has a lot more power because the prosecution, in a sense, is over already. Only sentencing remains. The DOJ decision has infuriated the media and Democrats. They wanted Flynn in prison no matter what. Flynn Defense Files Motion in Opposition to Amicus Briefs. In response to Judge Emmet Sullivan announcing a delay in Flynn ruling to allow third party amicus briefs to be filed with the court, Michael Flynn's defense counsel files a motion in opposition. In opposition to the delay Attorney Sidney Powell notes Judge Sullivan's earlier ruling of December 20, 2017, disallowing amicus briefs in this case. Flynn judge wrong to allow anti-Trump former Watergate prosecutors to interfere in case. It's a sure sign of desperation whenever lawyers try to raise President Richard Milhous Nixon from the dead. And so it is that a group of former Watergate special prosecutors this week resurrected the Ghost of Watergate Past in a last-ditch effort to keep alive the federal court case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. The gang, adopting the sobriquet "Watergate Prosecutors," asked permission from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to allow them to intervene in the Flynn case so they can — to put it bluntly — tell his honor how to think and what to do. Barack Obama's Obsession with Gen. Michael Flynn. Remember the good ol' days when the outgoing Clinton administration vandalized the White House as they left? They ripped off all the "W" keys from White House computer keyboards, in a slap at incoming President George W. Bush. As with everything he touched, Mr. Obama took such pedestrian partisan punking and weaponized it beyond comprehension. It was not enough to just fire Mr. Flynn from his own administration. He launched a federal investigation into the guy after Mr. Flynn surfaced in the Trump campaign. Then he told President Trump during the transition period not to hire Gen. Flynn. Then Mr. Obama made sure to keep up with the fraudulent federal investigation into Gen. Flynn. And his administration went to bizarre efforts to normalize all of it, with a strange "memo to self" in the final flickering moments of the Obama administration. Mr. Obama simply could not let it go. Professional Courtesy has Run Amok at the Department of Justice. [Scroll down] The case against General Flynn involves an interview he had with the FBI dealing with his meetings with the Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Contrary to protocol James Comey had sent two FBI agents to interview Flynn without notifying the White House. The interview has been described as a "perjury trap." Flynn was advised by FBI officials that he did not need to have White House counsel present. He was also not given his Miranda rights. The Mueller's team stated "He does not need to be warned it is a crime to lie to federal agents to know the importance of telling them the truth." Notes about the meeting asked, "What is our goal?" "Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?"Flynn's attorney Sydney Powell wrote. "The object of the interview was to secure, rather than prevent, a 1001 [false statements] violation." It is understandable why the DOJ was reluctant to release documents to the court and defense. Judge [Emmet] Sullivan received documents more than two years after he had ordered them. 302s were lost or destroyed and documents were altered by Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. These documents do not show the investigation of a crime. They show prosecutors trying to create a crime. Barack Obama: The creeper hanging around the arson fires. [Scroll down] Likewise, from the earliest days, President Obama has shown a curious — and unseemly — obsession with the case of Gen. Michael Flynn. The whole saga began six years ago when Mr. Obama fired the retired three star general from his post as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Ordinarily, such a firing would seem like the routine prerogative of a civilian commander-in-chief. But after all we have witnessed and learned about the Obama administration over the four years, Gen. Flynn's firing raises a host of troubling new questions. There was a time when only the most conspiracy-minded wackos might wonder what the guy knew or what kind of pictures he had to get himself sacked like that. But Mr. Obama and his shameless henchmen at the most powerful levers of the federal government have forced the wildest conspiracies into the mainstream. Who, after all, would have ever predicted that an outgoing president would launch a sprawling espionage campaign to spy against a political enemy running for the presidency? At the spear-point of that fraudulent, dishonest and undemocratic operation was Michael Flynn. Report: Grenell Wants To Unmask The Obama Officials Who Unmasked Michael Flynn. Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, has declassified documents related to Obama administration officials' unmasking of Michael Flynn in transcripts of phone calls he had with Russia's ambassador, a senior intelligence official told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Grenell visited the Justice Department last week to meet with officials there to discuss releasing the documents, which include names of Obama-era officials involved in unmasking Flynn's name in the phone call transcripts. Grassley Demands Answers: 'What Did Obama And Biden Know And When Did They Know It?'. Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley demanded answers from former President Barack Obama on the Senate floor Monday amid new revelations in recent weeks further exposing the Russiagate conspiracy claims as a deep-state coup attempt orchestrated by top officials in the previous administration. "Last week, former President Obama said the rule of law is at risk because of the Justice Department's dismissal of the [Michael] Flynn case," Grassley said. "I believe the opposite is true. The rule of law is at risk if the federal government can get away with violating the Constitution to do what they did to Lt. Gen Flynn. And when it comes to those violations and other misconduct by former government officials, Obama and the mainstream media pundit circle are silent." When facts are stubborn things, the left just tell more stubborn lies. The long overdue cracking of the conspiracy to frame President Trump's national security adviser has the left wailing. It was a "'black day in D.O.J. history'" when Michael Flynn was no longer going to prison. Faced with the emergency of defending the indefensible, progressives have been busy deflecting from the crookedness coming to light, either by refusing to mention any of it in their reporting, or howling over the unimaginable scandal of the government dropping charges against a defendant who has already pleaded guilty. Since Thursday [5/7/2020], progressives have been saying U.S. attorney Jeff Jensen's motion to dismiss the case will go down in the annals of justice as surpassed in perfidy only by, maybe, Pontius Pilate's decision to release Barabbas. The critics manage this without ever engaging a single point set out in the government's intimidating 20-page motion. Instead, these shrill attacks all boil down to a single false and irrelevant argument, continued into this week by Donna Brazile: "It's a fact that President Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, lied to the FBI — he pleaded guilty to the charge." The same day it learned of the dismissal of Flynn's case, the New York Times rushed to remind its readers, for the one millionth time, "Don't Forget, Michael Flynn Pleaded Guilty. Twice." Did James Clapper Lie To Congress About Briefing Obama On Flynn's Phone Calls? Former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper testified to Congress in July of 2017 that he never briefed then-President Barack Obama on the substance of phone calls between Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak and incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Accounts from fired former Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) executives James Comey and Andrew McCabe, however, directly contradict Clapper's claim under oath that he never briefed Obama on the conversations between Flynn and Kislyak which were used to justify Flynn's ouster as President Donald Trump's top foreign policy adviser. The identities of the Obama administration officials who were aware of the calls between Flynn and Kislyak have become a key question in the investigation of U.S. attorney John Durham to determine whether any laws were broken during the course of the Crossfire Hurricane probe of the Trump campaign. Speaking of unprecedented. Barack Obama has a conflict of interest — a personal stake — in commenting on the ordeal of Michael Flynn and the Russia hoax in which it was embedded. One would never know it, however, from the ecstatic dissemination of the leak of his halting comments on the Department of Justice's motion to dismiss the Flynn case. [...] The larger scandal of the Russia hoax that Attorney General Barr is investigating is indeed unprecedented. It is by far far [sic] the biggest scandal in American political history. Will There Be an Obamagate Reckoning? You Betcha! When unfettered access to the NSA database was eliminated, Obama and company went to plan B, the manufactured and fictious Steele Dossier. This led to FISA warrants on Trump campaign associates to both continue illegally spying on Trump but also to give cover to previous illegal spying via the NSA. Perhaps this was the mysterious "insurance policy" discussed by Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. Yet Trump's people were in the way, namely former AG Jeff Sessions and incoming National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. These were the only two individuals in the new Trump administration with the understanding and ability to shut down SpyGate and it was imperative that they be rendered impotent. Recently released Flynn documents show how he was set up, entrapped, then coerced into pleading guilty to avoid financial ruin for him and his family. Obama's General Flynn Problem. The FBI set up Flynn in a perjury trap, with threats against his family, and that violated both institutional norms and the rule of law. The 44th president set up the whole thing in a January 5, 2017 Oval Office meeting with FBI boss James Comey, vice president Joe Biden, CIA boss John Brennan, and other administration officials. This revelation created a stir, but it's really old news. "POTUS wants to know everything we are doing," Lisa Page texted to Peter Strzok, the FBI factotum in the campaign against candidate and President Trump. To keep that operation going once Trump took office, POTUS needed to take down Flynn. The January 5 meeting was key but in May of 2017 a bigger bombshell would explode. [...] Travesty of justice finally ends for Michael Flynn. The Department of Justice, in a long-overdue decision, dismissed the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, rightly concluding, "based on an extensive review and careful consideration of the circumstances, that continued prosecution of this case would not serve the interests of justice." The FBI launched its counterintelligence investigation of Flynn in August 2016 as part of its larger effort to discover coordination by the Trump campaign and Russian officials to interfere with the 2016 election. Initially, the stated purpose was to determine whether Flynn was working with Russia in a way that threatened national security interests. But we now know from released documents that by early January 2017, the FBI intended to close the case. Its internal draft document showed that months of searching found "no derogatory information" on Flynn. It further stated that the investigation hadn't yielded "any information on which to predicate further investigative efforts." What's next in the Flynn case? The Department of Justice's motion to dismiss its case against Gen. Flynn doesn't end the matter. Flynn pleaded guilty and the case is at the sentencing stage. In theory, Judge Sullivan could deny the DOJ's motion and sentence Flynn. I say "in theory" because I understand that motions like the DOJ's are routinely granted. As the DOJ states in its motion to dismiss, "When the Government so moves, the role for courts... is 'narrow' and circumscribed." That's because "decisions to dismiss pending charges... lie squarely within the ken of prosecutorial discretion" and "at the core of the Executive's duty to see to the faithful execution of the laws." (Citation omitted) Thus, it would be extraordinary for Judge Sullivan to deny the government's motion to dismiss its case against Gen. Flynn. But then, this is not your average case and Sullivan has shown he's not your average judge. General Flynn, Team Obama, and You. Now that Lt. General Michael Flynn, after three years of hell, has been vindicated at last, it is time to examine what went wrong in our justice system. For the record, I consider Flynn to be a friend and I believe that sentiment is mutual. Additionally, I have been his subordinate and later his colleague, first working for him in the official transition team for candidate Trump, then for his NSC Team in the official Presidential Transition Team after the 2016 election, and finally in the Trump White House. Our paths crossed repeatedly given his position and my national security remit. That was why, after a flood of early leaks from Obama holdovers in the National Security Council, to include the Washington Post receiving the new classified internal NSC phonebook — before the general had even signed off on it — I advised Flynn we had a serious problem and that we should use Justice Department polygraphers to identify NSC employees who were prepared to seditiously undermine the will of 63 million Americans simply because they were Democrats and they hated the new president. Flynn did not take my advice. And then the deep state decided it could take him out. Now we have all the evidence we need to know that he was framed. Sunday Talks — Sidney Powell Discusses Details Behind DOJ Dropping Flynn Case. Michael Flynn's defense counsel Sidney Powell appears on Fox New with Maria Bartiromo to discuss events after the DOJ has decided to withdraw the prosecution and drop the case. In the background of the document releases Mrs. Powell outlines the sequence of events in early January where DNI James Clapper briefs President Obama on the Flynn call with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and that's the origin of President Obama's discussion on January 5th with Deputy AG Sally Yates and FBI Director Comey. Barack Obama Pardoned a Former General Who Lied to the FBI. In a leaked phone conversation recording with former members of his administration released last week, Barack Obama claimed that the "rule of law is at risk" because of the "unprecedented" move by the Justice Department to drop charges against Michael Flynn, who was the victim of a perjury trap set up by officials in the FBI. [...] But, in 2017, just days before leaving office, Barack Obama pardoned retired Marine Corps general James E. Cartwright, who pleaded guilty to charges of lying to the FBI. Cartwright served as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Obama, and 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," according to the New York Times. Cartwright had leaked classified information regarding Iran's nuclear program to the media and lied to FBI officials investigating those leaks. He faced up to two years in prison before Obama pardoned him. January 5, 2017: A Day that Should Live in Infamy. [Scroll down] Once again, Obama makes a statement about law which is demonstrably false. In fact, not once to my recalling has he ever made a statement about the law that is correct. As to the facts, you simply cannot count on media reports, so I will link for you the Government's Motion to withdraw the case. As you read it you will see that once specially appointed U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen finally found the documents long hidden from the defense and court in the bowels of the FBI and DoJ, the government had little choice but to withdraw the case. A number of analyses — by people who do know enough not to simply rewrite Obama press dictation — provide an accurate and chilling account of the persecution of Flynn. The Wall Street Journal's Kimberley Strassel and the Federalist's Margot Cleveland certainly provided the most accurate and readable of the accounts. Strassel reminds us that the scandal had two parts. The "indefensible probe of the Trump campaign," and Robert Mueller's coverup of the Bureau's wrongdoing. Flynnocent: why the general has a long way to go before justice is served. Just moments ago, the news came in that Department of, um, Justice has dropped its — 'um' again — Gen. Michael Flynn, President Trump's first national security adviser. 'The Government has determined,' the Court filing read, 'pursuant to the Principles of Federal Prosecution and based on an extensive review and careful consideration of the circumstances, that continued prosecution of this case would not serve the interests of justice.' You think? It's being blared about the internet that now, finally, at last, the 30-year military veteran has got justice. Not yet he hasn't. Mark Levin: Obama and Biden must be asked about what they knew about Flynn case. Fox News host Mark Levin said on Thursday that former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden should be questioned about their involvement with the FBI's misconduct in the Michael Flynn prosecution. "We're supposed to believe that during the Obama administration, the FBI went rogue, the Department of Justice went rogue, the CIA went rogue, the DNI went rogue, the NSC went rogue ... and Barack Obama didn't know anything?" the conservative radio host asked on "Hannity." "The fact of the matter is they have never been asked about the role they had, any knowledge they had, those presidential briefing documents have never been made public. This is a massive cover-up of the greatest scandal in American history," Levin said. Dirty Dozen: The 12 revelations that sunk Mueller's case against Flynn. Shortly after my colleague Sara Carter and I began reporting in 2017 on the possibility that the FBI was abusing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to spy on Americans during the Russia investigation, I received a call. It was an intermediary for someone high up in the intelligence community. The story that source told me that day — initially I feared it may have been too spectacular to be true — was that FBI line agents had actually cleared former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn of any wrongdoing with Russia only to have the bureau's leadership hijack the process to build a case that he lied during a subsequent interview. In fact, my notes show, the source used the words "concoct a 1001 false statements case" to describe the objections of career agents who did not believe Flynn had intended to deceive the FBI. A leak of a transcript of Flynn's call with the Russian ambassador was just part of a campaign, the source alleged. Barack Obama Forgets That Bill Clinton Got Away With Perjury. As we get closer and closer to November's election, a ghost of presidential past is beginning to haunt the political discourse. Barack Obama is back. Beginning last month on Twitter, he started attacking president Trump directly. Now audio of a phone conversation has been "leaked" in which Obama has more to say about what he views as Trump's failures. In the remarks, one thing stood out: his remarkable take on the exoneration of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Democrat Law Professor Blasts Obama For False Statements About DOJ Dismissing Flynn Case. Jonathan Turley, Constitutional Law Professor at George Washington University, slammed former President Barack Obama on Saturday after Obama made false statements about the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissing the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. "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 leaked phone call late this week. "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." Comey Told Congress He Didn't Know If Michael Flynn Lied To FBI: Transcript. A congressional transcript from March 2017 released Thursday showed that then-FBI Director James Comey was uncertain whether Michael Flynn had knowingly lied to the FBI during a White House interview weeks earlier. Comey questioned a Justice Department official's theory that Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail, according to the transcript. Comey's statements to the House Intelligence Committee on March 2, 2017, have been the subject of intense speculation over the past several years, particularly regarding his comments on Flynn. The Justice Department released the transcript Thursday as an exhibit to a motion to drop charges against Flynn for making false statements to the FBI. Flynn prosecutor's contested claims impacted judge's pivotal December opinion, FBI docs suggest. Newly released FBI documents suggest a federal judge in Washington was swayed by apparent misrepresentations from a top prosecutor when he issued a memorandum opinion in December 2019 — a ruling that marked one of the lowest points in former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn's effort to withdraw a guilty plea on a charge of lying to investigators. In the pivotal Dec. 16, 2019, memorandum opinion, D.C. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan denied Flynn's request that the government be compelled to search for and produce additional exculpatory "Brady" material. That decision now appears to have been heavily based on inaccurate or misleading claims by top prosecutor Brandon Van Grack. Scalise: Obama, Biden Should Answer for Their Role in Flynn Case. On Saturday's [5/9/2020] broadcast of the Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) stated that former President Obama and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden should answer for their possible roles in the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Scalise said, "[P]eople like Strzok referenced the seventh floor in some of these documents, that means the top brass at the time over at the FBI, possibly Justice, possibly even the White House knew about this. When's Barack Obama going to answer for it and when is Joe Biden going to answer for his role in all of this?" Goodness Hardly Puts Up A Fight. I can't decide what upsets me most. Is it that the FBI/Deep State set Michael Flynn up, drove him to bankruptcy - then threatened to do the same to his son - in order to pressure him to confess to a crime they knew he didn't commit? Or is it the predictable, uniform and slanderous response from the entire Democrat/Media cabal: claims that dismissing charges against General Flynn is the real miscarriage of justice? That THIS is indicative of the weaponization of the DOJ rather than the set up of an innocent man in order to get at his boss? Their audacity knows no bounds. One need only read the transcripts, view the notes in the margins of their own reports, to see that this was pure and simply a case of entrapment, which is to say judicial misconduct of the highest order. Prosecutorial over-reach of the worst sort. Still, the most egregious of these two evils is the first. One simply cannot live in a free country when the judicial branch is allowed to get away with this type of malfeasance. Beyond Flynn: Indict Obama, Clinton, Comey, and Brennan. LTG Flynn was the first victim of what we now know was, arguably, a coup d'é`tat to take down Trump. As I noted two years ago, DoJ's operation "Crossfire Hurricane" to ensnare Trump by entrapping those connected to his campaign, and then his administration, devolved into a "Backfire Tornado." As former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy noted this week, the conspiracy to entrap Flynn was key to keeping the corrupt Russia-collusion investigation moving forward. McCarthy notes, "If no way could be found to sideline Flynn, then Flynn was going to find out about Crossfire Hurricane." On the charges being dropped, McCarthy also makes the case, "There was no basis to believe Flynn, a decorated former US combat commander, would ever be Moscow's mole, much less that he had committed a crime." The key deep-state operatives in this coup attempt were Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — who colluded with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the current House Intelligence Committee chairman. Where Does Lt. Gen. Flynn Go To Get His Reputation Back? Just as the timing in [Labor Secretary Raymond J.] Donovan's case was no accident, nor was it in Flynn's case. Yes, he copped a plea, admitting that he lied to the FBI. What's rarely mentioned is that the legal maneuvers were draining his life savings dry, and his son had been threatened with prosecution for good measure. So he admitted to doing something he didn't do in an investigation of a crime he didn't commit. And Deep State operatives got their first major scalp of President Donald Trump's administration by taking down Flynn, the president's national security adviser, after just 24 days in office. Thankfully, after a document dump this week of exculpatory material that Rep. Adam Schiff and other Trump-hating congressional Democrats tried to hide despite a court order, it's now beyond any doubt that Flynn was targeted, set up and entrapped. The FBI Did a Hatchet Job in Their 302 Report on Michael Flynn, and Some Familiar Names Were Involved. With ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn now exonerated, the DOJ formally dropping the politically motivated perjury charges against him, we're seeing the last bits of this dead collusion carcass fall apart and the stench of malfeasance and malicious prosecution permeate the air. It seems disgraced FBI officials James Comey and Andrew McCabe were out to get Flynn no matter what. [Ignoring] department policy, they wanted to entrap Flynn, even after evidence showed he had done nothing wrong. There was no evidence of collusion, certainly not enough to rope him into a counterintelligence investigation. Laws [notwithstanding], the Trump deranged FBI/DOJ wanted to get Flynn. Flynn's lawyer, Sidney Powell, previewed this debacle in October of 2019, where she said new documents will show a plot from top DOJ officials to entrap her client. Well, the documents finally came out, and she said more damaging documents were set to be released. The DOJ dropped the case shortly thereafter. A Key Obama Meeting Was Held to Ensure FBI Russia Collusion Probe Wasn't Discovered by the Trump Administration. [Michael] Flynn has been vindicated, and more light is being shed on the scope of this whole operation. The deep state does exist. They're malicious. They're ruthless. Just look at the mindset of Andrew McCabe and James Comey, who were determined to ensnare Flynn, department policy, and constitutional rights [notwithstanding]. It's chilling. And now we're seeing how Obama was the starting quarterback for how to ensure the incoming Trump administration would be saddled with the Trump-Russia collusion allegations. It was coordinated chaos. Turley: McCabe's "bizarre" defense notwithstanding, the FBI had no business targeting Flynn. How will the former upper echelons of the FBI answer for themselves in the wake of the withdrawal of charges against Michael Flynn? If former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe gives us any indication, it will be a full-frontal defense and an attack on the present leadership of the Department of Justice. "General Flynn was not targeted," McCabe told CNN's John Berman, "he was properly investigated in a well predicated case." [...] McCabe goes on to say that the reason the FBI conducted a veiled interrogation of Flynn was that he had "surreptitious" meetings with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak while on Donald Trump's transition team. That claim is "bizarre," CBS News legal analyst Jonathan Turley wrote, as was practically the entirety of McCabe's rebuttal: [...] Reckoning:
What Did Obama Know and When Did He Know It? When one writes a regular opinion column, one is often faced with
multiple major stories in the news that deserve further analysis and context that inspire thought and even passion from one's
readers. Today, those of us in this noble trade are faced with a serious quandary: Where to begin? Dropping Flynn charges right call by Barr — important first step in FBI, DOJ cleanup. Attorney General William Barr's decision to drop the prosecution of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is an ugly, but necessary element of the cleanup of the Justice Department and FBI in the wake of their failures in the Russian collusion probe. While Flynn had pled guilty to lying to federal investigators, the revelations of FBI shenanigans by people whom the Trump administration has since fired or have resigned justified the extraordinary step of letting Flynn go. Dropping the charges against the former national security adviser, like the firing of James Comey as FBI director and the removal of his circle of aides, is an important step in restoring control over a law enforcement agency that believed it had a right to pick and choose who were acceptable leaders for our nation rather than respecting the electoral process. Full Interview Transcript of AG Barr Discussing Dropping the Flynn Case. As customary CBS only broadcast a small snippet of the interview between CBS reporter Catherine Herridge and U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr. The full interview is much longer and much more interesting than the edited narrative broadcast by CBS. When you read the conversation you will immediately notice why CBS refused to broadcast it, and why the segment that did air was so brutally edited. Some of the interview answers will provide hope for those who want to see justice delivered. However, there are also cautious answers that should be considered when formulating an opinion of AG Bill Barr's ongoing intention. Obama knew details of wiretapped Flynn phone calls, surprising top DOJ official in meeting with Biden, declassified docs show. President Obama was aware of the details of then-incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn's intercepted December 2016 phone calls with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, apparently surprising then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, according to documents released Thursday as exhibits to the government's motion to dismiss the Flynn case. Obama's unexpectedly intimate knowledge of the details of Flynn's calls, which the FBI acknowledged at the time were not criminal or even improper, raised eyebrows because of his own history with Flynn — and because top FBI officials secretly discussed whether their goal was to "get [Flynn] fired" when they interviewed him in the White House on January 24, 2017. Collapse of Michael Flynn case is latest sign 'RussiaGate' was a complete fraud. With the Justice Department moving to drop charges against Gen. Mike Flynn, pretty much the entire "RussiaGate" investigation stands exposed as a fraud. But will any of the witch-hunters pay? Lefties are already claiming that Attorney General William Barr is simply playing politics, but the facts say otherwise. Brandon Van Grack, a top Justice Department prosecutor and former member of special counsel Bob Mueller's team, was withdrawn from the Flynn case (indeed, many of his cases) earlier Thursday because he'd plainly abused his power by withholding bombshell evidence from the defense and the court. Flynn's supposed crime was lying to FBI agents in a January 2017 interview at the White House. Yet the concealed evidence included 1) a top FBI official's notes suggesting the entire purpose of the interview was to catch Flynn in a lie, or get him to admit to a technical violation of the Logan Act — all in order to force him from office. And 2) an internal Justice Department memo, from the day before that interview, calling on the FBI to close the Flynn investigation because agents had dug up absolutely no wrongdoing. Don't Forget Why the Deep State Targeted Mike Flynn. Now that the Justice Department has abandoned its prosecution of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, it's important to remember what made the case of Lieutenant-General Michael Flynn so central to the Intelligence Community's mutiny against Trump. CNN Loses It Over DOJ Dropping Flynn Case. CNN had a meltdown on Thursday when news broke that the Department of Justice dropped its case against Michael Flynn after documents revealed the FBI set a perjury trap for Trump's former national security adviser. The network's commentators lashed out that the decision was "unprecedented" and an "absolute injustice", saying the "fix is in." "Well, now today, in really what is a remarkable move by the Department of Justice, and just really unprecedented, after someone has been cooperating, after someone has pleaded guilty, was a government witness, for them to turn around and do this today, I'm not going to tell you that anyone is surprised by this move but it's certainly unprecedented," said CNN crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz. Baldwin then cut away to ask what CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig made of the news. "Brooke, the fix is in," Honig replied. Did The Mueller Team Violate Brady and Flynn Orders? With the release of the new material from the case of Michael Flynn, an array of experts came forward to assure the public that it was all standard procedure for investigators to conclude that there was no criminal conduct uncovered and then prosecutors creating a crime (including the use of a clearly unconstitutional law never used to convict anyone since the start of the Republic). Many of these same experts who have been espousing untethered (and ultimately rejected) theories for criminal and impeachment charges for years. Yet, what was most striking is how many also rejected any claim that the undisclosed evidence, at a minimum, violated Brady, the case requiring the government to turn over exculpatory information. Indeed, Ben Wittes, a staunch defender of James Comey, assured readers "while you might not know much about federal law enforcement," this is all "standard practices." In fact, this is a clear and flagrant violation of the both Brady and the orders of Judge Emmet Sullivan. The fact that such violations are also dismissed by mainstream media and experts reflects how rage has distorted legal analysis in this Administration. New Docs Tie Obama in to Effort Against Flynn, Biden Also in Room. You can make the judgment call here, but this does not look good for former President Barack Obama. According to the newly released documents from the Department of Justice, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates learned about the effort against Gen. Michael Flynn from Obama himself. The DOJ -vs- FBI Blame Game Begins — DOJ Release Documents to Support Dropping Flynn Case. The DOJ is releasing a series of additional documents to support their decision to drop the case against Lt. General Michael Flynn. Not coincidentally, at the same time these additional documents are being released, a fracture in the core group of coup plotters is surfacing. The bigger picture is now the former DOJ -vs- former FBI. The dynamic of distinction is interesting to watch unfold. Prior DOJ officials pointing to corrupt decisions by prior FBI officials. This is the fracture that will bring down the fraud. This was always why we needed the declassification process. Things are happening fast. Additionally, because the underlying Flynn evidence documents include portions of transcripts from questions put to the "small group", Adam Schiff is now forced to release the transcripts. Schiff on Flynn: 'This dismissal does not exonerate him. But it does incriminate Bill Barr'. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff excoriated the Justice Department for dismissing charges against President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn. "This dismissal does not exonerate him. But it does incriminate [Attorney General] Bill Barr," the California Democrat said in a tweet Thursday [5/7/2020], calling the move indicative of "the worst politicization of the Justice Department in its history." The Editor says... Barr says it was 'duty' to drop Flynn case: 'It upheld the rule of law'. Attorney General William Barr defended the Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision Thursday to move to drop the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn for charges of lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia in 2017. Barr dismissed accusations that he's doing the "president's bidding" in moving to drop the case. "I'm doing the law's bidding. I'm doing my duty under the law, as I see it," Barr told CBS News in an interview Thursday [5/7/2020]. Flynn attorney Sidney Powell decries 'deliberate, malevolent, concerted effort to destroy an honest man'. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's attorney slammed the case against her client Thursday, calling the efforts to "destroy" the retired Army lieutenant general "malevolent." "They all knew it was false, Sean," Sidney Powell told "Hannity". "This was a deliberate, malevolent, concerted effort to destroy an honest man and thereby get to the president of the United States to destroy him." "There's no doubt about it whatsoever," Powell added. Dems respond to Flynn exoneration with the Big Lie strategy. The biggest political scandal in American history finally is unwinding as documents are declassified and prosecutors and grand juries do their work. Lies that have been told by James Comey, Adam Schiff, James Clapper and others are being exposed, and the entire corrupt attempt to drive from office the duly elected president of the United States is being revealed as seditious. The Democrats' response is to double down and rely on the brute force of their media dominance to peddle a lie that, if repeated often enough, will be accepted as truth. As the OSS (the CIA's predecessor in WW II) described Hitler's use of the Big Lie Strategy: ["] ... never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.["] The Editor says... Clearing Flynn Should Also Help Clear the Air in the Election. The move to drop the charges that General Flynn had lied to the FBI were not exactly a surprise. It had become increasingly clear that no charges would have been handed up save for the maneuvering by a cabal within the Justice Department that had been horrified at the election results. This had been thrown into sharp relief by evidence shockingly withheld from the defense (and public). That this was brought into the open is largely due to the courage and tenacity of Attorney General Barr. He had assigned a review of, among other matters, the Flynn case. The results on General Flynn are sketched in a motion to dismiss, signed by the interim United States attorney for the Columbia District, Timothy Shea. It paints a devastating portrait of the general trapped into pleading guilty to a crime of which he shouldn't have been charged. How the court will handle the motion is not, at least to us, entirely clear. It looks to us, though, like there is no longer an actual case or controversy between America and General Flynn. Jerry Nadler Squirts Gravy From His Orifices in a Fit of Impotent Rage Over the Flynn Case Imploding. While the decision by the government to not pursue any further punishment of President Trump's former National Security Advisor, retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, was sweet, equally gratifying from a purely partisan viewpoint was the outrage on the left. Across Twitter, lefty lawyers, fake and real, experienced and bloviators, who had lectured everyone for the past three years on the slam dunk nature of Flynn's guilt were beating their tiny little fists on the floor in rage. Newly released material in the Flynn case implicates Obama. A newly released document indicates that Obama pushed the FBI to go after Michael Flynn. It's not yet clear, though, if this was part of a larger plot on Obama's part to destroy Trump's presidency or was merely part of Obama's vendetta against Flynn himself. It appears, too, that while Biden probably wasn't part of masterminding the plot, he was in on it from the beginning. Obama and Flynn had a history, for the latter had once served as Obama's director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. In April 2014, the Obama administration forced Flynn to retire. By February 2017, Adam Kredo reported that the break had come about because Flynn opposed Obama's disastrous Iran deal. Did someone mention Obama's disastrous Iran deal? New Documents Show President Obama Was in on the Flynn Takedown. Newly released documents from the Department of Justice show President Obama informed former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates of a phone call between former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December 2016. He did so in the Oval Office. "Yates first learned of the December 2016 calls between [LTG Michael] Flynn and [Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergey] Kislyak on January 5, 2017, while in the Oval Office. Yates, along with then FBI-Director James Comey, then-CIA Director John Brennan, and then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, were at the White House to brief members of the Obama Administration on the classified Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian Activities in Recent U.S Elections. President Obama was joined by his National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, and others from the National Security Council," the document states. Elizabeth Warren Demands AG Barr Resign Over Flynn Decision. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called on Attorney General William Barr to resign over the Department of Justice's decision to drop its criminal case against retired Army lieutenant general Michael Flynn on Thursday [5/7/2020]. "William Barr is not the President's lawyer — he is the country's lawyer. His political interference is blatantly corrupt and he should resign," Warren wrote on Twitter. AP: DOJ Drops Michael Flynn Prosecution. The Department of Justice is reportedly dropping its prosecution of former National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn (Ret.), according to the Associated Press. Justice Department drops criminal case against former Trump aide Michael Flynn. The Justice Department on Thursday dropped its prosecution of former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his conversations with a Russian diplomat in the weeks before President Donald Trump's inauguration. The bombshell move comes more than two years after Flynn's guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the then-ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. But it also comes nearly a year after Flynn hired a new lawyer, Sidney Powell, who was a harsh critic of Mueller. Justice Dept dropping Flynn's criminal case. In an abrupt about-face, the Justice Department on Thursday [5/7/2020] 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 the president and his supporters in attacking the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation. Nadler Explodes Over DOJ Dropping Flynn Case, Says Will Hold Hearing With AG Barr "ASAP". Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, exploded in outrage at the decision by the Department of Justice to drop its case against former Trump administration National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn on Thursday, vowing to hold a hearing "ASAP" to demand answers from Attorney General William Barr. Prosecutor of ex-Trump aide Michael Flynn withdraws from case amid controversy over documents. A top prosecutor removed himself Thursday [5/7/2020] from the criminal case against former national security advisor Michael Flynn, as well as from at least two other court cases involving Flynn. The Justice Department prosecutor, Brandon Van Grack, did not say in a court filing why he is withdrawing from Flynn's case. He heads a unit responsible for prosecuting violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Van Grack also withdrew from at least two other active cases Thursday, court filings show. Flynn is listed as an interested party in both of those cases. All three cases are in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., and all are presided over by Judge Emmet Sullivan. The Kavanaugh-Biden double standard and an appalling lack of curiosity over Michael Flynn. If there were ever a time that the American people needed credible national journalism, it is now, during this awful coronavirus pandemic. Now tens of millions of Americans are out of work, tens of thousands have died, the people are overwhelmed by conflicting and dueling scientific models of the virus, tribal politics shapes coverage. Two stories out of Washington, the narratives shaped by the Washington Beltway media establishment, illustrate the break. They sit there as the coronavirus consumes the news cycle. One is the incredible double standard in the treatment of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden over claims of sexual assault. [...] The other story involves that amazing lack of national journalistic curiosity over the FBI's crumbling perjury case against former Trump national security adviser Mike Flynn. DOJ Finally Releases Less Redacted 2nd Scope Memo (Aug 2, 2017) — Still Missing 3rd Scope Memo (Oct 20, 2017). The DOJ has finally released a less redacted version of the second special counsel scope memo, written August 2, 2017 by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The second scope memo authorized Robert Mueller to target Carter Page, Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos, Michael Flynn, and an unknown entity (Richard Gates, Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn Jr. likely possibilities). Did the FBI target Michael Flynn to protect Obama's policies, not national security? How would you like to be investigated by the FBI because you disagreed with the president's policies? Sounds a little KGB-ish, you might think — and you'd be right, because the FBI has zero authority to conduct such an investigation. But the more we learn about the FBI's investigation of Michael Flynn, the more it appears he was targeted precisely because, as the national security adviser to the incoming Trump administration, he signaled that the new administration might undo Obama administration policies — which is kind of what the American people voted for in 2016. Some will say that Gen. Flynn was investigated for legitimate criminal or national security reasons. Yet, the FBI's ultimate interview of Flynn addressed none of the grounds that the FBI used to open the original case against him. For those of us who have run FBI investigations, that is more than odd. Michael Flynn was railroaded by Comey's FBI. [Scroll down] Since the FBI was already in possession of the transcript of Flynn's telephone call with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, what exactly was to be gained by the interview? Nothing except the potential to jam him up and get him removed as national security adviser. It was never going to charge him for violations of the Logan Act or the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Even Robert Mueller's team could have done so. It passed. These laws are seldom, if ever, enforced. Just ask the lobbyists on K Street. Even Comey once believed Flynn not to have misrepresented facts to the FBI. The fired former director, who enjoys a cozy relationship with the Washington Post, was awarded "Two Pinocchios" by the paper's fact-checker after a denial in an interview with Fox News's Bret Baier, who asked him if he had ever "[told] lawmakers that FBI agents didn't believe former national security adviser Michael Flynn was lying intentionally to investigators?" Which leads us back to the ubiquitous Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. After McCabe circumvented established channels, forgoing calls to DOJ or the newly emplaced White House counsel or chief of staff, Flynn became a ripe target. In Dealing with Flynn, Comey's FBI Acted Like the KGB. What happened to Flynn is quite simply an atrocity. Everyone responsible should lose their jobs, if Flynn's lawyers betrayed their client they should be disbarred, and the whole crew of plotters should be hauled off to jail. Flynn bombshells cast doubt on Mueller prosecutor Brandon Van Grack's compliance with court order. Explosive, newly unsealed evidence documenting the FBI's efforts to target national security adviser Michael Flynn — including a top official's handwritten memo debating whether the FBI's "goal" was "to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired" — calls into question whether Brandon Van Grack, a Justice Department prosecutor and former member of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Team, complied with a court order to produce favorable evidence to Flynn. Since February 2018, Van Grack has been obligated to comply with D.C. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan's standing order in the Flynn case to produce all evidence in the government's possession "that is favorable to defendant and material either to defendant's guilt or punishment." The order also requires the government to submit favorable defense evidence to the court, including possible "impeachment evidence" that could undermine witnesses, even if the government believes the evidence "not to be material." The Spotlight Shines on Flynn Prosecutor Brandon Van Grack. U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, the presiding judge in the government's case against Gen. Michael Flynn, issued a standing order in February 2018 which lead prosecutor Brandon Van Grack was obligated to comply with. I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me such an order would be standard in any legal proceeding. The document states that, pursuant to Brady v. Maryland (and its progeny), the government has a continuing obligation to produce: ["]All evidence in the government's possession that is favorable to defendant and material either to defendant's guilt or punishment. Known only to police investigators and not to the prosecutor and that the individual prosecutor has a duty to learn of any favorable evidence known to others acting on the government's behalf..., including the police. Holding that the duty to disclose exculpatory evidence applies even when there has been no request by the accused. Applies to inculpatory, as well as exculpatory, evidence. Where doubt exists as to the usefulness of the evidence to the defendant, the government must resolve all such doubts in favor of full disclosure. If the government has identified any information which is favorable to the defendant but which the government believes not to be material, the government shall submit such information to the Court for in camera review.["] Are Personal Relationships Behind FBI Dir. Wray's Resistance to Disclosing Information Regarding the Flynn Case? It's being reported that FBI Director Christopher Wray has been instrumental in efforts to prevent the recent disclosures of "exculpatory" material within the possession of the FBI/DOJ concerning the prosecution of General Michael Flynn. As set forth in the letter from Timothy Shea, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the disclosure of this material was the result of the review undertaken of the handling of the Flynn prosecution by the Special Counsel's Office, conducted by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, Jeffrey Jensen, at the direction of Attorney General William Barr. Assuming the truth of the allegations about the actions of Dir. Wray at face value, what could have motivated him to try to prevent the disclosure? It is possible that his efforts were motivated by nothing more than a disagreement about whether the information was truly "exculpatory" as that term is defined in the relevant case law, and a view on his part — as former head of the DOJ Criminal Division — that the disclosure was unnecessary. Flynn [was] Targeted First So Anti-Trump Obama Holdovers [would be] Free To Continue Spying On Trump Admin. [Scroll down] The Carter Page FISA series is another clue. It makes starkly clear what Spygate was about: spying on the Trump campaign. The important thing at this point is not even so much that it was undertaken as that it was continued into the first five months of the Trump administration. That's a strong clue that the Spygate principals wanted to keep spying on Trump. So is the gun-decked effort to get a special counsel appointed. James Comey acknowledged that he leaked memos from his specially crafted memo stash about Trump to the media, in the hope of getting a special counsel operation going. That operation would have the power Spygate needed: the ability to keep trying to find — or manufacture — dirt on Trump, using the tools of law enforcement, and calling it an "investigation." Michael Flynn's Legal Tormentors Should Be Prosecuted. Much has been reported in recent days about the manner in which the FBI "trapped" President Trump's former National Security Adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, into lying in an early 2017 interview. Under federal law, it is strikingly easy for unethical federal officials to successfully play a game of legal "gotcha" with individuals they decide to target. This is precisely why we must insist on maintaining the highest ethical standards for federal investigators and prosecutors, which tragically did not happen in Flynn's case. What the FBI — then under the leadership of the since-discredited James Comey — did to Gen. Flynn constitutes a blatant violation of the most basic ethical principles which federal investigators and prosecutors are sworn to uphold. James Comey must be prosecuted. Andrew McCarthy, writing in the National Review, outlined the case that the FBI, under the direction of James Comey, working through Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Andrew McCabe, and others, set up General Michael Flynn for a perjury trap. Comey sent Strzok and another agent to entrap General Flynn on January 24, 2017. The reason was to remove General Flynn as Trump's national security adviser because General Flynn, an experienced military and intelligence officer, would have discovered the FBI's investigation of President Trump, titled "Crossfire Hurricane" but otherwise known as the Russia Hoax. McCarthy answers the question of why to entrap General Flynn to remove him. But the next question is, did Comey act on his own or on orders, explicit or implicit, from his superiors to entrap General Flynn to remove him? In an interview with Nicolle Wallace, Comey bragged that he had sent two FBI agents to question General Flynn. Flynn bombshells cast doubt on Mueller prosecutor Brandon Van Grack's compliance with court order. Explosive, newly unsealed evidence documenting the FBI's efforts to target national security adviser Michael Flynn — including a top official's handwritten memo debating whether the FBI's "goal" was "to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired" — calls into question whether Brandon Van Grack, a Justice Department prosecutor and former member of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Team, complied with a court order to produce favorable evidence to Flynn. Since February 2018, Van Grack has been obligated to comply with D.C. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan's standing order in the Flynn case to produce all evidence in the government's possession "that is favorable to defendant and material either to defendant's guilt or punishment." Your
Guide To The Obama Administration's Hit On Michael Flynn. The unsealing last week of a series of documents in
the Michael Flynn criminal case cemented the reality that a small cadre of high-level FBI agents set a perjury trap for
President Trump's then-national security advisor. Beyond exposing the depth of this despicable personal and political
hit job on a 30-year military veteran, the newly discovered documents hold great legal significance. Here's your legal
primer. The Russiagate special counsel's office charged Flynn with violating Strzok Stopped Flynn Probe From Being Shut Down After 'No Derogatory Information' Was Found. Evidence long withheld from Michael Flynn's defense team shows that agents at the FBI and possibly CIA had actively searched for "derogatory" information regarding Flynn and Russia but found none. As a result, the investigative team on January 4, 2017, recommended that the investigation into Flynn — who had been given the codename of "Crossfire Razor" — be closed. According to newly released text messages, counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok stopped the investigation from being closed, telling the other agents on the case that the "the 7th floor" of FBI headquarters — where then-Director James Comey and then-Deputy Director Andrew McCabe worked — was involved. How Michael Flynn Became Target Zero in Obama's Russia Collusion. If there was any doubt that Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn was Target Zero in the Russia Collision conspiracy or that President Barack Obama was an active co-conspirator, presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway put those doubts to bed last week. "I would remind everybody that President Obama told President-elect Trump he had two things to worry about: North Korea and Michael Flynn," Conway said last Thursday [4/30/2020] on Fox's America Newsroom. "Folks, that's just weird on its face," Conway continued, as if folks needed to be told. "You gotta worry about a nuclear-capable dictator in North Korea, and you gotta worry about a general of 37 years who served in... the Obama administration." Did Feds Commit [a] Felony By Altering 302s In The Michael Flynn Case? The U.S. Code makes it a felony offense, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, to knowingly alter or falsify an entry in a document with the intent to influence a federal investigation. This is comparatively a more serious offense than the false statement charge that Michael Flynn pled to, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Newly revealed text messages between federal agents Paige and Strzok discussing the Michael Flynn case, dating February 10, 2017, show the cheaters discussing rewriting a 302 written by another agent, trying to disguise their edits as the author's own voice. According to insinuations made by Flynn's lawyers in hearings and court filings, statements made by Sidney Powell to the media, and pursuant to a review of the publicly available materials related to this case, the documents that the federal agents were discussing altering were almost certainly 302 reports. Michael Flynn didn't commit a crime — he was set up by [the] Deep State. The last thing National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said to me when he left our West Wing office in the White House for the last time on February 13, 2017 was laced with irony: "You know, I joined the military to fight the Russians." It has taken nearly four years, but the truth is finally emerging about the FBI's investigation of retired Army Lt. Gen. Flynn. The truth is that the Deep State and some senior Obama administration officials set up Flynn in hopes of using him and others to cripple the Trump presidency from the start. The move against Flynn was also a preemptive strike to remove the national security advisor before he could carry out President Trump's plan to reform and streamline the sprawling intelligence community and its 16 different agencies. MOABs Dropped On The Deep State: No Title Can Describe The Intensity Of What's Exposed In This Video. The biggest, baddest dude in Washington D.C. might be President Trump but Gen. Mike Flynn is running a close second, according to FBI insiders who fear he may start talking soon. And talking about the FBI and what exactly went down during his ordeal with the Bureau's Andrew McCabe-infused investigation of Flynn. [Video clip] The Framing of Flynn and the Logan Act. Comments on the revelations about the FBI's effort to put Michael Flynn in a fork whereby he either admitted to a crime or lied to the agents have been vague about exactly what crime he was suspected of. The answer is a violation of the Logan Act, and understanding this makes the FBI's actions even more despicable than one might have thought. Comey's Stalinists. Friday's news brought the welcome report that U.S. Attorney John Durham, investigating possibly illegal misconduct by the FBI and CIA against the Trump campaign, is focusing on the FBI's illegal acts in prosecuting President Trump's first national security advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn. According to reports by the Washington Examiner and Fox News, Durham is looking closely at newly revealed documents in the Flynn case. As I wrote here on September 2, there was a conspiracy between the FBI and CIA to prevent Trump's election and, when that failed, to interfere in his transition to the presidency. The conspiracy aimed at violating the civil rights of Trump and others, including Flynn and Carter Page. As that column explained, acting under color of law — i.e., as a federal official — to violate someone's civil rights is illegal under 18 U.S. Code Section 242. A conspiracy to do so is a felony under 18 U.S. Code Section 371 punishable by five years in jail. Former Rep. Gowdy expects no prosecutions in Flynn Affair [Feds can frame you?]. Former Republican Congressman Trey Gowdy told Martha MacCallum he expected no prosecutions to emerge from the bombshells in the Michael Flynn affair. We covered the Flynn case [elsew]here. We believe he was framed. Gowdy didn't even hesitate when asked about it. "No ma'am," he stated emphatically when Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked him about the prospect of potential prosecutions. "I was talking to a federal prosecutor on the way over here. But we have got to not only associate accountability with prosecutions," he said in frustration. "I think being a terrible FBI agent and treating people unfairly, maybe it ought to be a crime, but I don't think it is a crime." The most concerning thing about Crossfire Hurricane and Mueller. ... isn't anything that we've seen in any of these previously hidden documents[.] It's what we haven't seen that's the problem[.] [...] Where are the notes of FBI agents or DOJ officials saying, "gee, setting up a pretext to interview someone as part of an investigation we know is bogus might violate this persons civil rights. It might harm their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness even. Let's rethink this" Where are the texts worrying about whether it is moral to try to get someone fired from the pinnacle of their career, a job as NSA in the White House, bringing their life crashing down around their ears? Why don't Comey's memos about Trump asking if he can "let Flynn go" mention that the Comey's own FBI field office wanted to let Flynn go a month earlier, because they had nothing, zero on him? Even after the plan Comey set in motion got Flynn fired in disgrace? Slip his mind? Why is nobody writing a memo to themselves asking if they're really doing things "by the book" when they keep sending in a spy they must know is lying to them, that they know is pals with "former" Russian intelligence chiefs, who keeps coming up empty, only with exculpatory info? The Flynn Case Is a Travesty. For more than three years, Michael Flynn waged a strange battle to clear his name after pleading guilty to lying to FBI agents and then declining a judge's invitation to withdraw the plea. But there has always been something very wrong about the case, and we've learned more about it in recent weeks. The retired army general, fleetingly President Trump's first national-security adviser, was investigated during the Trump transition by anti-Trump officials at the FBI and Obama Justice Department on nebulous grounds. Hannity: Justice is coming for all who abused their power. A few corrupt bureaucrats with tremendous power ruined the lives of innocent Americans, spied on the Trump campaign, the Trump transition team and the Trump presidency. [Video clip] Andrew McCarthy: The Purpose In Getting Rid Of Flynn Was To Clear The Way To Get Trump. "Flynn was not the objective he was the obstacle. He's going to find out that we investigated the Trump campaign; if you tell him about the investigation it is over. The perjury trap is what has the chance of getting him removed." The FBI's 'Russiagate' search-and-destroy mission against Team Trump. With the latest revelation, the FBI's "Russiagate" investigation now stands exposed as worse than amateurish — and more like a search-and-destroy mission. Destroy the Trump administration, that is — not actual US enemies. Lawyers for ex-Gen. Michael Flynn released just-unsealed documents that suggest the FBI abused its power to take out President Trump's first national security adviser. Two FBI agents interviewed Flynn at the White House on Jan. 24, 2017, just days after the inauguration. The claim that he'd lied to those agents about his contacts with the Russian ambassador triggered a Beltway fury that forced him to quit, ending his career. The FBI has disgraced itself. [Scroll down] This week, we learned that an American hero, a loyal lifelong and proved courageous defender of our nation, was callously framed by a political conspiracy of the most senior FBI officials, seeking thereby to defame and destroy the newly elected president of the United States, Donald Trump. Over the years, the FBI regrettably has shown itself to be self-serving and inept and has suffered several disgraceful scandals, but always committed by lesser men. Today, the FBI, at the very top, has shown itself to actually be seditious, subverting the office of the president of the United States! Haley Attacks FBI Over Flynn Case: 'It Should Send A Chill Up Every American's Spine'. Nikki Haley slammed the FBI for their handling of the case against General Mike Flynn, after documents revealed questionable conduct was involved. Recent documents leaked to the press show there was a severe mishandling by the FBI with their case prosecuting Mike Flynn. "What is our goal?" the handwritten notes read. "Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?" It's also clear that Peter Strzok, the disgraced FBI agent, intervened to keep the case going. Peter Strzok and the Michael Flynn Case. Peter Strzok, the disgraced former FBI agent, is the gift that keeps on giving. If anybody represents the arrogant, elitist attitude of the Swamp, it's Peter Strzok with James Comey nipping at his heels. From the Trump/Russia Collusion Calamity to malodorous Walmart shoppers to framing Lt. General Michael Flynn, Mr. Strzok is in the mix and committing the crime. Lt. General Flynn is a hero or a villain depending upon who you ask. I have a heart for anyone who spent time at Fort Bragg with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). On the other hand, I understand that former President Barack Obama had good reason to fire Flynn as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Hero or villain, Flynn like every American deserves justice. He does not deserve to be framed or railroaded. Flynn bombshell puts renewed attention on Durham probe, source says Barr [is] talking to him 'every day'. U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham has reviewed the bombshell files released earlier this week showing FBI officials discussed whether they wanted to interview Michael Flynn in order to "get him to lie," sources familiar with his investigation told Fox News, as the document drop renews attention on his probe of the law enforcement community's Russia case. Sources even said charges could be justified against officials, and that those reviewing the Justice Department and the FBI's actions are building a "serious case." Durham and Attorney General Bill Barr are said to be speaking regularly. "Durham has seen all of this already," one source told Fox News, adding that they "could be sufficient for some charges against agents." FBI Planned To Close Michael Flynn Investigation, And Then Peter Strzok Intervened. Former FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok intervened at the last minute in early 2017 to stop the bureau from closing an investigation into Michael Flynn, the incoming national security adviser, according to government files unsealed Thursday [4/30/2020]. The FBI was investigating Flynn and several other Trump campaign associates at the time for possible links to Russia as part of Crossfire Hurricane. But as of Jan. 4, 2017, the FBI's Washington Field Office had determined that there was no justification to continue investigating Flynn, whom the FBI referred to with the code name "Crossfire Razor." The Flynn Revelations Reveal A Criminal Conspiracy At The FBI. As the deep-state onion gets peeled back layer by layer to its rotten core, it becomes clear this wasn't mere government misconduct. It was a criminal conspiracy. These are not mere procedural quibbles, but profound questions about the integrity and legality of the FBI's investigations into key officials in the incoming Trump administration, including Trump himself. A pattern of collusive illegality on the part of the FBI and key Justice Department officials has become increasingly clear from these and other revelations. The newly released notes contain shocking revelations of how the "Crossfire Hurricane" investigators and top FBI officials set their "perjury trap" for Flynn. [...] It was coercion, plain and simple. The kind of thing a totalitarian or dictatorial regime would do. Yet such skullduggery was routine for the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which tried to gin up false charges of Russian collusion first against the Trump campaign and later against the incoming Trump administration. Lawyers Say the FBI's Tactics in Michael Flynn Case Were 'Routine'. [Scroll down] The documents released Wednesday [4/29/2020] suggest the FBI — or at least the person who wrote the handwritten note most people are zeroing in on — was debating approaching Flynn with a several-pronged attack during a Jan. 24, 2017 interview: (1) to seek a prosecution on the merits of his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak; (2) to catch him in a lie; and/or (3) to get him fired. Flynn had spoken with Kislyak after the 2016 election. "What's our goal? Truth/Admission or get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?" the handwritten notes say in their own words. FBI Notes: Hey, How Do We Trap Flynn In A Lie And Get Him Fired — Or Prosecuted? US Attorney Jeffrey Jensen turned over evidence to the court dealing with Flynn's demands to withdraw his guilty plea, notes that call into question what motives the FBI had in approaching Flynn at all. The evidence, collected by Jensen in an internal Department of Justice probe of the FBI, shows agents discussing their goals, which include setting up a perjury trap to "prosecute him or get him fired": Records Show Strzok Intervened when FBI Moved to Close Flynn Investigation Due to Lack of 'Derogatory Information'. New unsealed FBI memos show that the Bureau found "no derogatory information" on former national security adviser Michael Flynn while investigating his alleged Russian contacts, and moved to close their investigation of him in early January 2017 before former FBI agent Peter Strzok intervened, asking to keep the case open. The documents, which were released Thursday by the Department of Justice, show that Flynn was given the codename "Crossfire Razor" and investigated in a spinoff case predicated by the FBI's "Crossfire Hurricane" surveillance of the 2016 Trump campaign — a case in which the infamous Steele dossier played a "central role," according to DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz's December report. Michael Flynn case should be dismissed to preserve justice. Previously undisclosed documents in the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn offer us a chilling blueprint on how top FBI officials not only sought to entrap the former White House aide but sought to do so on such blatantly unconstitutional and manufactured grounds. These new documents further undermine the view of both the legitimacy and motivations of those investigations under former FBI director James Comey. For all of those who have long seen a concerted effort within the Justice Department to target the Trump administration, the fragments will read like a Dead Sea Scrolls version of a "deep state" conspiracy. Trump attorney Sekulow claims FBI 'violated the Constitution' in Flynn case: 'They didn't get away with it'. Trump impeachment attorney Jay Sekulow claimed to Fox News" Hannity" Thursday that former Special Counsel Robert Mueller was "AWOL" in his duties after then-FBI Director James Comey targeted then-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in January 2017. "Part of their prosecution conduct was going after General Flynn, with what evidence?" Sekulow asked. McCarthy: Flynn Revelations 'Bigger Than Watergate'. On Thursday's [4/30/2020] broadcast of the Fox News Channel's "Hannity," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stated that the recent revelations about former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's case are "bigger than Watergate and we need to make sure people are held accountable." McCarthy told host Sean Hannity that people need "a Congress that will work with them and work with this president. Because what you have talked about with Flynn and with the president is bigger than Watergate and we need to make sure people are held accountable." Flynn Entrapment was McCabe's Revenge. Key to the ambush interview of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn that set him up for prosecution and persecution on made-up charges by James Comey's FBI was the advice given to Flynn by Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe — relax, you won't need a lawyer. Flynn had to be caught off guard and without legal counsel for the entrapment plan to work: [...] We know that swamp thing James Comey's mission in life was to keep Hillary Clinton out of prison and Donald Trump out of the White House, but McCabe had a personal animus towards Flynn which goes way back, possibly originating in Flynn's offer to be a witness in a legal proceeding filed against McCabe. Out Like Flynn. Under cover of Corona, the sewage of the DC septic tank flows on. The latest revelations in the Deep State entrapment of Michael Flynn (Trump's first National Security Advisor, for about twenty minutes) confirm what most sentient creatures have known for three years: that there was never any good-faith basis for the FBI's investigation, only (in the now released words of Assistant Counterintelligence Division Director Bill Priestap) the object "to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired". [...] So one conversation, with disgraced corrupt rogue agent Strzok, without counsel present and without the defendant being aware that this was an interrogation of him as opposed to just a friendly intragovernmental chit-chat, has consumed three years of Flynn's life and all his savings. Newly Revealed Texts Show Strzok, Page Altered Flynn Interview Notes. Yet another bombshell development emerged Thursday [4/30/2020] in the case of former National Security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn: the release of additional exculpatory evidence FBI officials had withheld from the courts and the defense for three years. Crucially, this includes evidence that the Bureau's official "302 report" filed by the lead agent who interviewed Flynn was edited multiple times, including by an official who never participated in the interview. Thursday's revelations come on top of yesterday's disclosures indicating an apparent attempt by FBI officials to trap Flynn into committing a criminal offense during an interview. Explaining The Case of General Flynn: A Set-Up From The Start. Lt. General Michael T. Flynn was set up by "rogue elements" of the FBI. Unsealed documents now in the public record proves it for anyone looking at this case with a sober mind. The end goal for those involved in this "case" was never to find the truth of an allegation, as any legitimate investigation would do. Instead, the end goal of this "investigation" was to persecute a man for standing on the wrong side of bureaucratic power. FBI found no 'derogatory' Russia evidence on Flynn, planned to close case before leaders intervened. Evidence withheld for years from Michael Flynn's defense team shows the FBI found "no derogatory" Russia evidence against the former Trump National Security Adviser and that counterintelligence agents had recommended closing down the case with a defensive briefing before the bureau's leadership intervened in January 2017. The recommendation to close the case came 16 days before President Trump took office with plans to have Flynn serve as his National Security Adviser, and after agents had found no incriminating evidence by sweeping counterintelligence files and talking to confidential human sources, the memos show. Lisa Page and Benjamin Wittes Laugh at Flynn Revelations, But Mollie Hemingway Drops Them and Facts Finish Them Off. Some people have absolutely no shame and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page is definitely one of them. Bombshell FBI internal documents broke yesterday with handwritten notes from agents in the Flynn case indicating there was an effort to set him up. [Tweets] In response, OAN's Jack Posobiec commented that Page and Benjamin Wittes seemed pretty quiet in the wake of the revelations. Wittes is the the guy who became notorious for always posting cannon booms allegedly that were supposed to do in Trump (but never did). He's a buddy of former FBI Director James Comey. He's also Editor in Chief of the Lawfare blog and has been an analyst for NBC and MSNBC. Bongino on Flynn Case: 'I Wish Police-State Liberals' Understood 'We Do Not Investigate People in Search of Crimes'. On Thursday [4/30/2020], former Secret Service Agent and NYPD police officer Dan Bongino voiced outrage over revelations in the newly-released handwritten FBI notes about the investigation of Gen. Michael Flynn, reportedly authored by then-FBI Counterintelligence Director Bill Priestap, that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says "reek of criminal misconduct." Law enforcement doesn't investigate citizens in an effort to find crimes against them, and "police-state liberals" need to understand that, Bongino tweeted: Devastating clip of cocky Comey admitting he broke protocol to set-up Flynn interview reemerges. In a sit-down interview with MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace hosted at the 92nd Street Y community center in Manhattan two years ago, disgraced former FBI Director James Comey made a bombshell admission that's taken on new meaning amid just-released evidence showing that the bureau had set up Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Asked by Wallace to explain how two FBI agents were allowed to waltz into the White House and casually interview Flynn during the first few days of the Trump administration back in early 2017, Comey admitted it was because of him. [Video clip] Jim Jordan unloads on corrupt deep state disclosures: Imagine what they can do to you and I?! House Oversight Committee ranking member and Freedom Caucus founder Jim Jordan appeared on Fox News early Thursday morning [4/30/2020] to respond to the bombshells surrounding the FBI's malicious case against Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Over the course of about 10 minutes, he offered some key observations about the revelations and, more importantly, how they fit into a wider pattern of abuse seen at the FBI during disgraced former Director James Comey's tenure in office. "The FBI in 2016 spies on two American citizens associated with the Trump campaign," he said as he began to outline the abuses of power witnessed over the past four years. FBI Agent Questioned Whether 'Goal' of Flynn Interview Was 'To Get Him Fired', Handwritten Notes Show. New unsealed documents in the Michael Flynn case show that FBI officials openly questioned whether their goal in interviewing the former Trump national-security adviser was "to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired." Dated January 24, 2017, the same day of the White House interview with Flynn that was conducted by FBI agents Peter Strzok and Joe Pientka, the handwritten notes apparently reveal that at least one agent believed the purpose of the interview was to entrap Flynn — or he believed that was the goal of his fellow agents and was trying to push back on them in the name of institutional integrity. General Flynn vs. The Deep State. General Michael Flynn has pled guilty to lying to the FBI. Pleading guilty is not unusual behavior when confronting the enormous power of the state. During the Soviet purge trials Grigory Zinoviev, Lev Kamenev and many others pled guilty to ridiculous charges. We believe that things like this should not happen in the United States. Flynn's problems arose as a result of the Deep State's efforts to take down Donald Trump. Senator Chuck Schumer stated, "Let me tell you: You take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you. For a practical, supposedly hard-nosed businessman, he's being really dumb to do this." Trump's problem was that the intelligence community had decided to destroy him before he had an opportunity to "take them on." What gives in the Flynn case? This past February Attorney General Bar appointed United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Jeffrey Jensen to review the government's handling of the Flynn case. We sought out comment from one of Jensen's former law firm colleagues. He told us in part: "I can assure you that Jeff Jensen is an absolute straight arrow who will conduct a thorough investigation and honestly report what he finds." Mr. Jensen seems to have found something. Whatever he found was transmitted under cover of the April 24 letter served on General Flynn by interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy Shea. Speculation mounts over Flynn case as new DOJ documents turned over. New documents recently turned over to Michael Flynn's legal team have led to speculation that the former national security adviser could catch a break in his long-stalled case due to purportedly exculpatory evidence that previously had not been disclosed. Flynn, who initially had pleaded guilty to providing false statements to investigators regarding his contact with a Russian ambassador, has pushed back against prosecutors in recent months, insisting that he is innocent. Flynn even took to Twitter for the first time in years on Friday, simply sharing a January court filing where he states he did not lie and alludes to FBI agents stating they believed him during an interview conducted when James Comey still led the bureau. Explosive New Flynn Documents Show FBI Goal Was To 'Get Him Fired'. New documents filed under seal last week by the Department of Justice provide the clearest evidence yet that the investigation and subsequent prosecution of former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was a set-up from the beginning. Handwritten notes from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that had been inappropriately withheld from Flynn's defense team for years show that a key goal of the agents investigating Flynn was "to get him to lie so we can prosecute him or get him fired." The FBI set Flynn up to take a fall. Unsealed internal FBI documents reveal that top FBI officials conspired to set up General Michael Flynn to "get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired." The fact that these documents only turned up now is just one part of the DOJ's and FBI's Russia hoax, an ongoing effort to stage a coup against the Trump administration. The DOJ's and FBI's malicious prosecution against Flynn consisted of withholding exculpatory information (including the material discussed here), threatening without cause to prosecute Flynn's son to force Flynn to plead guilty, and blackmailing Flynn's attorneys into working against him. Bombshells appear is in notes that Bill Priestap, the former head of counterintelligence at the FBI, wrote down after meeting with then-FBI Director James Comey and then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and in emails between McCabe, Peter Strzok, and Lisa Page. Former Flynn Counsel Finds 6,800 New Pages of Evidence Not Turned Over — Judge Sullivan is Not Amused. Michael Flynn removed and replaced his prior legal defense counsel, Covington & Burling, after asserting their ineffective and legally conflicted representation. [NOTE: former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is a partner at Covington & Burling.] As a result of Sidney Powell taking over the Flynn defense, his prior counsel was supposed to turn over all client materials and evidence in the case. After some recent jaw-dropping revelations in the case; which may include evidence highlighting how the FBI participated in framing Michael Flynn; and certainly contains evidence of an unethical prosecutorial agreement with the former defense counsel, to coerce a guilty plea by threatening to arrest Michael Flynn Jr; suddenly today Covington & Burling discover an additional 6,800 pages of evidence they conspicuously omitted. The timing is very sketchy and Judge Sullivan does not appear amused. Flynn's Original Defense Team Repeatedly Rejected Congressional Immunity Overtures. Multiple congressional committees approached Michael Flynn's original defense counsel to raise the prospect of immunity in exchange for Flynn's congressional testimony but were spurned, multiple sources familiar with the interactions told The Federalist. After Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to federal investigators, representatives of multiple congressional committees with oversight responsibility for national security matters asked Flynn's lawyers if Flynn would testify before Congress in exchange for a congressional grant of immunity. Robert Kelner, Flynn's attorney at the time, immediately dismissed the overtures, sources told The Federalist. During one conversation, Kelner allegedly responded that in situations like the one facing Flynn, the prosecution essentially "owns" the defendant and added that he would be unlikely to pursue congressional testimony without the approval of former Spygate Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office. Grassley Demands DOJ Release All Exculpatory Information On Michael Flynn. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is calling on the Justice Department to release all exculpatory information related to the FBI's handling of its case against Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. "Simply stated, after years of rampant speculation and publicly reported inconsistencies regarding how the FBI handled the case, it's time for the public to know the full set off facts relating to Lt. Gen. Flynn, including any and all government misconduct," Grassley wrote in a letter to DOJ Attorney General William Barr. "In the alternative, I request that you amend the protective order so that Congress can review the information in light of its constitutional oversight prerogatives." Flynn Defense Gets More DOJ Documents — Previously Within Mueller Files? It appears U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Jensen from Missouri, who was brought in to review all of the DOJ case files surrounding Michael Flynn, has provided an additional eleven pages of exculpatory FBI notes. Michael Flynn's defense counsel Sidney Powell describes the latest notes as: "even more appalling than the Friday production". The Flynn defense and the DOJ (likely Jensen) have filed a joint motion with the court asking for the documents to be unsealed after a classification review. However, as Techno Fog noted looking at the cover letter, it appears these notes were already in the custody of the Special Counsels Office ("DOJSCO")[.] FBI notes detail effort to catch Flynn in lie to 'get him fired' as Trump adviser. A senior FBI official's handwritten notes from the earliest days of the Trump administration expressed concern that the bureau might be "playing games" with a counterintelligence interview of then-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to get him to lie so "we could prosecute him or get him fired." The notes and other emails were provided to Flynn's lawyers under seal last week and released Wednesday night by court order, providing the most damning evidence to date of potential politicalization and misconduct inside the FBI during the Russia probe. The notes show FBI officials discussed not providing Flynn a Miranda-like warning before his January 2017 interview — a practice normally followed in such interviews — so that he could be charged with a crime if he misled the agents, the officials said. Robert Mueller's Case Against Michael Flynn Is About To Implode. The criminal case against Michael Flynn imploded Friday. First, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia provided Flynn's legal team with documents discovered by an outside review of the Flynn prosecution — documents withheld for years. Then, Sidney Powell, the attorney who took over Flynn's defense nearly a year ago, filed new documents in the case, revealing a secret "lawyers' understanding" not to prosecute Flynn's son if the retired lieutenant general pleaded guilty. Gen. Michael Flynn was railroaded by the DOJ, the FBI, and his own attorneys. Thanks to the dogged efforts of Gen. Michael Flynn's new attorneys, we're learning that Flynn was subject to the type of justice that would be found in a courtroom in the Soviet Union or Alice's Wonderland. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI engaged in blatantly illegal, dishonest, and immoral conduct to railroad Flynn — and they got away with this by turning Flynn's attorneys against him. Sidney Powell became Flynn's attorney after Flynn had already signed a plea agreement with the DOJ. Since then, she and Flynn have been doggedly challenging that agreement, saying Flynn entered into it because the FBI and DOJ lied to him about the case against him. Additionally, there were strong rumors that Flynn ultimately agreed because the government, having already destroyed his finances and his reputation, threatened to do the same to his son. We now know that these rumors were true. Explosive Revelations in the Flynn Case. Even when the government is doing the right thing, you can rest assured that Friday-afternoon information dumps (here, in the middle of a pandemic) are apt to contain news humiliating for the officials involved. So it was that last Friday night [4/24/2020], the DOJ provided some so-called Brady material — i.e., exculpatory information that prosecutors are required by law to reveal to defendants they have charged with crimes — that Flynn's lead lawyer, Sidney Powell, has been demanding for months. The information is still not public because it has been produced under a court order that keeps it under wraps, at least for now. But we can glean its outlines from a motion Ms. Powell filed immediately afterward in federal court in the District of Columbia. That's where she has been trying to convince Judge Emmet Sullivan to vacate Flynn's guilty plea and throw out the case based on alleged prosecutorial misconduct. In the motion, Powell argues that the new information "proves Mr. Flynn's allegations of having been deliberately set up and framed by corrupt agents." FBI Director Implausibly Denies Hiding Evidence. Poor FBI Director Christopher Wray. So many times has he torpedoed the transparency of our nation's most powerful law enforcement agency that nobody believes his latest denial. The Epoch Times just reported that surrogates for Wray have denied reports the director fought the release of "exculpatory" documents to Michael Flynn's attorneys. "Exculpatory" means the documents show Flynn is innocent. It's a term of art that seems to have completely different definitions depending on whether the defense or the prosecution argues the point. You could read hundreds of articles detailing the fishiness surrounding the Flynn prosecution, but to recap just the most important points, here's a refresher. [...] Flynn To Be 'Completely Exonerated This Week', AG Barr Has Directed U.S. Attorney to Review FBI Personnel 'Communications and Notes', Reports Say. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn will reportedly be "completely exonerated" this week after being charged in former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation for allegedly lying to federal agents. Fox News host Maria Bartiromo tweeted: "Breaking News: sources tell me @GenFlynn will be completely exonerated this week. It was a total fraud. A Set up. More tomorrow" A source with knowledge of the matter confirmed Bartiromo's tweet to The Daily Wire. New Evidence 'Proves' Flynn Was 'Framed,' His Lawyer Says, Wants Documents Unsealed. A prosecutor reviewing the case against former Trump adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn uncovered "stunning ... evidence that proves Mr. Flynn's allegations of having been deliberately set up and framed by corrupt agents at the top of the FBI," Flynn's lawyer, Sidney Powell, said in an April 24 court filing. The evidence was filed with the court and a redacted copy was provided to the defense on April 24 under a protective order and is thus inaccessible to the public. Within hours, Powell submitted a filing requesting the court to unseal the documents and order the government to give them to Flynn unredacted. Powell also submitted two emails which indicate prosecutors made an under-the-table deal with Flynn's previous lawyers to not prosecute his son in exchange for Flynn's cooperation with multiple investigations. Flynn Case Update — Reviewing Missouri U.S. Attorney Provides Exculpatory Evidence Under Seal. A very interesting development that could prove to be quite important. Today Michael Flynn's counsel received a letter from the DOJ notifying his defense the Missouri U.S. Attorney, who was brought in to review all of the evidence in the case, has delivered new evidence and information on the case filed under seal. Virus Strikes Media Dumb. There's a lot of important news this week which is getting insufficient coverage. [...] General Michael Flynn, in support of his motion that he be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea, filed a new pleading this week. In it he notes that exculpatory material that he just now tardily received had been deliberately withheld from him, against the mandate of the Brady case. This material supports his motion that he was framed and his son threatened by prosecutors if he did not plead guilty. He also asserts that his prior counsel urged him to give up dirt on the President to the prosecutors. Source Says FBI Director Christopher Wray Pushed To Withhold Exculpatory Evidence In Mike Flynn Case. Federal Bureau of Investigations Director Christopher Wray fought to prevent exculpatory evidence from surfacing in the case of President Donald Trump's former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, a source with direct knowledge of the situation tells Daily Caller. New court documents were filed in Flynn's case Friday containing the aforementioned exculpatory evidence, commonly referred to as Brady Material. Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, announced the new filing on Twitter. She has repeatedly accused the FBI and Justice Department of hiding evidence in the case. Stunning Brady Docs Disclosed By Gov Exonerate Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Defense Says. Stunning documents withheld for years from former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's defense reveal that the retired three-star general did not commit any crimes, as suggested by Department of Justice prosecutors in former Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation, his attorney said. The new evidence was turned over to Sidney Powell, Flynn's defense lawyer, by U.S. Attorney Timothy Shea, who obtained the information after an extensive review by attorneys appointed by U.S. Attorney General William Barr to review Flynn's case. Barr's team included United States attorney in St. Louis, Jeff Jensen, who is handling the Flynn matter, along with prosecutors from the office of the deputy attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen. The documented evidence was sent to Powell by Shea but is under court seal. DOJ Disputes Independent Sources Who Affirm Boente and Wray Tried to Block Flynn Release. Two different FBI sources reported earlier today to both The Federalist and separately to The Daily Caller that FBI legal counsel Dana Boente and FBI Director Christopher Wray tried to block the release of exculpatory information to Lt. General Flynn's defense team. However the DOJ, via spokesperson Kerri Kupec, denies those allegations. Little Noticed Whistleblower Story from August 2018 Involving ONA Director, Col. James Baker, Takes on Greater Significance in the Wake of Flynn Filing. While reviewing reader comments on my recent post about General Michael Flynn's stunning October 24th court filing, I learned of a largely overlooked story reported in August 2018 by the Daily Caller's Kerry Picket. It gained little traction at the time, but it's become far more significant in light of the Flynn filing. The Flynn filing alleges that Col. James Baker, Director of the Office of Net Assessment at the Pentagon (ONA), leaked copies of the transcripts from Flynn's December 2016 telephone calls to then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak to the press. Baker had regularly scheduled lunches with The Washington Post's David Ignatius whom published an article about the calls in January 2017. Newly Filed Court Documents Include Exculpatory Evidence For Michael Flynn. New court documents filed under seal include significant exculpatory information about Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former National Security Adviser, an FBI official familiar with the situation told The Federalist on Friday. The new documents, which were filed under seal by the Department of Justice Friday, allegedly include exonerating evidence about Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about his conversations with foreign diplomats as Trump's top incoming foreign policy adviser and is currently attempting to withdraw his plea, as well as evidence of malfeasance by the FBI during its investigation of Flynn. According to the FBI official who spoke to The Federalist, FBI general counsel Dana Boente led the charge internally against DOJ's disclosure of the new materials. Boente, who briefly served as acting Attorney General after Trump became president, personally signed off on one of the federal spy warrants against former Trump campaign affiliate Carter Page. The new documents, which were filed under a protective order by DOJ on Friday, will reflect poorly on the FBI, the official told The Federalist. It is not clear when, or even if, those documents will be unsealed and made available to the public for review. New Court Filing Says Head Prosecutor Made 'Secret' Deal with Flynn's Former Lawyers to Get Guilty Plea. Lawyers for General Michael Flynn said in a new supplemental filing that previously undisclosed evidence "proves" the former national security adviser for President Trump was "deliberately set up and framed by corrupt agents at the top of the FBI." "The government has deliberately suppressed this evidence from the inception of this prosecution — knowing there was no crime by Mr. Flynn," the filing reads. It claims that the head prosecutor on the case, Brandon Van Grack, made a "side deal" with Flynn's former defense team to not prosecute Flynn's son — despite threatening to Flynn that he would do so — in order to get Flynn to plead guilty. Heavily-redacted emails show Flynn's former lawyers discussing why the deal needed to be "kept secret," implying that Flynn would be used to testify in further criminal cases. Leak of sealed evidence in the Michael Flynn case points to a high-ranking deep state operative as a key to the Russia hoax conspiracy at DOJ and FBI. A new visage is going to join Comey, Brennan, McCabe, Strzok, Page, and Rosenstein on the front page of the cabal's rogues' gallery: Dana Boente. [...] Boente was covering up the railroading of General Flynn, which is bad enough. And he signed off on a phony FISA warrant, a crime. But that is far from Boente's only role in the conspiracy. Sundance of The Conservative Treehouse, who has a matchless command of the minutiae of the evidence of this conspiracy so far, has been arguing for years that Boente was a key conspirator. Now, with this latest disclosure, he fits together the pieces in a meticulous fashion. General Mike Flynn Breaks His Silence After Government Releases Brady Documents Showing He Committed No Crimes. General Mike Flynn Friday night [4/24/2020] broke his silence after the government finally released Brady documents showing he committed no crimes. Attorney Sidney Powell has been fighting to get her hands on the Brady Material since she took over the case. The documents are filed under seal, but attorney Sidney Powell said it reveals Flynn did not commit any crimes. Powell also said that the documents produced found further misconduct by Mueller's thug prosecutor Brandon Van Grack specifically. Report: Newly Filed Court Documents Have 'Exonerating Evidence' for Michael Flynn. New documents filed under seal in federal court include "exculpatory information" about former White House National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Flynn, according to a report. The documents were filed by the Justice Department on Friday and allegedly include "exonerating evidence" for Flynn, an FBI official familiar with the situation told The Federalist's Sean Davis. The documents also allegedly show "evidence of malfeasance by the FBI" during its investigation of Flynn and will "reflect poorly" on the FBI. It is not clear when the documents may be unsealed and made available to the public. Newly Filed Court Documents Include Exculpatory Evidence For Michael Flynn. New court documents filed under seal include significant exculpatory information about Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former National Security Adviser, an FBI official familiar with the situation told The Federalist on Friday [4/24/2020]. The new documents, which were filed under seal by the Department of Justice Friday, allegedly include exonerating evidence about Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about his conversations with foreign diplomats as Trump's top incoming foreign policy adviser and is currently attempting to withdraw his plea, as well as evidence of malfeasance by the FBI during its investigation of Flynn. How Can We Have Two Systems of Justice in This Country? There should not be two standards of justice in this nation — a slap on the wrist for the politically correct who do wrong, while Gen. Michael Flynn's whole life has been upended for allegedly lying to the FBI. Flynn has lost his house, livelihood, and reputation. Meanwhile, in contrast, there is a high ranking FBI attorney who allegedly doctored an email to obtain a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) warrant for raw political sabotage, who has yet to be punished. Former Flynn Defense Counsel Covington and Burling 'just now found additional docs' In Flynn File. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's previous defense team turned over recently discovered emails and handwritten notes Wednesday to his new counsel, suggesting that the delay in turning over the documents were due to technical issues since being ordered by the presiding federal judge six months ago to turn over all documents. On July 25, 2019 presiding Federal Judge Emmet T. Sullivan, ordered the well-known law firm of Covington and Burling LLP to 'promptly turn over the entire file' on Flynn to his new defense attorney Sidney Powell. The order was made under threat of a hearing before the District of Columbia Ethics Counsel. The law firm turned over what is described as a 'voluminous' amount of documents but it apparently wasn't all the documents. On Wednesday, the law firm turned over more documents and suggested in a supplemental notice filed with the court that there may be even be more documents not yet produced. Michael Flynn lawyer says client was prepared to 'audit' Obama spy officials before getting 'set up'. A lawyer for retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said her client was prepared to "audit" the U.S. intelligence community as White House national security adviser. And that, according to former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell, is partly why federal agents "set up" Flynn. Flynn, 61, is fighting to dismiss the government's case against him. He pleaded guilty in December 2017 for lying to investigators about his conversations with Russian diplomat Sergey Kislyak on sanctions on Russia and a United Nations resolution on Israel, but in January, he told the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., that he was "innocent of this crime." Gen. Michael Flynn Deserves a Presidential Pardon. If anyone deserves a presidential pardon, it's Gen. Michael Flynn. He should never have been prosecuted because he did nothing wrong. Documents prove it. Days after President Trump was inaugurated in January of 2017, then-FBI Director James Comey and his chief assistant, Andrew McCabe, laid an unconscionable trap for the national security adviser in an effort to sabotage the new president's administration at the outset. Under the phony pretext of a possible Logan Act violation, they disguised their true intent and manipulated Flynn into having a sit-down conversation with FBI agents at the White House. Boxes were still being unpacked. Over the telephone in advance, McCabe pushed Flynn not to have a lawyer present and lulled him into believing the meeting would be just an informal discussion of no legal consequences. McCabe and the agents agreed in advance not to tell Flynn the truth behind their visit, nor did they advise him that the Obama administration had secretly recorded Flynn's conversation with Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak. Obama DOJ officials privately told Mueller they were alarmed by FBI treatment of Flynn. Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates and other senior Obama-era Justice Department officials told the Russia special prosecutor in private interviews they had concerns about the FBI's conduct in investigating former Trump National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, according to memos that paint a dark portrait of the bureau's behavior. The documents, which include a letter from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team transmitting exculpatory evidence to Flynn's defense lawyers in 2018, offer the most detailed montage to date about why Attorney General Bill Barr recently appointed a special prosecutor to review the government's actions in the Flynn case. Trump considering 'full pardon' for Michael Flynn after FBI 'lost' records. President Trump said he is seriously considering a pardon for former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. "So now it is reported that, after destroying his life & the life of his wonderful family (and many others also), the FBI, working in conjunction with the Justice Department, has 'lost' the records of General Michael Flynn. How convenient. I am strongly considering a Full Pardon!" Trump tweeted on Sunday [3/15/2020]. Michael Flynn seeks total exoneration, not pardon, says his attorney. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's lawyer, Sidney Powell, told Just the News this week that she is seeking total exoneration of her client from the Department of Justice in a case that has dragged on for years. "We don't want a pardon," she told the site's CEO John Solomon for his podcast John Solomon Reports. "We want an exoneration." While emphasizing that her client wouldn't dismiss the idea of accepting a pardon, Powell made clear that she and Flynn have set their sights higher. "We want this case dismissed in the interest of justice," she said. Sidney Powell Shooting for 'Total Exoneration' of Michael Flynn. Attorney Sidney Powell says she's seeking total exoneration of her client General Michael Flynn (Ret.) from the Department of Justice in a case that she says should be dismissed. "We don't want a pardon," she told John Solomon for his podcast John Solomon Reports. "We want an exoneration." Powell said Flynn would accept a pardon, but stressed that they were hoping for a more just outcome. The case, which has dragged on for years, has taken a heavy toll on the retired general. Flynn, President Trump's short-lived National Security Adviser, was forced to sell is house in 2018 to help pay for his crippling legal bills. By July of 2019, he had reportedly built up a tab of more than $4.6 million before parting ways with his attorneys Covington & Burling. Did Obama's DOJ Leak Michael Flynn's Russia Phone Call To Set Him Up? One of the great mysteries of the Trump-Russia saga that remains unsolved three years later, or at least uncharged, is who leaked Gen. Michael Flynn's calls with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. As incoming national security advisor, Flynn spoke with numerous foreign officials in the lead-up to inauguration. This included a conversation with Kislyak on Dec. 29, 2016 in which they discussed, among other things, measures taken by the Obama administration (also on Dec. 29) to expel Russian agents and levy financial penalties in response to Russia's "malicious cyber-enabled activities" relating to the 2016 election. Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly responded to these sanctions the next day. The Counter-Coup Has Begun. [Scroll down] The latest proof that triggered my call to action? The brand new classified NSC phonebook, with the names of all the holdovers, new hires, and political appointees and their contact details had been leaked to the press, before General Flynn had even signed off on it. My concern was that it was time to act before something bigger and more damaging to America's national security was leaked. Sadly Mike did not take my advice and it would have dire consequences. A few days later he would resign and eventually was charged with a process crime to which he pleaded guilty in order to save his family. Thanks to the great work of a handful of investigative journalists, including John Solomon, Sara A. Carter, and Lee Smith, we now know that James Comey's cronies at the FBI targeted General Flynn, caught him misremembering details about a perfectly professional and proper phone-call with the Russian ambassador, and they used that to take him down. Since then, thanks to the incredible work of his recently appointed counsel, Sydney Powell we have the details of just how badly this innocent man was railroaded. America has criminalized speech and thought with Flynn, Stone, and Avanatti. Prosecutors these days don't need to prove that the defendant committed an illegal act. Unencumbered by any judge or jury, prosecutors have the power to ruin people's lives for the "crime" of what they say or think. That's what's happening in the high-profile, politically-tinged cases of Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Michael Avenatti and others. In the case of Flynn, the former National Security Advisor, the FBI decided beforehand to downplay their interview of him by presenting it almost as a social call. Then they asked him questions to which they already knew the answers, for the sole purpose of tricking him into a lie or a fudging of the truth. They made no recording of their conversation, so we don't really know what Flynn said. But according to the two FBI agents in the conversation, Flynn was deceptive in his answers. On that basis, they destroyed this decorated Lieutenant General's reputation, livelihood and lifetime savings. The Democrat Left is cruel and sadistic. Dennis Prager, on his radio program last Friday [2/14/2020], observed that the Left is truly sadistic and cruel. Leftists enjoy destroying those whose views they find unacceptable. Consider the despicable and truly sadistic way they treated Brett Kavanaugh. They concocted a plan, brought in Blasey Ford to do the deed, and went after the man with glee. The insidious group of thugs who targeted Michael Flynn were absolutely sadistic as well. They fabricated the crimes he was charged with out of whole cloth. They needed to destroy the man and nearly did. He lost his home, as did Roger Stone. D.C. is worse than a swamp; it devours those who presume to buck its system of skullduggery in search of wealth and power. President Trump's victory in 2016 put them all back on their heels. Flynn Case Update — Reply Motion Supporting Dismissal and/or Withdrawal of Plea. Lawyers representing Michael Flynn presented a strong argument today [2/18/2020] in reply to the governments' continued efforts to refute prosecutorial wrongdoing. Revealed: FBI Used 'Briefing' with Trump, Flynn to Gather Evidence for Crossfire Hurricane Operation. The FBI under James Comey underhandedly sent a senior member of the team investigating alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign to conduct a standard official FBI security briefing for presidential campaigns with then-candidate Donald Trump and his then national security advisor, Michael T. Flynn. Unbeknownst to both Trump and Flynn, that FBI investigator memorialized that briefing, which included exchanges with Flynn and Trump, in an official document that was added to the Crossfire Hurricane case file probing the Trump campaign over unsubstantiated and ultimately discredited charges of Russian collusion. DOJ Assigns U.S. Attorney to Review FBI's Ambush Interview of General Flynn. Attorney General William Barr has reportedly assigned a prosecutor to review the criminal case against General Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser. Barr tapped U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, Jeffrey Jensen to look into the circumstances surrounding Flynn's FBI interview, the people familiar with the inquiry said. The inquiry began this past month, the officials said. The attorney general has also reportedly appointed prosecutors to review several other politically sensitive cases, although none of those cases have been specified. The Sentencing of Michael Flynn Represents a Very Big Problem for AG Bill Barr. For the past week CTH has been outlining some lengthy research, highlighting key issues to help understand the background of what is evident. If you've followed along, in this outline the individual pieces will all come together. Bill Barr has a very big problem… Andrew McCabe cannot be prosecuted in 2020 for the same reason James Wolfe could not be prosecuted in 2018. When we understand why we realize the problem that Michael Flynn now represents to U.S. Attorney Bill Barr. Justice Department taps outside prosecutor to review handling of Michael Flynn case. The Department of Justice has tapped an outside prosecutor to review the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, Fox News has learned. A senior Justice Department official told Fox News on Friday that Jeff Jensen, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, has been assigned to Flynn's case. Jensen will be working hand-in-hand with the lead prosecutor of Flynn case, Brandon Van Grack, according to the official. Barr privately ordered re-examination of Michael Flynn's case, US officials say. Attorney General William Barr is ordering a re-examination of several high-profile cases, including that of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, US officials briefed on the matter say, in a move that could bring fresh scrutiny of the political motives behind actions at the Justice Department. US Attorney Jeffrey Jensen of St. Louis has been tasked with taking a second look at some aspects of the sensitive cases, one of the officials said. It was not clear which other cases were under review, and what form the reviews had taken. Prosecutors Dodge Michael Flynn's Best Arguments, Attempt To Hide Evidence. wo weeks ago, in addition to filing a supplemental motion to withdraw the guilty plea Michael Flynn had entered on December 1, 2017, Flynn attorney Sidney Powell filed a second motion seeking dismissal of the charge against President Trump's short-tenured national security advisor, based on egregious government misconduct and in the interest of justice. Yesterday, the government responded to Flynn's motion to dismiss based on prosecutorial misconduct, but failed to address two of the retired general's strongest arguments. In the Motion to Dismiss for Egregious Government Misconduct and in the Interest of Justice, Powell highlighted the evidence of misconduct revealed in the then just-released inspector general's report on FISA abuse. While Powell hit many parts of the report, two aspects of it proved especially relevant to Flynn's claims of government misconduct. Federal Witch Hunt Prosecutors Seek to Delay Gen. Flynn's Sentencing Date. There are new major developments in the case against three-star General Michael Flynn. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington has proposed delaying "a number of approaching deadlines," Fox News reports, "that would ultimately make his sentencing unlikely" on February 27, as was the original plan. The prosecutors conducting the witch hunt against one of America's most heroic and important generals of the last few decades want Gen. Flynn's former attorneys to testify against him. They argue that the general waived his attorney-client privileges in his communications with Covington & Burling by arguing that he received ineffective assistance from them. The Once and Future Scandal. The net effects of the Mueller and Horowitz investigations were variously to exonerate Trump, to expose a corrupt Justice Department, CIA, and FBI, to illustrate how the government hounded and ruined the lives of minor 2016 Trump campaign officials with largely process convictions and plea-bargained confessions, and to explain the peremptory resignations of more than a dozen top Washington officials of James Comey's FBI — as well as the railroading General Michael Flynn. Thread reader: Flynn was the "insurance policy". The "insurance policy" which is initiated on August 15, 2016 was if Trump won the Election, then Gen. Flynn had to be neutralized/taken out ASAP, because once he was established as National Security Advisor, Flynn could verify what Admiral Mike Rogers warned them about. I'm talking about the ongoing counterintelligence investigation of the Trump Administration and the illegal surveillance. Flynn was fired February 13, 2017, less than 4 weeks after he assumed the NSA position, being involved in controversy almost from day one. Just imagine if he had discovered the SpyGate plot while still NSA & prior to Sessions recusal March 2, 2017, it would have been a volcanic type of eruption within the west Wing. If that happened, then Strzok, Pientka, McCabe, Comey, Yates & Page would be indicted by now. Comey would have been fired immediately the day it was verified by the General. Heads would have been rolling early. As Impeachment Ends, It's Time to Correct These Nine Injustices. [#2] Pardon Michael Flynn. I've already written thousands of words on the myriad injustices visited upon Michael Flynn by the deep state's premier vengeance project. But this is Trump's Department of Justice. He shouldn't farm out the obligation to do the right thing to a district judge. He should immediately stop this nonsense. While he's at it, pardon Roger Stone and Papadopoulos too. The Flynn prosecution now stands exposed as massive FBI and DOJ abuse of power. Here's another black eye for the Justice Department's Obama-era leadership: The case against Gen. Michael Flynn is in full collapse. Federal prosecutors just backed down from their demand that Flynn — President Trump's first, short-lived national security adviser — serve jail time for lying to FBI investigators, telling a court Wednesday that probation would be a "reasonable" sentence. In fact, Justice had long wanted leniency, since Flynn cooperated fully with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigations. But last month it started seeking up to six months of confinement — mainly because he's no longer taking responsibility for his crime. "I am innocent," he writes in a new filing, explaining that he pleaded guilty in 2017 to making false statements to the FBI because he felt helpless to fight the charges: He'd already had to sell his home to pay legal costs and was told his son could be indicted, too. Feds Back Off Jailing Michael Flynn After Stunning New Evidence That Gov't 'Lied' and 'Framed' Him. The government lied, "framed," hid favorable evidence, and showed "contempt for the law at every turn" in their treatment of Michael Flynn, the retired three-star Army general and former Trump White House national security adviser. Those charges were contained in a new filing in the government's case against Flynn. And his attorney, Sidney Powell, was just getting started. In the 27-page-filing, an add-on to her previous motions, Powell demanded charges be dropped against Flynn based on previously withheld exculpatory documents by the government and the IG report on FISA abuse. Michael Flynn takes on 'egregious' FBI misconduct, little-known FBI agent in guilty plea withdrawal. "I did not lie to them." With those words in a declaration and supplemental motion filed Wednesday [1/29/2020], former national security adviser Michael Flynn formally asked a federal judge for permission to withdraw his guilty plea for making false statements to two FBI agents in the White House back on Jan. 24, 2017. In a sweeping argument that took aim at the bureau's "outrageous" conduct, Flynn's legal team highlighted a slew of information that has come to light since Flynn's plea — including that no precise record of Flynn's statements to the agents exists and that the original handwritten FD-302 witness report from the interview is "missing," with subsequent versions later "edited" in some undisclosed manner by anti-Trump FBI officials. Justice Department Drops Demand For Jail For Flynn. The Department of Justice has dropped its demand for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to serve time under his plea agreement. Flynn was attempting to withdraw his plea after the Justice Department set out in what was an overtly vindictive campaign against him in court. The Flynn case remains a troubling matter for those who have followed the Russian investigation. He pleaded guilty to a false statement that seems relatively minor in comparison to false statements made by Justice officials like Andrew McCabe or leaks by figures like James Comey. Flynn Case Update — Flynn Files Motion to Dismiss, Declaration of Plea Reversal. Lawyers representing Lt. General Michael Flynn have filed a motion to dismiss citing "government misconduct". Additionally Mr. Flynn has filed a declaration requesting to remove his prior guilty plea and take the case to trial. Hours later the DOJ revised their sentencing memo, dropped their request for jail time and offered probation. Within the motion to dismiss Flynn's legal team point out several issues with the prosecution of Mr. Flynn and highlight the recent findings, admissions and briefs amid the IG report, DOJ notifications to the FISA Court, and FISC orders therein. The Senate Should Censure the House over Impeachment. [Scroll down] The legal depravity initiated by the Mueller investigation, carried well forth into Schiff's operation, forcing administration members to hire attorneys at their own expense in order to avoid going to jail for some trumped up process crime. We saw the effects of this same thing during the Mueller witch hunt, where government lawyers on taxpayer funded salary, "papered" innocent folks like the distinguished Lieutenant General Flynn into penury. Flynn after all, had to pay his attorneys out of his own pocket and by the billable hour. Flynn Lawyer Sidney Powell: We Have a Witness to Missing Exculpatory FBI 302. Attorney Sidney Powell announced Friday that she has a witness to exculpatory FBI notes (known as a 302) from former national security adviser Michael Flynn's FBI interview with Peter Strzok and another agent. "We don't have the original 302 that the FBI agents created and I've now found a witness who says the original 302 did in fact say that Flynn was honest with the agents and did not lie," Powell, who has been representing Flynn for about six months, told WMAL's Larry O'Connor. "So for someone to delete that from the 302 is just beyond outrageous, but that is the only reason I can think of as to why it would have been deep-sixed," she added. Sidney Powell Interview With Larry O'Conner: "We Have a Witness To The Original Flynn 302". Remarkable interview between the attorney for Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell, on WMAL radio with Larry O'Conner. Ms. Powell describes the current status of the case and the filings to withdraw the guilty plea. Additionally, Ms. Powell drops a bombshell in that they have a witness to the original Flynn-302 the government says doesn't exist. O'Conner does a great interview because he understands the background and details to the case. His probing questions allow Ms. Powell to share valuable insight. The original FBI report is reported to have statements to the effect that Michael Flynn was not lying. The prosecution says no such FBI FD-302 report exists; however, Ms. Powell now shares that they have a witness to it. Clinton is Responsible for the Flynn Farce. The big takeaway from DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz' report is this: The Trump/Russia Hoax "dossier" the FBI used to fake the probable cause needed to start counterintelligence investigations of Trump affiliates came straight from the Hillary Clinton campaign. The biggest scandal of the 2016 election is always going to be that the losing campaign managed to pull off such a stunningly successful dirty trick against the winning campaign, of course with the help of corrupt federal officials. And right now, it is Lt. General Michael Flynn that is still living with the consequences of this infuriating dirty trick. After more than two years, the General is still awaiting closure in his case. The offense the government has levied against him, is was based on the word of two unbelievably corrupt FBI agents named Peter Strzok and Joseph Pientka. New Evidence In Michael Flynn Case Shows Government Prosecutors Pushed Him To Lie. Yesterday, Michael Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, filed a Motion to Withdraw his Guilty Plea, arguing the government breached its obligations under the plea agreement the retired general had entered with the special counsel's office in late 2017. Prosecutors had promised in that plea agreement to "file a departure motion pursuant to Section 5K1.1 of the Sentencing Guidelines" if Flynn provided substantial assistance to the government. The government kept that pledge — until it didn't. Michael Flynn moves to withdraw guilty plea, citing 'bad faith' by government. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn moved Tuesday [1/14/2020] to withdraw his guilty plea for lying to the FBI in the Russia probe, citing "bad faith" by the government. The court filing came just days after the Justice Department reversed course to recommend up to six months of prison time in his case, alleging he was not fully cooperating or accepting responsibility for his actions. But, in Tuesday's court filing, his legal team said he moved to withdraw his plea "because of the government's bad faith, vindictiveness and breach of the plea agreement." FBI Protecting and Hiding Sketchy FBI Agent Joseph Pientka? With increased scrutiny toward the actions, and lack thereof, from current FBI Director Christopher Wray, another sketchy aspect deserves some scrutiny. [...] Supervisory Special Agent Joseph Pientka III was first identified by Senator Chuck Grassley in May of 2018 as the second FBI agent involved in the 2017 interview of Lt. General Michael Flynn. Frustrated by the FBI stonewalling his Senate inquiry, Chairman Grassley dropped the revelation publicly on May 11th, 2018, in a letter to the FBI. Judge rejects Michael Flynn claim of FBI ambush and orders January sentencing. The judge overseeing Michael Flynn's case rebuked the lieutenant general's lawyers, denying claims Flynn was set up by the FBI and shooting down requests for allegedly exculpatory information. "The Court summarily disposes of Mr. Flynn's arguments that the FBI conducted an ambush interview for the purpose of trapping him into making false statements and that the government pressured him to enter a guilty plea. The record proves otherwise," District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan said in a 92-page ruling Monday, ordering a sentencing hearing for Jan. 28. Flynn's lawyer Sidney Powell called the judge's ruling "as wrong as it is disappointing" in a short statement to the Washington Examiner. Flynn filleted. General Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to one count of false statements in the Mueller miasma. After pleading guilty to the charge on two separate occasions, Flynn retained new counsel, proclaimed his innocence, alleged prosecutorial misconduct, urged the court to hold the prosecutors in contempt, and sought dismissal of the case against him based on government misconduct. Having chosen to forego a motion to withdraw his guilty plea and to waive his rights in connection with his guilty plea(s), Flynn was up against it with his post-plea motions. [...] Flynn has been shortchanged by the system he dedicated so much of his life to preserving. Judge In Michael Flynn Case Decides To Ignore Mounting Evidence Of Prosecutorial Abuse. Judge Emmet Sullivan had two choices: He could ignore the growing evidence of government misconduct and wind up the two-year saga that has been the sentencing phase of the Michael Flynn criminal case, or he could say "not on my watch." Yesterday, in a methodical and seemingly tempered opinion, the long-time federal judge opted for the former tack when he denied in full the comprehensive motion to compel Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell filed several months ago. Judge Sullivan then set Flynn's sentencing for January 28, 2020. While Judge Sullivan's opinion appeared measured as he dispatched the myriad issues Powell raised on behalf of her client, two passages, separated by scores of pages in the tedious 99-page opinion, make clear that the outcome was a forgone conclusion. President Trump, Stop [Delaying] and Pardon Mike Flynn. The first man caught up in the Russia Hoax, retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, is seeing his case come to an end. He was scheduled to be sentenced on December 18 on the charge of lying to a federal agent. That investigation, as we now know, was a barking shambles of bad faith and corruption. But, on the advice of highly conflicted counsel — the law firm that prepared the FARA declaration that was the basis of the charge that Flynn lied also represented him in the criminal proceedings — and under extreme pressure from federal prosecutors, Flynn entered a guilty plea. AG Bill Barr Chooses to Protect Rosenstein Over Full Disclosure in Flynn Case. Regardless of whether you would support or not support the vigorous defense of Michael Flynn, I would hope we would all agree a fulsome discovery of all relevant background material is a cornerstone of justice appropriately applied. With that in mind it is concerning how Attorney General Bill Barr would prefer to keep DOJ conduct against Flynn hidden from public review. Flynn judge crushes hopes for tossing guilty plea, says ex-national security adviser waived constitutional rights. A federal judge on Monday [12/16/2019] rejected Michael Flynn's comprehensive requests for exculpatory information that may have been withheld by the FBI, saying that the former national security adviser had waived his fundamental constitutional rights by pleading guilty to making false statements. The order from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington also set a Jan. 28 sentencing date in the case, and essentially crushed any remaining hopes that Flynn might see his guilty plea tossed. The ruling came just days after Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz identified a slew of misconduct by FBI agents investigating former Trump aide Carter Page — including by a little-known agent who interviewed Flynn at the White House in January 2017. How The IG FISA Abuse Report Affects Michael Flynn's Case. Monday's release of Inspector General Michael Horowitz's 476-page tome on the Department of Justice and FBI's misconduct in the lead up to and aftermath of the 2016 presidential election continues to make news — and rightly so. That the DOJ and FBI obtained a surveillance order from a secret court to spy on Carter Page with a series of applications riddled with errors, fabrications, and inexcusable omissions of material fact is shocking. The shocking breadth of the government's misconduct raises an interesting corollary question: How will Judge Emmet Sullivan react to these devastating revelations? Sullivan has been hunkered down in his chambers for the last month contemplating (or drafting) his ruling on attorney Sidney Powell's pending motion in the criminal case against her client, Michael Flynn. Flynn had pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI before Powell took over as his defense counsel. Flynn's sentencing was postponed to allow Powell to get up to speed in the case. Soon after, Powell filed a motion to compel federal prosecutors to turn over Brady material and other evidence that had been withheld from Flynn's previous attorneys. All Eyes On Judge In Michael Flynn Case After Weeks Of Shocking Developments. After a flurry of court filings and blockbuster developments last month, the Michael Flynn criminal case has been dormant for nearly three weeks. The parties and the public now await word from presiding Judge Emmett Sullivan on the pending motion to compel and motion for sanctions filed by Sidney Powell, the lead attorney who took over Flynn's case shortly after the special counsel team disbanded. Powell's motion seeks to force federal prosecutors to provide Flynn an array of documents withheld from his attorneys and to sanction government lawyers for their failure to provide relevant evidence to the defense team in a timely manner. When and how Judge Sullivan will rule is unclear. Make No Mistake: The Mueller Investigation Was All About Flynn. I think it began on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, when Flynn changed the way we did intelligence against the likes of Zarqawi, bin Laden, the Taliban, and their allies. General Flynn saw that our battlefield intelligence was too slow. We collected information from the Middle East and sent it back to Washington, where men with stars on their shoulders and others at the civilian intel agencies chewed it over, decided what to do, and sent instructions back to the war zone. By the time all that happened, the battlefield had changed. Flynn short-circuited this cumbersome bureaucratic procedure and moved the whole enterprise to the war itself. The new methods were light years faster. Intel went to local analysts, new actions were ordered from men on the battlefield (Flynn famously didn't care about rank or status) and the war shifted in our favor. Understanding What Sidney Powell Is Doing to Kill the Case against Michael Flynn. Sidney Powell, General Michael Flynn's magnificent lawyer, is in the process of destroying the bogus case that Robert Mueller and his gang of legal thugs tried to sneak past appropriate judicial review. To help you understand what she is doing we must first go back and review the indictment of Flynn and then look at what Ms. Powell, aka Honey Badger, has forced the prosecutors to admit. As the Flynn Case Disintegrates, Parallels with Ukraine Emerge. Brandon Van Grack, the Robert Mueller Justice Department holdover who continues to prosecute Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI, just filed a new "notice" with the court including the stunning admission that he had "misidentified the authorship of the handwritten notes from the January 24, 2017 interview with the defendant." That's the critical interview the government is using as the sole basis for prosecuting President Trump's former national security adviser. It's a mistake Van Grack could never have made in good faith if he had bothered to inform himself with the basics of his case. He should start paying attention because the case not only has ruined a man's life, it has also undermined public confidence both in the Justice Department and the FBI. This is the latest crack in a case that is disintegrating in plain sight. Our Elites Don't See What's Coming. [Scroll down] This all leads us to a serious problem that we as a country are facing: we've been losing trust in our institutions for quite some time. All that the last few years have done is to reinforce that kind of thinking. Seriously. Ask yourself: Do you really trust the FBI? I don't. With the recent reports from Michael Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, apparently senior FBI agents tampered with 302s, falsifying information to get the results they wanted which had nothing to do with the truth. This was the FBI — supposedly the world's greatest law enforcement agency. I don't think so. Until those senior officials go to jail for their abuse of power my distrust of the FBI will continue. DOJ Makes Jaw-Dropping Admission in Flynn Case — Prosecution "Mistakenly" Attributed Wrong Notes to Wrong FBI Agents. Prosecutor Brandon Van Grack sends a letter to Flynn's defense team today containing a stunning, almost impossible to comprehend, admission of a mistake central to the claims of the prosecution. In March 2018 the FBI presented notes taken by agents Pientka and Strzok, now they say they made a 'mistake'. For almost two years the DOJ misidentified, misattributed, and never corrected that the authors of the Flynn interview notes were actually reversed. All of the notes attributed to FBI Agent Peter Strzok actually were taken by FBI Agent Joseph Pientka, and vice-versa. Scoop: CIA, FBI Informant Was Washington Post Source For Russiagate Smears. The Federalist has learned that the now-outed CIA and FBI informant Stefan Halper served as a source for Washington Post reporter David Ignatius, providing more evidence that the intelligence community has co-opted the press to push anti-Trump conspiracy theories. In addition, an email recently obtained by The Federalist from the MI5-connected Christopher Andrew bragging that his long-time friend Ignatius has the "'inside track' on Flynn" adds further confirmation of this conclusion. Svetlana Lokhova, the Russian-born English citizen and Soviet-era scholar, told The Federalist that she only realized the significance of her communications with and about Ignatius following the filing of attorney Sidney Powell's reply brief in the Michael Flynn case. Flynn attorney demands FBI search 'Sentinel' database for missing, 'manipulated' witness reports. Michael Flynn's lawyer on Monday demanded in a court filing that the FBI thoroughly search its internal "Sentinel database" and turn over "every" document in which agents described their critical January 2017 White House interview with the former national security adviser, after it emerged last month that FBI officials had apparently manipulated the so-called "302" witness report in the case weeks after the interview. Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, also asserted that separate handwritten notes from the interview drafted by since-fired FBI agent Peter Strzok and another agent are plainly inconsistent with one another, as well as the final FBI 302 that underpinned Flynn's guilty plea for one count of making false statements to investigators. Reconstructing Justice — Flynn Defense Submits Outstanding Sur-Surreply to Counter Prosecution. In the case against Lt. General Michael Flynn, his lawyer Sidney Powell previously filed a motion to compel (MTC) Brady material from the prosecution. Because the MTC raised stunning, potentially game-changing, legal and ethical issues the prosecution requested the opportunity to file a surreptitious reply to the court; a "surreply". Judge Sullivan directed the prosecution to file their surreply, and then granted the defense the opportunity to file a sur-surreply, a response to the prosecution's last argument. Today [11/4/2019] Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell filed that response. Corrupt DOJ Admits FBI Lost And Destroyed Original 302 Report from Michael Flynn Interview. The Justice Department on Friday responded to Flynn's lawyer Sidney Powell's motion to compel production of Brady Material and to hold prosecutors in contempt. Sidney Powell filed a motion a couple weeks ago revealing that General Flynn was indeed set up by the FBI with an ambush, damaging leaks and altered 302 reports. Powell revealed that former FBI lawyer Lisa Page EDITED General Mike Flynn's 302 report, then lied to the DOJ about the edits. Flynn lawyer Sidney Powell puts Obama Justice Department on trial. Sidney Powell, the Dallas defense lawyer who rode into Washington determined to exonerate retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, specializes in unearthing stashed evidence and prosecutorial misconduct. She came to fame in the Enron scandal in Texas and then wrote a book about how corrupt she believes the U.S. Justice Department is. Today, Ms. Powell is causing headlines in the conservative press and being cheered on by pro-Trump forces as she files motions in U.S. District Court depicting special counsel Robert Mueller's probe as part of that corruption. Something Big Is About to Happen in the Flynn Case. Is the Flynn case hurtling to a final reckoning? On October 24, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, filed a bombshell brief in which she accused the prosecution, led by Robert Mueller alumnus Brandon Van Grack, of spearheading a politically motivated prosecution characterized by shocking (alleged) misconduct on the part of the investigators and the prosecution team. Amid the allegations of hiding evidence, even destroying evidence, came a new accusation that cast doubt on the viability of the prosecution itself. Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to the crime of making false statements to the FBI. But we now learn that Flynn's attorney has produced evidence that Flynn's statement was actually edited and doctored by a group of FBI officials who were not present during the interview. These include the infamous Lisa Page (implicated in the Office of Inspector General report of political corruption in the investigations of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton) and Andrew McCabe (former deputy director of the FBI, fired for lying about leaking). Government Doesn't Deny Editing Flynn's Statement Before Charging Him. The federal government's response Friday [11/1/2019] to Michael Flynn and his attorney's bombshell claims of prosecutorial misconduct raises three concerns. First, that the "false statement" Flynn is accused of making was revised and edited since his interview with the FBI. Second, that Flynn never received a copy of the transcript of the conversations he supposedly lied about. And third, that Flynn's purported "lies" are, in some cases, disputes over the accuracy of vague characterizations about his calls with the Russian ambassador. Report: Judge Sullivan cancels hearing in Gen. Flynn's case. Judge Emmet Sullivan reportedly has cancelled a November hearing he had scheduled in the case of Gen. Michael Flynn. Judge Sullivan said he is cancelling the hearing "in view of the parties' comprehensive briefing concerning Defendant's Motion to Compel Production of Brady Material." In other words, he has all the argumentation he needs to rule on this motion. In this post, John discussed and embedded Flynn's reply brief in support of that motion, filed by Sidney Powell. He described the evidence presented by Powell on Flynn's behalf as "bombshells." I think that's a fair characterization. The cancellation of oral argument tells us that Judge Sullivan is ready to rule, but not what his ruling will be. Free Flynn, Jail Clapper and Brennan. Sidney Powell, the attorney for Gen. Flynn, has filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him based on indications that the FBI altered his 302s, essentially written reports based on witness interviews, to make him look guilty and leaking information on Flynn's calls to the Washington Post. [...] Powell, a former federal prosecutor and a veteran of 500 federal appeals, is the author of Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice, a biting tome exposing the prosecutorial misconduct of government lawyers such as Robert Mueller's "pit bull," Andrew Weissmann, and other members of Obama's inner circle that have threatened the foundations of true justice in our democracy. Powell has sunk her legal teeth into the fraudulent case against Flynn that should result in his, with apologies to Robert Mueller, exoneration. How Michael Flynn Was Set-Up. General Michael Flynn was indicted based on a conversation he had with the Russian ambassador on December 29, 2016, seven weeks after the presidential election. That was the day lame-duck President Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats — including gardeners and chauffeurs — for election interference. After the measures were announced, members of the Obama Administration listened in on Flynn's conversation with the ambassador via wiretap. They expected Flynn to say: "President-elect Trump believes this Russian collusion thing is a fantasy and these sanctions will be lifted on his first day in office." There is nothing wrong with the incoming national security advisor telling an ambassador that the new administration will have a different approach to foreign policy than its predecessor. That is what typically happens in a transition. Framing Flynn. "Lawyers for former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn reportedly filed a motion on Thursday [10/24/2019] in which they allege that the Department of Justice manipulated a document to frame their client and is withholding exculpatory evidence," reports Joel Pollack at Breitbart. Flynn's legal team, headed by Sidney Powell, alleges that Peter Strzok's FBI partner Lisa Page substantially altered the notes of Flynn's interview. The Flynn team also flags former FBI general counsel James Baker as the source of leaks to David Ignatius of the Washington Post. The filing also alleges that former National Intelligence Director James Clapper told the reporter to "take the kill shot on Flynn." Clapper's team denied it, but the kill shot was hardly the only concern. Attorney General William Barr tasked U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate those 2016-17 events, and last week it emerged that Durham's probe is now a full-blown criminal inquiry. Flynn's Lawyer Claims FBI Tampered with Interview Notes, Demands Charges Be Dropped. Former national-security adviser Michael Flynn's lawyer claims in a new bombshell court filing that the FBI tampered with notes from his 2017 interview, during which Flynn pleaded guilty to lying. In a 37-page motion, attorney Sidney Powell called on the court to "dismiss the entire prosecution for outrageous government misconduct" over allegations that FBI agents manipulated a form summarizing Flynn's statements to investigators. The interview dealt with Flynn's contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. In December 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to charges that he lied to the FBI about his Russia contacts during his brief stint as national-security adviser. He is expected to be sentenced in December. Michael Flynn's claim against FBI is 'chilling', says former US Attorney Brett Tolman. A defense claim that FBI agents manipulated official records, leading to Michael Flynn being charged with lying to investigators, is "chilling," former Utah U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman said Saturday [10/26/2019]. The former national security adviser's legal team filed an explosive motion Thursday, alleging that FBI agents manipulated records of Flynn's 2017 interview. This comes as U.S. Attorney John Durham's ongoing probe into potential FBI and Justice Department misconduct in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election has transitioned into a full-fledged criminal investigation. Reports: Federal Judge Overturns Conviction Against Michael Flynn's Former Business Partner. A federal judge has overturned a conviction against former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's former business partner Bijan Rafiekian, who was previously convicted of illegally lobbying in the U.S. on behalf of the Turkish government, according to a report. Judge Anthony Trenga on Tuesday ordered a new trial for Rafiekian, who co-founded the Flynn Intel Group, after he determined that prosecutors did not present sufficient evidence that Rafiekian knowingly operated as a Turkish government agent and intentionally failed to notify U.S. officials about his work, according to Politico. More Bombshells From the Flynn Prosecution. General Michael Flynn still awaits sentencing. Meanwhile his new lawyer, Sidney Powell, is tormenting the prosecutors and the FBI, uncovering corruption in the FBI and the Department of Justice that, she credibly alleges, included the framing of General Flynn. Is that too strong? I don't think so. Yesterday [10/24/2019] Powell filed a reply brief in support of her motion to compel the production of more exculpating material by the prosecution, and to hold the prosecutors in contempt of court. Her recitation, which relies in part on text messages that I take it have come to light recently, makes a compelling case of FBI and prosecutorial misconduct. Sidney Powell Drops Bombshell Showing How The FBI Trapped Michael Flynn. Earlier this week, Michael Flynn's star attorney, Sidney Powell, filed under seal a brief in reply to federal prosecutors' claims that they have already given Flynn's defense team all the evidence they are required by law to provide. A minimally redacted copy of the reply brief has just been made public, and with it shocking details of the deep state's plot to destroy Flynn. While the briefing at issue concerns Powell's motion to compel the government to hand over evidence required by Brady and presiding Judge Emmett Sullivan's standing order, Powell's 37-page brief pivots between showcasing the prosecution's penchant for withholding evidence and exposing significant new evidence the defense team uncovered that establishes a concerted effort to entrap Flynn. Along the way, Powell drops half-a-dozen problems with Flynn's plea and an equal number of justifications for outright dismissal of the criminal charges against Flynn. Michael Flynn's Lawyers Claim Lisa Page Altered FBI Interview Record to Frame Him. Lawyers for former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn reportedly filed a motion on Thursday in which they allege that the Department of Justice manipulated a document to frame their client and is withholding exculpatory evidence. The apparent "sealed" filing, dated October 24, 2019, was posted to social media on Thursday evening [10/24/2019]. Stunning, Potentially Game-Changing, Court Filing by Flynn Defense Lawyer Sidney Powell. In a lengthy court filing surrounding the issues of Brady discovery material, Mike Flynn's lawyer, Sidney Powell, drops some serious evidentiary bombshells on the court. Ms. Powell brings Lady Justice to the courtroom, and her revelations are stunning. Flynn Attorney Accuses Government Prosecutors of Suppressing Evidence the Defense Uncovered. In a scorching court filing Wednesday, Gen. Michael Flynn's legal team accused Department of Justice prosecutors of stonewalling and suppressing exonerating evidence the defense itself uncovered. Lead counsel Sidney Powell also accused "certain elements in the government" of targeting Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser, for destruction because he had "publicly expressed intent to audit the intelligence agencies where billions of dollars are unaccounted for." Flynn is awaiting sentencing for lying to federal agents about his discussions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, although internal FBI documents revealed that the agents involved did not believe Flynn had intentionally lied. Sidney Powell Announces Breakthrough in DOJ Case Against General Flynn. Another shoe dropped this week and it ain't looking good for the Mueller legacy. General Michael Flynn's lawyer, the Honey Badger Sidney Powell, filed on Wednesday (23 October) a formal request that Judge Sullivan order the publication of Flynn's Reply to the Government's Opposition to the Motion to Compel. [...] The Government lawyers argument was simple and moronic — i.e., they said that because Flynn pled guilty to a charge where the Government knew he had not lied bur insisted he was still guilty. Stupid logic like this is, I believe, one of the reasons the average person hates lawyers. Sidney Powell has prepared a response to the Government's rebuttal and agreed to edit out some portions that mentioned names or referred to specific classified info. But the Government lawyers are trying to stonewall her and prevent her response from going public. Insider narrative emerges in Michael Flynn case. The first insider's narrative on the travails of retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has been filed in federal court amid a battle over access to multiple pieces of evidence. Flynn, convicted of lying to the FBI, had to sell his home to pay legal bills, says the narrative. Prosecutors threatened to go after his son and business partner, Michael Flynn Jr., unless he cooperated. Sidney Powell wrote this story in a letter to Attorney General William P. Barr in June as she was taking over as defense counsel for the former White House national security adviser. She immediately accused the government of withholding exculpatory evidence that would show prosecutors violated U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan's order. When Will General Michael Flynn Be Exonerated? It's now October 16, 2019, and the world knows that Russia-Gate was a complete hoax — NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION, COMPLETE AND TOTAL EXONERATION. Most sane people understand that fact by now. Most sane people also understand how the deep state cabal put General Flynn through 2-plus years of hell, actually make that excruciating hell. So much so that I'm choosing to go longer-form than usual on this topic, it's an important topic that runs DEEP and deserves more attention than the media's given it. Flynn was framed by the Mueller Special Counsel prosecution team, and the Judge, Emmett Sullivan who threatened jail time, all in the name of the Russia Collusion narrative. Brutal wipeout for Democrats in Louisiana and the press trying to keep it quiet. The last of the Louisiana state election numbers are in, and it's not pretty for the Democrats. Not only does its moderate Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, face a runoff, as noted here, but the state Senate has taken a supermajority. And a whole bunch of key state offices went squarely to Republicans. Funny how the press isn't covering this much. How an Islamist Organization Set Up General Flynn With The Complicity of a Venal Press. This story starts, as so many others, with Obama lying through his teeth, and goes on to his criminal administration's targeting of an American hero in a caper that, as we speak, still goes on. It started on July 15, 2016 at the Act! Meeting. In the first part of this video you can see Obama lying about himself, Radical Islamic terrorism and then candidate Donald Trump. On minute 10:30, General Flynn walks into the stage and by minute 13:30 he expresses his opinion on Obama's friend, Tagypp Erdogan, and the military coup then taking place in Turkey. [Video clip] What General Flynn states is as absolutely true today as it was the day he stated it: Turkey is a NATO ally that until very recently was seeking entry into the European Union. A Deep Cleansing of the Deep State Is Coming. [Scroll down] And, then there's the despicable treatment of the great American patriot, former Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn — who was the victim of an early "Deep State" putsch aimed at stymying any chance of President Trump implementing his truly transformative foreign policy agenda. The John Brennan types in government said Flynn lied to investigators (well, at least that's what the aforementioned partisan hack, Peter Strzok, claimed). So, too, did Trump's witless vice president. Flynn's real sin — err, "crime" — was that he did what every intelligence officer is taught to do (but apparently rarely does anymore): speak truth to power. As "Obama's general" and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Flynn was deeply disturbed by the Obama nuclear agreement with Iran. He rightly understood it was a dangerous giveaway to a terrible foe. Flynn was shanghaied from office for purportedly being a racist ... or something. Prosecution Responds to Flynn Discovery Motion — Government Refuses to Provide Any Additional Evidence. The DOJ responds today [10/1/2019] to the Flynn motion for additional evidence; ie. Brady material requested by Flynn's defense. In the governments' response filing, the DOJ rejects any additional efforts to provide evidence, and requests Judge Emmet Sullivan proceed directly to sentencing. Flynn Lawyer Tells Judge Motive Behind Why Flynn Took Guilty Plea. As part of ongoing proceedings and consideration Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan had requested a status update about the ongoing cooperation of Michael Flynn in the trial of his former business partner Bijan Rafiekian. On September 24th Federal Judge Anthony J Trenga nullified the jury verdict against Rafiekian and tossed the case. Flynn's lawyer, Sidney Powell, now files a motion to update trial judge Emmet Sullivan. However, in a smart legal move, and using the jury nullification within the status report, Powell also outlined the reason why her client took a guilty plea. New Evidence Suggests Prosecutors Pressured Michael Flynn To Lie. The evidence of prosecutorial misconduct in the Michael Flynn case continues to grow. And with each new court filing by Flynn's new criminal defense attorney, Sidney Powell, the public learns more about the events leading up to Flynn's guilty plea and the government's manipulation of Trump's former national security advisor. The latest development came on September 30, when Powell filed a supplement status report summarizing the outcome of the criminal case against Flynn's former Flynn Intel Group (FIG) partner, Bijan Rafiekian. Presiding Judge Emmett Sullivan had requested the parties provide the court a statement concerning the impact of the government's decision not to call Flynn as a witness in that case. That provided Powell an opening to inform Judge Sullivan that the prosecution's case against Rafiekian had been tossed. Michael Flynn pleads Fifth, refuses to be 'paraded, harassed or disparaged' by Adam Schiff. The attorney for retired Army Gen. Michael Flynn is refusing to let the former national security adviser testify before Rep. Adam B. Schiff, saying the California Democrat disregards "ethics in your theatrical demand." Attorney Sidney Powell said Monday [9/23/2019] in a letter that Flynn is invoking his rights under the Fifth Amendment to avoid being "paraded, harassed or disparaged" by Democrats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Mr. Schiff, who took committee control in January, has launched an investigation into nearly every aspect of President Trump's life. New Book Says Comey Skirted Protocol To Set Up Fateful Michael Flynn Interview. An FBI assistant to James Comey says in a book released Tuesday that the former FBI director took advantage of the "chaos" of the early Trump administration to set up an interview with Michael Flynn, the national security adviser. Josh Campbell, who was Comey's personal assistant at the FBI, writes in "Crossfire Hurricane: Inside Donald Trump's War on the FBI," that FBI leadership had "intense discussion" about how to interview Flynn regarding phone conversations he had in December 2016 with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Michael Flynn Graymails the Government. [Scroll down] This brings us to the inspired and recently unsealed motion to compel production of exculpatory evidence filed by Sidney Powell, former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's new lawyer. As you may recall, there are many disturbing questions surrounding the federal government's investigation, arrest, and prosecution of Flynn. Although he has pled guilty to a flimsy and corruptly contrived charge of lying to the FBI, that plea came about after he had — according to media reports — bankrupted himself by paying $4 million in legal fees to the Washington law firm that represented him prior to Powell. In short, it appears that Flynn pled guilty because he couldn't afford any more justice. In addition to the law firm's impressive professional achievement of turning a mere guilty plea proceeding into a reported $4 million payday, the known facts and circumstances surrounding the Flynn case are equally remarkable. Mike Flynn Is Finally Fighting Back. For about two years, conservatives who closely watched the media's reporting on President Donald Trump's alleged ties to Russia have wondered why his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, simply accepted his fate as the first casualty of what turned out to be a bogus narrative. [...] A couple months ago, Flynn abruptly fired his legal team and hired new attorneys, including Sidney Powell. Powell is now requesting 40 documents related to Flynn's case that she says will vindicate her client. The Daily Caller's Chuck Ross reported Wednesday that Powell "pressed Judge Emmet Sullivan in a court appearance Tuesday to dismiss charges against Flynn for what she called 'egregious' prosecutorial misconduct." Among the documents Powell has demanded is a January 30, 2017 memo clearing Flynn of being "an agent of Russia" and all of former FBI Director James Comey's summaries of interviews with or about Flynn. General Flynn Goes On Offense Against The Deep State. Several months ago, General Michael Flynn replaced his original defense team with Sidney Powell, a Texas lawyer who is a veteran of the Department of Justice and author of Licensed To Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice. Powell is a self-promoter, but she also appears to be a very good lawyer. She certainly is aggressive. Powell has launched an all-out attack against Flynn's prosecutors, whom she regards as dishonest and corrupt. Given what we have learned about the involvement of the FBI and DOJ in the Russia collusion hoax, there is no reason to think she is wrong. Sidney Powell's Latest Motion In Michael Flynn's Case Is A Russiagate Bombshell. On Wednesday [9/11/2019], the previously sealed Motion to Compel filed against federal prosecutors in the Michael Flynn case was made public with only minor redactions. Just the day before, during a hearing before federal judge Emmet Sullivan, Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, had highlighted some of the evidence prosecutors withheld from her defense team. Yesterday's filing expanded exponentially on the areas of evidence Powell seeks and lays bare Powell's bigger plan moving forward: to expose the breadth and depth of SpyGate and how flaying Flynn lay at the heart of the soft coup attempt. Flynn Lawyer: 'Egregious Government Misconduct'. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn's lead defense attorney argued in court Tuesday that she is seeking to have the entire prosecution against Flynn "dismissed for egregious government misconduct and long-time suppression" of exculpatory evidence. Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, said in a status conference in federal court in Washington D.C. that "there never would have been a plea to begin with if the government had disclosed Brady information about what it knew before the plea agreement." Flynn Lawyer Response to Threats and Targeted Harassment by Chairman Adam Schiff. Michael Flynn's lawyer, Sidney Powell, responds to the threats and harassment from HPSCI Chairman Adam Schiff and his retained political Lawfare subcontractors: [...] What Media Matters is to corrupt left-wing media, the Lawfare group is to the corrupt DOJ and FBI. All of the headline names around the seditious conspiracy against Donald Trump assemble within the network of the Lawfare group. Court Unseals Flynn Brady Motion — 40 Items Requested by Flynn Defense. Previously Michael Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, had to file specific requests within their 'motion to show cause for Brady discovery material' under seal. After a DOJ review, and redaction of some names, the discovery motion is now unsealed by the court and available for review. Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell Return to Court — Powell Confirms Rosenstein Authorized Targeting of Flynn Jr. for Leverage. Today [9/10/2019] Michael Flynn and his attorney Sidney Powell returned to federal court for a status hearing before Judge Emmet Sullivan. Generally status hearings are uneventful; however, this hearing falls on the heels of an explosive filing by Flynn's defense outlining allegations of serious prosecutorial misconduct; and claims the DOJ is withholding Brady material. Before getting into the heart of the proceedings, here is Ms. Sidney Powell appearing on Fox News to discuss the events today. In this interview Ms. Powell confirms something we have previously presented; Rod Rosenstein authorized Robert Mueller to target Michael Flynn Jr. in order to provide leverage for a Flynn guilty plea. Flynn Lawyer Argues Case Should Be Dismissed Over 'Egregious Government Misconduct'. An attorney for Michael Flynn said in federal court Tuesday [9/10/2019] she may seek a dismissal of charges against the former national security adviser, citing "egregious conduct and suppression" of exculpatory information in the case. Prosecutors handling the case had a surprise of their own, telling Judge Emmet Sullivan that they are now reserving the option of recommending jail time for Flynn, instead of just probation. Prosecutors with the special counsel's team last year recommended that Flynn receive probation without jail time because of his substantial cooperation in several investigations. Flynn Hearing Reveals Existence of Bombshell DOJ Memo Exonerating Michael Flynn. A bombshell revelation was barely noticed at National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's hearing Tuesday, when his counsel revealed in court the existence of a Justice Department memo from Jan. 30, 2017 exonerating Flynn of any collusion with Russia. The memo, which has still not been made available to Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell, is part of a litany of Brady material she is demanding from prosecutors. The memo is currently under protective order and Powell is working with prosecutors to get it disclosed, SaraACarter.com has learned. What Happened During Flynn Lawyer's Secret Meeting With Judge This Week? On Thursday [9/5/2019], two docket entries in the criminal case against Michael Flynn provided a roadmap to the next steps in the case that took a surprise turn last week. As I reported earlier this week, while Americans prepared for the long Labor Day weekend, lawyer Sidney Powell, who had taken over Flynn's defense in June, hit federal prosecutors with a motion to compel evidence and a request for sanctions for prosecutorial misconduct. In her motion, Powell charged that government attorneys withheld potentially exculpatory evidence from Flynn, whom had pleaded guilty in late 2017 to lying to FBI agents. In a status report filed the same day, Powell also complained that the government had refused to grant her a security clearance to allow her to review pertinent evidence, and she sought presiding judge Emmett Sullivan's intervention. Judge Sullivan Will First Rule on Brady Allegations in Flynn Case. Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan held a sealed ex parte hearing with Michael Flynn's defense counsel, Sidney Powell, today [9/5/2019]. An "ex parte hearing" is a judicial review of an emergency request, in which the other party may or may not be present. [ie. a discussion between Flynn's counsel and the court. The content was 'sealed'.] Coming Legal Attractions. As you may recall, although General Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, he has yet to be sentenced. He recently changed lawyers and his present counsel, Sidney Powell, dropped a bombshell pleading last this week. In it, she charges that the prosecution has repeatedly failed to produce Brady (exculpatory) evidence to the defense, despite a clear court order that they do so, and in violation of their legal and ethical responsibilities. It's an unusual motion to be filed at this stage of the proceeding, and it seems to me — though others have a different interpretation — that Flynn is arguing that all the evidence against him was illegally obtained, and the government's failure to disclose proof in their possession that this is so ultimately requires the case against Flynn be dismissed. (From my point of view, if this evidence is tainted, as Powell asserts it is, it's hard to imagine how any other evidence in the government's possession would not be.) A Chance at Exoneration for Michael Flynn? Michael Flynn's new attorney, Sidney Powell, filed a motion on Friday [8/30/2019] formally accusing the government of hiding information that a judge ordered to be released in early 2018. Powell's motion came the same day the parties filed a status report that laid bare the breakdown between the parties. Flynn worked in the Trump transition effort after the election and briefly served in his administration as national security advisor. Flynn's guilty plea in November 2017 for lying to federal investigators appeared to be an early victory for Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team. Flynn Attorney Sidney Powell Drops Atomic Sledgehammer of Truth on DC Court. Oh boy... how federal Judge Emmet Sullivan will handle this latest motion from Mike Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell is an unknown; however, the content is delicious. In an explosive response filing today [8/30/2019], which includes the phrase "sunlight is the best disinfectant", attorney Sidney Powell has outlined the soup-to-nuts construct of the malicious government action taken during their targeting her client Michael Flynn. Government Refuses to Grant Flynn Lawyer Security Clearance — Also Refuse to Produce Original January 24th FBI Report. There was a scheduled joint status filing due today [8/30/2019] between DOJ prosecutors and the Mike Flynn defense team led by Sidney Powell. As Mr. Flynn's cooperation has ended in all other aspects related to the former special counsel, there are apparently many issues still to be resolved prior to Flynn's sentencing. In a filing today [8/30/2019] Flynn's defense lawyer, Sidney Powell, notes two significant issues: (1) Ms. Powell is being denied a security clearance she needs to review all of the documents in the case; and (2) the DOJ is refusing to provide the original FBI notes from their interview of Michael Flynn on January 24th, 2017. Video of Retired National Security Agency Director — Admiral Mike Rogers — Implies US Knows Who Leaked on General Flynn! The US may know who leaked confidential information to the Washington Post on General Flynn. A video of Admiral Mike Rogers in front of the Senate implies the US knows who leaked on General Flynn. Michael Flynn attorney blasts Steele dossier, FISA court. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's defense attorney Sidney Powell on Thursday [7/11/2019] blasted the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for approving a warrant she said is based on flimsy evidence presented a dossier cobbled together by an ex-British spy. Ms. Powell — a fierce critic of special counsel Robert Mueller and the investigation into allegations the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 election — slammed the court in a speech before the Fund for American Studies, an educational nonprofit. DOJ Reverses Course in FARA Case — Calls Flynn "co-conspirator", Doesn't Want Flynn Testimony. Lots of things going on in/around the two legal cases involving Michael Flynn today [7/9/2019]. The origination of the DOJ shift in position involves the indirect case (EDVA) where Flynn is/was a witness in the FARA (Foreign Agent Registration Act) case against Bijan Rafiekian and the Flynn Intel Group. The Powell factor in the Flynn case. Former Assistant United States Attorney Sidney Powell now represents Michael Flynn in the criminal case that still awaits his sentencing. This past Monday Powell and Flynn appeared together in court for a status hearing before Judge Emmet Sullivan. [...] Powell wants to see additional information from the government. The information she wants appears to bear on the merits of the case against Flynn and is in large part classified. Transcript of Michael Flynn Status Hearing — June 24th. One of the reasons why the Flynn legal situation is so interesting is not really because of Flynn himself; but rather because the Flynn situation is a likely example of President Obama's surveillance network in operation. Michael Flynn Was Not "Unmasked" — Evidence Flynn Was Under Active, FISC Authorized, Surveillance. The official media account of how the intelligence community gained the transcript of incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn talking to Ambassador Sergey Kisliyak on December 29th, 2016, surrounds "incidental collection" as a result of contact with an agent of a foreign power. Meaning the Flynn call was picked up as the U.S. intelligence apparatus was conducting surveillance on Russian Ambassador Kisliyak. If this version of events were accurate (it's not), it would fall under FISA-702 collection: the lawful monitoring of a foreign agent (Kislyak) who has contact with a U.S. person (Flynn). In order to review the identity of the U.S. person, a process called 'unmasking', a 702 submission must be made. That submission, the unmasking, leaves a paper/electronic trail. DOJ Confirms Flynn Defense Team Never Received Transcript of Flynn/Kislyak Phone Call. When General Michael Flynn entered into the seemingly coerced plea agreement with the special counsel team and prosecutor Brandon Van Grack (November 30, 2017), he gave up the right to defense discovery in his case. In hindsight this will likely be viewed a mistake. Justice Dept. Allows Congress to View Rosenstein Scope Memos. [Scroll down] The October 20th, 2017, Rosenstein scope memo was specifically so that Weissmann and Mueller could target specific people for maximum political damage; including the targeting of Michael Flynn Jr. to generate leverage so that Flynn Sr. would have to accept a plea or see his family crushed under the weight of the weaponized special counsel. The original authorization for the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller was May 17th, 2017. However, the released Weissmann/Mueller report shows there were two additional scope memos authorizing specific targeting of the Mueller probe. Newly Released Transcripts Stir Speculation Flynn Was Tricked Into Guilty Plea. Newly released evidence is casting doubt over Michael Flynn's guilty plea amid speculation over a possible pardon by President Trump. [Video clip] New Mueller Mystery: Why Was No One Charged For Tampering With Flynn? Who tried to flip Michael Flynn? A court filing yesterday from Robert Mueller's special counsel office revealed a heretofore unknown set of contacts between the former national security adviser and "people linked" to the White House and Congress. Flynn himself alerted special counsel investigators to these potential attempts to tamper with him, the filings declare in Flynn's sentencing recommendation: [...] Witness tampering is a major felony. Just ask Roger Stone, who faces one such charge in his indictment from Mueller's office. President Trump Highlights Climbing Arc of Flynn Story. The backstory issues within the Flynn case may soon surface; so it's worth a few minutes to describe where this could be heading. Specifically, how a series of data-points are coming together and building toward a strong probability Flynn was under a FISA surveillance warrant during a key part of the 2016 election campaign. Sally Yates -vs- Michael Flynn. After the November 8th, 2016, election everyone within the Obama network associated with the Trump surveillance operation was at risk. This is the impetus for the "Muh Russia" collusion-conspiracy narrative that was used as a mitigating shield. Within a few days after the election ODNI James Clapper and CIA Director John Brennan began pushing the Russia election interference narrative in the media. Without notifying anyone, NSA Director Mike Rogers went to Trump tower on November 18th, 2016. Despite his compartmentalization it appears Rogers identified the NSA database abuse as the likely underpinning for some form of political surveillance. By mid-December 2016 the Obama administration was deploying a full-court-press using their media allies to promote the Russia conspiracy. However, despite their public proclamations Clapper and Brennan were refusing to give any specifics to congress. How Obama Holdover Sally Yates Helped Sink Michael Flynn. In late January 2017, President Obama's deputy attorney general Sally Yates made a couple of urgent trips from the Department of Justice building to the White House, carrying information she believed to be critical to U.S. national security. Yates was aware, likely through intercepts of Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak's communications, that the newly seated national security advisor, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, had discussed with Kislyak Russia's response to the Obama administration imposition of sanctions for Russia's attempts to meddle in the 2016 elections. According to news reports, Flynn had asked Kislyak to wait a few weeks and allow the incoming Trump administration a chance to review the issue before Russia retaliated. To Stop the Deep State, Bring Back Mike Flynn! There are a lot reasons for the Establishment to hate Donald Trump, but one of them stands out. During the campaign, Donald Trump denounced the Obama administration for having created ISIS. That claim drew ridicule from the mainstream media, but it is entirely correct. Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, Trump's campaign adviser, was head of Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012 when the DIA blew the whistle on CIA backing for Sunni Islamists fighting the Assad regime during the then-raging Syrian civil war. As my friend Michael Ledeen wrote at PJ Media on March 26, the Mueller investigation was all about Flynn. President Trump should pardon Gen. Flynn right now and summon him back to Washington. Mueller forced Flynn to plead guilty to an invented charge of lying to FBI agents, even though the FBI agents who interviewed him about Russian contacts said that they thought he was telling the truth. Now that the Mueller investigation has come up with nothing, the frame-up of Gen. Flynn appears all the more heinous. The Deep State feared Mike Flynn, with good reason. Trump should reappoint him to a top job, and really terrify his opponents. Make No Mistake: The Mueller Investigation Was All About Flynn. What, then, was it all about? I think I know. It was all about General Flynn. I think it began on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, when Flynn changed the way we did intelligence against the likes of Zarqawi, bin Laden, the Taliban, and their allies. General Flynn saw that our battlefield intelligence was too slow. We collected information from the Middle East and sent it back to Washington, where men with stars on their shoulders and others at the civilian intel agencies chewed it over, decided what to do, and sent instructions back to the war zone. By the time all that happened, the battlefield had changed. Flynn short-circuited this cumbersome bureaucratic procedure and moved the whole enterprise to the war itself. The new methods were light years faster. Intel went to local analysts, new actions were ordered from men on the battlefield (Flynn famously didn't care about rank or status) and the war shifted in our favor. Report: Michael Flynn Amasses Huge $5 Million Legal Bill. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in December 2017 to making false statements to the FBI regarding his contact with Russian officials and business dealings with Turkey, is facing millions in legal bills, according to a report. ABC News, citing a source close to Flynn, says President Donald Trump's formal national security adviser has amassed legal fees of around $5 million. End of the Mueller Affair. Michael Flynn's case deserves a book, a serious one by an honest reporter among the few who remain uncompromised by their coverage of the Mueller investigation. Flynn's prosecution appears to be a put-up job by remnants of the Obama administration in the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the intelligence community. Recall that he was investigated for the act of talking to the Russian ambassador during the transition after Trump's election. The Logan Act served as the pretext. What's law got to do with it? Flynn's investigation reeks of bad faith. From it we can derive the sorry lesson never to speak to the FBI if one is under investigation. 18 Real Attacks on the 'Rule of Law'. [#7] The Michael Flynn set-up: Flynn is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served for 33 years until his retirement in 2014. In January 2017, two FBI agents surprised Flynn with an interview about a legal and routine conversation he had with the Russian ambassador in his capacity as an incoming administration official. On December 1, 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to what his interrogators considered unintentional misremembering of the facts. Flynn's interrogators did not actually think he was lying on purpose. News reports speculated that the special counsel threatened to prosecute Flynn's son and Flynn was otherwise financially ruined by the prosecution, leaving him little choice but to admit to "lying" about not remembering details of a conversation. Understanding Why the Deep State Had to Take Down General Michael Flynn. Does the American public really understand what happened to Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn? Highlights of the case have been thoroughly exploited by the shallow, left-leaning media as a convenient avenue to attack President Trump. But important elements of the story remain largely buried from public view. [...] The despicable and unethical attack on Flynn immediately after his appointment by Trump was just one element of a shameful Deep State campaign to discredit and destroy the Trump presidency. As Trump's national security adviser, Flynn had Trump's ear. He was potentially the Deep State's worst nightmare. The Never-ending, Mysterious Saga of Michael Flynn. What put Flynn in legal jeopardy were the general's statements to FBI investigators that purportedly were false, and allegedly given deliberately to mislead two federal investigators. I express doubt here only because of media reports and leaks that Special Counsel Robert Mueller later either pressured Flynn for a confession, by strategies of financial exhaustion or leveraged him by threats to indict his son, or both. Without that pressure, one wonders how Flynn might have explained his earlier alleged inconsistencies in recounting a private off the record conversation with a foreign diplomatic official to two FBI officials. That is, had he had adequate legal resources or not faced prosecutorial threats to indict his son, would he have later claimed that months earlier that he had been dishonest to Peter Strzok and his fellow FBI investigator? The Most Important Thing About Michael Flynn Is Not His Guilt, But His Politicized Prosecution. On Tuesday, presiding judge Emmet Sullivan hit a variety of topics when Michael Flynn appeared before him for sentencing on one count of lying to the FBI. The hearing ended with Sullivan holding the matter until Flynn finished cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. But by then Sullivan had ping-ponged from questioning whether Flynn needed additional time to reconsider his guilty plea, to asking the government if the former Army lieutenant general could be charged with treason. One soliloquy in particular struck me. In discussing the charges brought against Flynn, Sullivan stressed that "This is a very serious offense. A high-ranking senior official of the government making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation while on the physical premises of the White House." Dan Abrams: Michael Flynn Got 'Railroaded,' Judge 'Either Unprepared' or 'Vindictive'. ABC News chief legal analyst and Mediaite founder Dan Abrams said Michael Flynn "got railroaded" at his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, calling the district court judge who presided "either unprepared" or "vindictive." Abrams addressed the "astonishing hearing" of Flynn — in which the former former national security adviser's sentencing was postponed to March 13 — on his [radio show] Tuesday [12/18/2018]. "On the whole, I think he was treated unfairly today," Abrams said of Flynn. "I have sympathy for Michael Flynn now, and it's fair to say that at this hearing he got railroaded." Michael Flynn Is Owed an Apology. Remember when Michael Flynn was a traitor? It was early 2017. Democrats were still stinging from their defeat at the hands of Donald Trump. Every day, it seemed, brought news of another contact between Trumpworld and Russia. Flynn, a retired three-star general, was forced to resign after serving less than a month as Trump's national security adviser. He was said to have colluded with Russians during the presidential transition. For this he was defamed as a Russian agent and mocked as a bumbling Benedict Arnold. Former officials of Barack Obama's administration hinted that Flynn had been compromised. As it turns out, none of this was true. On Tuesday [12/18/2018] Flynn will receive a sentence for the one count to which he has pleaded guilty, lying to the FBI. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has recommended no jail time. Flynn will have a chance to get on with his life. Michael Flynn [is the] latest victim of the Deep State. The sentencing judge, Emmett Sullivan, has seen these federal frame-ups before, in the case of the late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, when the crooked Democrat prosecutors refused to turn over exculpatory evidence. It was what Clarence Thomas used to call a high-tech lynching — a Democrat tradition. Sullivan's experience was why he mentioned Flynn's pre-sentencing filings, in which the general seemed to indicate he was not guilty. Probably not the best argument to make, proclaiming innocence after pleading guilty. "I cannot recall any incident," Sullivan said, "in which the court has accepted a plea of guilty from someone who maintained he was not guilty and I don't intend to start today." Flynn's Life Is in Tatters As Podesta Walks Free. It is now clear that there is one set of rules for Republicans and the working man[, a]nd there is another set of rules for crooked Democrats[.] On Tuesday [12/18/2018] Judge Emmet Sullivan abused and harassed General Michael Flynn in federal court. Sullivan even suggested Flynn committed treason for his work with Turkey. Flynn sentencing hearing devolved into a fiasco. It was a bad day all around yesterday in Judge Emmet Sullivan's courtroom. Bad for General Flynn, bad for Judge Sullivan, and bad for the prosecutors from Robert Mueller's Special Counsel's Office (SCO). The Washington Post exults that "Trump backers just had their anti-Mueller hopes and dreams dashed" in the wake of yesterday's sentencing hearing for General Michael Flynn. Judge Emmet Sullivan not only failed to throw out the case against Flynn for lying to the FBI, but he threatened incarceration for the general, despite the recommendation of the SCO for no prison time. Michael Flynn Is Owed an Apology. Remember when Michael Flynn was a traitor? It was early 2017. Democrats were still stinging from their defeat at the hands of Donald Trump. Every day, it seemed, brought news of another contact between Trumpworld and Russia. Flynn, a retired three-star general, was forced to resign after serving less than a month as Trump's national security adviser. He was said to have colluded with Russians during the presidential transition. For this he was defamed as a Russian agent and mocked as a bumbling Benedict Arnold. Former officials of Barack Obama's administration hinted that Flynn had been compromised. As it turns out, none of this was true. On Tuesday [12/18/2018] Flynn will receive a sentence for the one count to which he has pleaded guilty, lying to the FBI. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has recommended no jail time. Flynn will have a chance to get on with his life. Judge Emmet Sullivan Delays Sentencing of Michael Flynn for 90 Days. Without cameras in the courtroom we are constrained to understand the Flynn sentencing hearing today through the perspectives of others. [...] That said, there is much speculation and punditry delivered opinion on what took place; and how the hearing ended with Judge Emmet Sullivan delaying the sentencing of Michael Flynn for 90 days. Flynn sentencing abruptly postponed to allow for cooperation. A federal judge abruptly postponed the sentencing of President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, on Tuesday [12/18/2018], saying he could not hide his disgust for Flynn's crime of lying to the FBI and warning that he could send the retired Army lieutenant general to prison. Lawyers for Flynn, who pleaded guilty last year to lying to the agency about his Russia contacts, requested the delay during a stunning hearing in which U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan gave Flynn a blistering rebuke. DC Rally in Support of General Flynn — American Hero Wrongly Targeted by Obama Deep State Regime. There is a rally planned for Tuesday morning [12/17/2018] in Washington DC in defense of General Michael Flynn — an American hero wrongly targeted and abused by Obama Deep State regime. With FBI Misconduct Against Flynn Revealed, Mueller 'Obstruction' Probe Evaporates. The FBI set former national security advisor Michael Flynn up. That is about all we can make of the latest revelation that the FBI made serious breaches of protocol when it set up the Jan. 24, 2017, meeting with Flynn to ask him about his Dec. 2016 conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kisylak. We now know the FBI did not go through the White House counsel first, suggest Flynn have a lawyer present, or advise him of his rights prior to the interview. Mueller releases 2017 FBI interview memo detailing Michael Flynn's lies. Special counsel Robert Mueller on Monday released a heavily redacted memo detailing former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's interview with FBI agents in which Flynn repeatedly lied about his contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The January 2017 memo describes FBI agents' conversation with Flynn about his contacts with Mr. Kislyak. Flynn pleaded guilty last year to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Mr. Kislyak. He will be sentenced Tuesday [12/18/2018]. Flynn repeatedly told the FBI agents, including former agent Peter Strzok, that he did not speak to Mr. Kislyak about U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia. The Law Flynn 'Violated' Should Be Repealed. Most Americans believe that, to be convicted of perjury, one must lie under oath in some legal proceeding. But the Federal False Statements Act (18 U.S.C. § 1001), passed in the 19th century to punish con artists for presenting fraudulent invoices to the government, is now being selectively deployed by corrupt federal officials to entrap anyone who — under oath or not — makes some inaccurate statement to a government official. It doesn't matter if any crime, financial or otherwise, has actually been committed. An indictment can be secured even if, as in Flynn's case, there has been no prior warning of potential legal jeopardy. Special Counsel Releases Original '302' of Michael Flynn Interview. Prosecutors claim that Flynn lied in the interview about not asking then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to refrain from retaliating against the U.S. in return for sanctions imposed by the outgoing Obama administration over alleged interference in the election, and that he lied about not asking Russia to opposed a UN Security Council resolution declaring Israel's presence in Jerusalem to be a violation of international law, from which Obama abstained. It is impossible to judge definitively whether Flynn lied to the FBI without seeing the transcript of his conversation with Kislyak — a classified transcript in which his name was unmasked by a yet-unnamed Obama administration official, so that his name could be leaked by the administration to the Washington Post, a crime yet to be punished. Did Michael Flynn lie? Or did the FBI act improperly? The media is asking the wrong question about the Michael Flynn case. They are asking whether Flynn lied or the FBI acted improperly, as if the answers to those two questions are mutually exclusive. [...] The first casualty of hyper partisanship is nuance. So when nuance is condemned as being insufficiently partisan, truth quickly becomes the next casualty. Flynn, during his brief time as national security adviser to President Trump, told FBI agents untruths that are contradicted by hard evidence. Why he did that remains a mystery because, with his vast experience in intelligence gathering, he must have known that the FBI had hard evidence of the conversations he denied having with a Russian diplomat. Be that as it may, this reality does not automatically exclude the possibility that the FBI acted improperly in eliciting untruths from him. Darrell Issa: Michael Flynn's conviction will be 'overturned' due to Justice Department, FBI wrongdoing. A court will overturn former national Security Adviser Michael Flynn's conviction for lying to the FBI, a House Judiciary Republican predicted Sunday [12/16/2018]. The prognostication by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who is retiring from Congress in January, comes after a federal judge demanded more information about Flynn's dealings with the FBI ahead of his expected sentencing on Tuesday. Last December, Flynn pleaded guilty as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's federal Russia inquiry to lying during a January 2017 interview with investigators. He told them he did not discuss sanctions with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Flynn's lawyers have argued their client should not receive prison time due to the casual nature of the sit-down, including how Flynn was not advised he was under scrutiny from the government. Time To Reject General Flynn's Guilty Plea. When General Flynn comes up for sentencing tomorrow [12/18/2018], the right move would be for the federal judge to reject the general's guilty plea and throw out the case altogether. Is that likely to happen? Rarely say never, the editor warned. It's our view that it should happen, though, after the release Friday of new details of the questioning of General Flynn by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The release of those details was ordered last week by a no-nonsense United States district judge, Emmet Sullivan, who is due tomorrow to decide the sentence for General Flynn for violating section 1001 of Title 18 of the United States Code. This has long been recognized as an outrageously vague statute that all too often tempts prosecutors who are stuck making a better case. The information released last week suggests this is just what happened in respect of General Flynn, who was misled by the FBI about the interview in which he supposedly lied. Will the Mueller Switch Project Collapse? The sentencing of General Michael Flynn could turn out to be the Waterloo of the Mueller Switch Project. The feds never could have convicted Flynn of perjury or lying to government officials — they don't even have a transcript of what he said to the FBI! As a criminal case, it was always a non-starter. The Justice Department initially had no intention of prosecuting. But then, after Robert Mueller took over the case, Flynn was squeezed into a single guilty plea by the threat of personal bankruptcy. Swamp Rat Rod Rosenstein [is] Hiding Witnesses in Flynn Case. I honestly don't know what to add, when it comes to the Deep State's attempted coup of President Trump. The more we learn, the more I want them to burn for their crimes. The Gateway Pundit reported on the obstruction of justice that occurred against General Michael Flynn. It's not like this is news. But the cover-up is. Mueller blew the Flynn case. Fox News reported, "The documents include then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's notes after talking with Flynn to arrange his interview with the FBI. It also includes a so-called "302" report documenting what Flynn told anti-Trump agent Peter Strzok and one other agent during their conversation at the White House. That July 2017 report, though, specifically came from an interview with Strzok in which the Flynn encounter was discussed — and not the original Flynn interview. It was unclear why no 302 report from the interview itself was included. "The 302 report stated that Strzok and the other agent 'both had the impression at the time that Flynn was not lying or did not think he was lying.' Michael Flynn is innocent, wrongly prosecuted by Mueller to hurt Trump. If you want a textbook example of wrongful prosecution of a man who should never have been charged with a crime, just look at the case of retired Army Lt. Gen. and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. New documents released Friday [12/14/2018] by Special Counsel Robert Mueller make it clear that Flynn is a victim of an overzealous team of prosecutors absolutely desperate to show that President Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. The new court filings provide yet more proof that Mueller will stop at almost nothing and run over anyone who gets in his way as he tries to build a case against the president after 19 months of his anti-Trump crusade. Mueller doesn't really care about Flynn. He wants to use Flynn to destroy Donald Trump. Rod Rosenstein Will Not Allow Gen. Flynn Interrogator Joe Pientka To Testify, Despite His Reported Willingness to Defend Flynn. On Friday the Mueller Special Counsel redacted Joe Pientka's name in the 302 reports. According to investigative journalist Sara Carter Pientka is willing to defend General Flynn in his testimony. But Deep State does not want you to know this! Two More Good Reasons to Shut Down Mueller's Probe. More than a year after the three-star general and former national security advisor pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI, Flynn is set to be sentenced on December 18. Mueller's team, citing Flynn's cooperation and service to the country, recommended a sentence on the "low end" of the guidelines, which means no jail time. It appeared that Flynn, who lost his home paying for lawyers, only would have to perform community service. But Flynn is not going down quietly. Not only did his response to Mueller's sentencing memo contain explosive details about potential misconduct by FBI officials, public comments by former FBI Director James Comey further exposed how his agency cornered — if not entrapped — Flynn during the very first days of a tumultuous administration under siege by the media and Obama holdovers. Is the Flynn guilty plea going to be thrown out? It is always a bad idea to defy an order from a federal judge — especially when the judge whose order has been blown off has a history of vigilance against law enforcement and prosecutorial abuse and has thrown out convictions that resulted from abuse. Yet the nation's premier, most powerful law enforcement agency has just done so. The Mueller Special Counsel Office's case against General Michael Flynn took a bizarre turn Friday [12/14/2018] when the FBI failed to provide Judge Emmet G. Sullivan with the original form 302 account of its interview with Flynn in the early days of the Trump administration. General Flynn's guilty plea was based on yielding to the FBI's contention that he lied to them about his (perfectly legal) conversation with Russia's Ambassador Kislyak, concealing their discussion of sanctions. At the point of his guilty plea, General Flynn had been bankrupted by legal fees, and his son was threatened with criminal prosecution. The Flynn Investigation: McCabe's Personal Retaliation? As I noted here on June 30, 2017 Michael Flynn and Andrew McCabe have a past that predates the Trump presidency, one that provides ample motivation for the perjury trap that McCabe and James Comey set up after Flynn's illegal unmasking. McCabe had a personal grudge against Flynn and the perjury trap was his revenge. It explains why McCabe would entrap Flynn in a seemingly harmless interview about contacts with Flynn's Russian counterparts, advising Flynn he didn't need to bring a lawyer along to complicate things. John Solomon Drops a Tick-Tock Bombshell — DIA Holds Documents That Can Exonerate Flynn. Tick-tock-bombshell club member John Solomon drops an explosive statement on Sean Hannity. Oddly, there's a factual part of his statement CTH agrees with; and a structural part of the background that is almost certain never to reach sunlight. [...] Ask yourself this rather complex question: There has been a great deal of talk about demanding that President Trump declassify a specific set of documents that swirl around "spygate", but have you ever noticed that no one, not once, not a single official, has ever even discussed the need to declassify the Collyer FISA report? Checking Robert Mueller. Robert Mueller has operated for 19 months as a law unto himself, reminding us of the awesome and destructive powers of special counsels. About the only possible check on Mr. Mueller is a judge who is wise to the tricks of prosecutors and investigators. Good news: That's what we got this week. Former national security adviser Mike Flynn a year ago pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. Mr. Flynn's defense team this week filed a sentencing memo to Judge Emmet Sullivan that contained explosive new information about the Flynn-FBI meeting in January 2017. Flynn case shows FBI lied. Bungling Bob Mueller is an epithet well-earned over the decades in a career marked by incompetence wrapped in fealty to the right people. I do not have to remind readers about the anthrax case that he botched as director of the FBI. We paid $5.8 million to clean up his mess. But the agency has plenty of Muellers. Peter Strzok. Jimmy the Weasel Comey, and of course, Andy McCabe, who tried to bring down retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn by lying to him, and then charging him with lying to the FBI. According to Flynn, McCabe assured him he did not need a lawyer. The FBI just had a few questions. Now we know the FBI already had the answers, and wanted to entrap the general so they could bankrupt him and use him to get the Orange Man. FBI's McCabe Exposed in Dishonest Michael Flynn Setup. Disgraced former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe tricked Michael Flynn into meeting with FBI agents without having an attorney present, reports the Washington Examiner's Byron York. According to the Flynn sentencing documents, to ensure then-national security adviser Flynn was as vulnerable as possible, when McCabe set up the January 24, 2017, meeting between Flynn and two FBI agents, he told Flynn that "the quickest way to get this done was to have a conversation between [Flynn] and the agents only." General Michael Flynn Outlines Deep State Gestapo Tactics To Try And Get Him To Turn Against POTUS Trump. Don't buy into the Cohen guilty plea and sentencing hype the Establishment Media is now manufacturing. Cohen was primarily charged on misdeeds totally unrelated to his professional relationship with Donald Trump. Today we get a glimpse of just how insidious this entire get-Trump operations has been via words from General Michael Flynn who faced an onslought of intimidation very early on in the Mueller investigation via now disgraced former FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe. The Flynn Entrapment. Of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's many targets, the most tragic may be former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. The former three-star general pleaded guilty last year to a single count of lying to the FBI about conversations he had with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. Now we learn from Mr. Flynn's court filing to the sentencing judge that senior bureau officials acted in a way to set him up for the fall. Not a rich man after decades in uniform, Mr. Flynn pleaded guilty to avoid bankruptcy and spare his son from becoming a legal target. Mr. Flynn's filing doesn't take issue with the description of his offense. But the "additional facts" the Flynn defense team flags for the court raise doubts about FBI conduct. Memo: FBI recommended Michael Flynn not have lawyer present during interview, did not warn of false statement consequences. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who arranged the bureau's interview with then-national security adviser Michael Flynn at the White House on Jan. 24, 2017 — the interview that ultimately led to Flynn's guilty plea on one count of making false statements — suggested Flynn not have a lawyer present at the session, according to newly-filed court documents. In addition, FBI officials, along with the two agents who interviewed Flynn, decided specifically not to warn him that there would be penalties for making false statements because the agents wanted to ensure that Flynn was "relaxed" during the session. Will the Leakers in the Flynn Case Escape Justice? Two years ago this month, the set-up of Lt. General Michael Flynn began. And now that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has recommended the lightest sentence possible for Flynn's crime of lying to the FBI in 2017, Americans are reminded that the real criminals — top officials at our nation's most trusted agencies — have yet to be charged for illegally leaking classified information about Flynn to the news media in an effort to sabotage Donald Trump's presidency. Flynn was toward the top of Barack Obama's enemies list. Forced out of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 by Obama loyalist James Clapper, Flynn joined the Trump campaign and became an outspoken critic of Obama and Hillary Clinton. Famously, he led the "lock her up" chants at the Republican National Convention. Ten days later, James Comey's FBI opened up a counterintelligence probe into possible election collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Flynn was one of four campaign associates targeted by the agency for his "suspected Russian ties." Mueller's case collapses. The press is ignoring the sentencing of General Michael Flynn because the leakers in Mueller's leaky fishing boat are not talking about him. Enter Thomas Wictor to explain. He is a man so dangerous to the Never Trumpers that Twitter banned him. "Flynn pleaded guilty to a 'process crime.' In other words, they found no evidence for a single accusation made against him. He lied to the FBI. I'm positive that he lied to the FBI so that he would be charged. This was the only way to prove that the Obama administration used FISA warrants to spy on political opponents," Wictor wrote. Mueller Memo's Key Takeaways: No Collusion, Flynn is a Good Man. [Scroll down] David Schoen, a top civil rights and defense attorney, said Mueller's prosecution of Flynn "is a very sad case." "His distinguished career is finished and his reputation ruined," Schoen said. "His experience with the Mueller team is classic. He had a strong case for an acquittal of any charge that he lied, based on the government's own documents from his FBI interviews; but when the Mueller team turned the screws to Flynn and his family and with the cost of defending himself prohibitive, he chose the course of least resistance." Flynn Sentencing Memo Is Not Ominous. [Scroll down] Mueller's sentencing memo, and the entire Flynn prosecution, seems much less ominous than many in the media are making it out to be. The fact that Mueller's memo has been filed is strong evidence that there are no further prosecutions forthcoming from Flynn's information. No legitimate federal prosecutor would allow Flynn to be sentenced if there is a possibility that he will have to testify in a forthcoming case. Flynn sentencing memo reveals the sham that is the Mueller investigation. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has finally provided his team's sentencing recommendation for three-star general Michael Flynn. He has acknowledged that Flynn has provided 19 separate interviews with the Mueller team. The heavily redacted report provides no information concerning the testimony that Flynn provided. Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the investigation of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election. Flynn has had to sell his home to pay his legal bills during this process. His 33-year career serving our country seems to have meant little to the prosecutors trying to get him to turn on Trump. Although we have no direct evidence for his sudden decision last year to plead guilty and cooperate, many believe that this was done to protect his son from being prosecuted. This is the type of prosecutorial overreach that borders on ethical violations. It certainly makes us wonder: what is prosecutorial discretion? Senator Graham Explains How Easy it Would Be for FBI and DOJ to Find Flynn Leaker. In a May 2017 testimony to congress former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates explains the details surrounding her engagement with White House legal counsel Don McGahn. However, for the purposes of truthful discussion, the important part of the back-and-forth between Senator Graham, Sally Yates and former DNI James Clapper is not the aspect about Flynn or McGahn. Listen carefully to the first three minutes; specifically the part about the Flynn transcript leak to the Washington Post. Notice Graham outlining how easy it would be for the intelligence apparatus to find out who: (A) unmasked the Flynn communication; and (B) likely then leaked the Flynn communication. [Video clip] Michael Flynn Is Helping The Government On 'Several' Cases. Which Ones? The special counsel's memo in the Michael Flynn case says that the former national security adviser is cooperating with prosecutors on "several" different investigations. The wording of that memo, which said that Flynn has provided "substantial" assistance to the government, has touched off widespread speculation about what other investigations Flynn has provided information for outside of the special counsel's core probe into possible collusion between Trump associates and the Russian government. The memo makes clear that Flynn has provided assistance regarding the Trump transition team's interactions with Russian government officials. Special counsel Robert Mueller recommended that Flynn receive no jail time due to his assistance to the government. He met 19 times with Mueller's team or prosecutors in other Justice Department offices, according to the memo. Flynn's interactions with Russians during the transition period is the core component of the case against the retired lieutenant general. Occam's Razor: Michael Flynn. There is a great deal of suspicion and analysis surrounding the latest developments in the Mueller case, or lack thereof, against Michael Flynn. [...] We cannot view these actions through the transactional prism of modern judicial proceedings as they relate to you and me. These are political struggles taking place inside the venue of the legal system. The players use the legal system to game out the optics and narrative of political battles for ideological wins and losses. After the November 8th, 2016, election everyone within the Obama network who was associated with the surveillance operation against the Trump campaign was at risk. This is the impetus for the "Muh Russia" conspiracy narrative that was used as a mitigating shield. Within a few weeks ODNI James Clapper and CIA Director John Brennan began pushing the Russia election interference narrative in the media. Why Michael Flynn Was Set Up. If nothing else, Robert Mueller's year-and-a-half-long "investigation" into the Trump campaign will serve as an exposition of what it looks like when a presidential campaign and presidency are on "the wrong side of history." In case you didn't know, "wrong side of history" is liberal-speak for "unhelpful to the progressive, globalist agenda." To be on the wrong side of history is to be on the wrong side of the army of liberal sycophants who populate the federal government — especially the intelligence agencies. Because this shadow government (aka deep state) hates transparency and loathes disruptive forces like Donald J. Trump, many lives associated with him have now been ruined. If you're on the right side of history, you get to lie to Congress, lie to the FBI, leak like a sieve, and be guilty of campaign finance violations, FARA violations, and Logan Act violations with few, if any, consequences. From fishy beginning, Mueller case against Michael Flynn nears end with no jail recommendation. Michael Flynn has been waiting for more than a year to be sentenced. The retired three-star Army general, who spent 24 days as the Trump White House national security adviser, pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2017, to lying to the FBI in the Trump-Russia investigation. He agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller. Flynn's sentencing, which has been delayed a number of times for reasons that have never been disclosed, is scheduled to finally take place on Dec. 18. Late Tuesday [12/4/2018], Mueller filed what is called a sentencing report. Citing Flynn's "substantial assistance" to the investigation, Mueller recommended "a sentence at the low end of the guideline range — including a sentence that does not impose a period of incarceration." It's no surprise Flynn might be spared jail time. So far, two figures in the Trump-Russia matter have been sentenced for lying to investigators, the same offense as Flynn. Alex van der Zwaan, a bit player connected to Paul Manafort, was sentenced to 30 days in jail. George Papadopoulos, a short-time Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, was sentenced to 14 days — and that was after Mueller complained that Papadopoulos had not been cooperative when he was purportedly assisting the investigation. Another Sign The Mueller Probe Is Ending With A THUD. Former Trump National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn will be finally sentenced just over a year after he plead guilty to lying to the F.B.I. on December 1st of last year. [...] The Mueller team had delayed the sentencing phase of this in the hopes that they would be able to leverage Flynn to give more information if they found anything in the investigation they were charged with doing. The Flynn legal team has asked the judge numerous times for the sentencing to be handed down so their client could get on with his life. Now that will finally happen. This is one more clue that this investigation is just about over and I would suspect that if they had anything pointing to the President, that something would have gotten out. As tight-lipped as this investigation has been there had been numerous times where just a lil info leaked out to get the press buzzing about how Trump would be resigning within days. Showdown builds between Comey, House: Just what did FBI director say about Michael Flynn? There's an intense conflict brewing between some Capitol Hill Republicans and fired FBI Director James Comey. The Republicans say Comey has been lying about what he told them in a March 2017 meeting. Comey says he never said what the Republicans say he said. The Republicans say there's a transcript — not just of Comey's testimony but of fired top FBI deputy Andrew McCabe, too — that will prove them right. But so far, the intelligence community has prevented that proof from seeing the light of day. A resolution to the matter might come as soon as the next few days. The conflict concerns Michael Flynn, the fired national security adviser who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the Trump-Russia investigation. The FBI interviewed Flynn in the White House on Jan. 24, 2017. On James Comey and what the FBI thought about Michael Flynn. In his ABC interview, fired FBI Director James Comey was asked about reports that he told Congress, in March 2017, that the FBI agents who interviewed Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn did not think Flynn had lied to them — even though Flynn, several months later, pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI. Did Comey tell lawmakers that? McCabe Altered Strzok's 302 Notes On Gen. Flynn Interview, And Destroyed Evidence. Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Andrew McCabe altered Peter Strzok's 302 notes during his interview with then-White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and destroyed evidence, a new report suggests. Conservative commentator and journalist Mike Cernovich reports McCabe changed official FBI notes Strzok took when he interviewed Flynn last February and that he destroyed all evidence of his revision history. McCabe Interrogated Mike Flynn for Russia Hoax at Same Time Flynn Was Witness Against McCabe in Sex Discrimination Case. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter this week to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstien who is currently leading the Department of Justice. As we have previously reported numerous times Jeff Sessions is still hiding under his desk. In the letter Charles Grassley pointed out to Rosenstein that General Mike Flynn was a witness against Andrew McCabe in a sex abuse case when McCabe came to interview him. McCabe later reportedly altered the 302 interview reports and Mike Flynn was forced out of the Trump Campaign. Was Flynn Unmasking Payback? Acting FBI Director McCabe should be investigating himself. It has been thought that the unmasking of former Trump National Security Adviser Micharl Flynni and the opeing of an FBI investigation of all things Russia in which Flynn was a prime target was retaliation for Flynn's drumbeat of criticism of the foreign policy of an Obama administration he once served. The unmasking of Flynn in the Russia probe may indeed be retaliation against Flynn for perceived political sins, but not for what and by whom you might think if reports from the investigative watchdog site Circa News are correct. It seems Michael Flynn and Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe have a past and McCabe a possible motive against Flynn. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein obstructing Congress' role of oversight. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein keeps on obstructing Congress' role of oversight. Rosenstein is preventing Congress from interviewing the FBI agents who interviewed General Michael Flynn and said that he didn't lie to them. Special Counsel Robert Mueller ignored the evaluation of these agents, the ones who were actually present when Flynn was interviewed, and charged Flynn with making false statements. It is understandable that Congress would want to talk to these agents, though it is understandable that Mueller might object to this oversight. From One Psychodrama to Another. [Peter] Strzok was seemingly just a nobody who happened to have interviewed Michael Flynn and concluded that he was truthful, before his superiors apparently decided that Flynn should be indicted for being untruthful. Strzok led the FBI investigatory team looking into the Clinton emails. He had helped to edit James Comey's summary findings exonerating Hillary Clinton from culpability even before interviewing her. He helped to lead the FBI investigation into Russian-Trump "collusion," and was a key member of Robert Mueller's special counsel team. Strzok exchanged thousands of texts with his paramour and fellow Mueller team members Lisa Page, some of which expressed hatred for Trump and his supporters, and alluded to efforts to subvert his campaign and presidency. Peter Strzok Had Personal Relationship With Recused Judge In Michael Flynn Case. Newly discovered text messages obtained by The Federalist reveal two key federal law enforcement officials conspired to meet with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) judge who presided over the federal case against Michael Flynn. The judge, Rudolph Contreras, was recused from handling the case just days after accepting the guilty plea of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser who was charged with making false statements to federal investigators. Peter Strzok Had Personal Relationship With Recused Judge In Michael Flynn Case. Newly discovered text messages obtained by The Federalist reveal two key federal law enforcement officials conspired to meet with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) judge who presided over the federal case against Michael Flynn. The judge, Rudolph Contreras, was recused from handling the case just days after accepting the guilty plea of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser who was charged with making false statements to federal investigators. Fired FBI Investigator Was The Person Who Interviewed Flynn. [Scroll down] ...and today we discover that Deputy Head of Counterintelligence, FBI Agent Peter Strzok was the person who interviewed National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn on January 24th, 2017. An interview, that blindsided Flynn because there was no advanced notification. And an interview that was the basis for the recent Robert Mueller charging of Flynn. Good grief, it's no wonder why the FBI desperately tried to control a pending IG release by advance-scripting a narrative, via leaks to the New York Times and Washington Post. If FBI Agent Strzok can be shown to have conflicting political and institutional bias, then every aspect of the investigation he was involved in comes into question... and Agent Strzok is at the EPICENTER of every angle, within every aspect, of EVERY investigation. FBI agent fired from Russia probe oversaw Flynn interviews, softened Comey language on Clinton email actions. The FBI agent who was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia — because he sent anti-Trump messages to a colleague — oversaw the bureau's interviews with ousted National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Fox News confirmed on Monday [12/4/2017]. Peter Strzok, a former deputy to the assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, also was confirmed to have changed former FBI Director James Comey's early draft language about Hillary Clinton's actions regarding her private email server from "grossly negligent" to "extremely careless." The language being edited was important because classified material that's been mishandled for "gross negligence" calls for criminal consequences, analysts point out. Fired FBI Investigator Was The Person Who Interviewed Flynn. [Scroll down] ...and today we discover that Deputy Head of Counterintelligence, FBI Agent Peter Strzok was the person who interviewed National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn on January 24th, 2017. An interview, that blindsided Flynn because there was no advanced notification. And an interview that was the basis for the recent Robert Mueller charging of Flynn. Did the FBI Frame Flynn? The criminal case against Gen. Michael Flynn for lying to FBI agents was incredibly weak. [...] Not too many years ago, a claim that the FBI fabricated evidence to facilitate a prosecution would have seemed incredible. Today, given what we know of the corruption of the Bureau under the Obama administration, such a claim appears entirely plausible. This is just one more thread in the slowly unraveling story of the misuse of intelligence and law enforcement agencies by the Democrats to try to frustrate the candidacy of Donald Trump, and to destroy his administration after his election. Rosenstein Won't Allow Grassley to Interview Agent Pientka Who Knows DOJ Likely Altered Mike Flynn's Testimony. [On] Friday May 11, 2018, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein stating Comey testified the FBI didn't think General Flynn lied. Grassley also revealed Joe Pientka was the second FBI agent who joined Peter Strzok on January 24th, 2017 in an ambush style interview to take down General Flynn. Rosenstein refused to give the Senate Judiciary Committee the requested documents. Instead, Rosenstein provided "insufficient" documents prompting Grassley to send a second scathing letter to the Deputy AG. It appears Senate investigators have finally received the 302 notes or evidence confirming Cernovich's February scoop that the FBI summary on Flynn's interview was altered by McCabe. A skeptical chairman Grassley really, really wants to see the Michael Flynn 302. On Feb. 15, 2017 — that would be 16 months ago — Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., asked the Justice Department to turn over the transcript of fired national security adviser Michael Flynn's infamous call with the Russian ambassador, plus other documents related to the Flynn case. The department refused. Some of Grassley's and Feinstein's questions were answered the next month, on March 15, 2017, when the FBI's then-director, James Comey, briefed the committee on Flynn and other matters in the Trump-Russia investigation. It was at that briefing that Comey told lawmakers the FBI agents who interviewed Flynn did not believe he lied to them. What Happened During the FBI Interview With Flynn? FBI Special Agent Joe Pientka, if subpoenaed, will provide testimony regarding the circumstances surrounding his interview with former National Security Advisor Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, sources with knowledge have been telling this reporter for more than a year. And recent reports scattered across social media and some news outlets claiming that Pientka's testimony will bring down former FBI Director James Comey, are not true. For nearly a year, I have reported that Pientka, who at the time I addressed as the second agent in the interview with Flynn, would testify if subpoenaed. But so far Pientka, has not been subpoenaed for his testimony. Pientka and embattled FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok, interviewed Flynn on Jan. 24, 2017 about his conversation with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, as first reported here. Senate demands transcript of Russian wiretaps, FBI interview that nabbed Michael Flynn. President Trump's former attorney says there are "reports" that retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn referred to his own wiretap when he was interviewed by two FBI agents in January 2017. If the information from attorney John Dowd is correct, it would add to the body of evidence that Mr. Flynn was not deceptive because he knew the FBI knew everything he had said. He pleaded guilty last December to one charge of providing false information to the agents and is awaiting sentencing. Since then, an air of mystery has surrounded his plea. Senator Grassley appears to be preparing to bust the frame-up of General Flynn. Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the laconic Midwesterner with a steel trap mind, dropped a bombshell yesterday with a letter to Deputy A.G. Rod Rosenstein (who supervises the Mueller probe) and FBI director Christopher Wray. But in keeping with Grassley's style, which has so often misled his opponents into overconfidence, you have to read between the lines to see where he is heading. The end point: uncovering the plot to frame General Flynn for lying to the FBI, including likely criminal acts by senior members of the FBI. [...] General Flynn's sentencing has been delayed repeatedly, as Judge Emmett Sullivan (who replaced Judge Contreras after he was removed from the case) has demanded that all exculpatory evidence be handed over to him. Grassley is now demolishing the excuses that the FBI and DOJ have used to deny the same evidence to his committee: [...] Time to end the crazy secrecy of the Trump-Russia investigation. On Jan. 24, 2017, then-national security adviser Michael Flynn was questioned by the FBI in his White House office. The session, focusing on Flynn's transition talks with the Russian ambassador, led to Flynn pleading guilty to a charge of lying to investigators. He is now awaiting sentencing. But why did FBI agents go to the White House in the first place? We still don't know precisely, because we have only snippets of information from the various Trump-Russia investigations. There's no reason it should be a big secret, but it is. Un-Redacted House Intel Report: Comey DID Tell Lawmakers FBI Agents Saw No Signs of Deception in Flynn. Newly unredacted portions of the House Intelligence Committee Republican report on the Trump-Russia investigation resolve the discrepancy between what fired FBI director James Comey and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) Republicans have been saying about the Michael Flynn investigation. Not to put too fine a point on it, but one party should probably read the transcript before he does any more media interviews while on his book tour. As PJ Media reported earlier this week, Republicans have long been alleging that when Comey went to Capitol Hill in March of 2017 to brief lawmakers on the Russia investigation, he told them that the agents who questioned Flynn did not believe he had lied. Comey, on the other hand, has been insisting in numerous interviews that he said no such thing. Former Asst. FBI Director: Brennan and Obama were Committing Felonies, Not General Flynn. Former FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom told Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures that there was likely a "big sign of relief" after Andrew McCabe was fired on Friday [3/16/2018]. Kallstrom went on to tell Maria Bartiromo that John Brennan and Barack Obama were the ones who committed the felonies and not General Flynn. Jim Jordan Knows Exactly How To Expose The Entire "Counterintelligence Operation" Against Candidate Donald Trump. It would be EXPLOSIVE if it turned out the October 2016 FISA warrant was gained by use of the Christopher Steele dossier. That's a critical and key element to the sunlight upon the entire enterprise. If the counterintelligence FISA warrant was obtained through deception, misleading/manipulated information, or fraud; and that warrant is what led to the wiretapping and surveillance of candidate Donald Trump and General Flynn; and that warrant was authorized by FISA Court Judge Contreras — who was the judge in Flynn's case, and is now recused — the entire tenuous FBI and DOJ operation begins to collapse. Why U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras Recusal From Mike Flynn Case is a Big Deal. Last night news broke that U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras "has been recused" from the case overseeing the prosecution of General Mike Flynn. Details are vague. [...] Obviously, the customary reason for recusal is when there is a conflict of interest between the case as assigned and the judge overseeing it. However, as you can clearly see, in this case it's rather odd that if a conflict existed the judge would have even begun to oversee the case at the prior hearing. Why wait until six days after the first hearing? As to the reasoning for the recusal, and stressed against the backdrop of the new information surrounding the investigative practices of the DOJ and FBI, this recusal is potentially both a game-changer and a massive dose of sunlight. Federal FISA Judge Recuses Himself From Michael Flynn Case. My instincts tell me that Judge Contreras was most likely the judge who signed off on the FISA warrant that led to the surveillance of Donald Trump's campaign officials, that included National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn. Those FBI FISA warrants are now coming under scrutiny. A curious recusal in the sentencing of Michael Flynn could be an indicator of something very big happening. [Scroll down] That FISA warrant, of course, is the potential Rosetta Stone of the suspected plot to surveil the Trump campaign for president. Spying on the opposition by using the most feared surveillance capacity in the world, provided by US taxpayers. And, it is reasonably suspected (but not proven because everything is under wraps) that the bogus "dossier" produced by Fusion GPS with the help of Russian sources was used to obtain a FISA Court warrant to use the NSA's universal surveillance of electronic communications to "unmask" first Carter Page, and subsequently an unknown number of staffers in the Trump campaign. Judge Recuses Himself From Michael Flynn Case — Won't Say Why. The judge who accepted Michael Flynn's guilty plea regarding the false statement felony has recused himself from the case and will not be sentencing him. Instead, a Clinton appointee named Judge Emmet Sullivan will be taking over the case. This is bizarre and completely out of the norm, that I'm sure many people are waiting to hear the reason why. Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to hear an explanation. Why did Michael Flynn plead guilty to a big Nothingburger? Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to one count of lying about something that wasn't a crime, earning himself the very real possibility of jail time. The interview in which he allegedly stated this lie was with FBI agent Peter Strzok. Strzok is an interesting guy or, at least, has left an interesting trail of slime wherever he's been. He was was relegated to desk duty in July when Mueller allegedly learned that Strzok had been sending seriously anti-Trump, pro-Hillary tweets to an FBI attorney with whom he'd been having an extramartial affair. I say Mueller "allegedly learned" because I wouldn't be surprised if Strzok's affair and his fanatical support for Hillary Clinton weren't open secrets in the Progressive FBI bureaucracy, just as every Lefty in the business knew about people such as Harvey Weinstein or Matt Lauer. Strzok was also the man who discretely downgraded Hillary's overtly criminal act into just a little bit of passing carelessness and interviewed her without putting her under oath or recording the interview. And then, based upon Flynn's failure to track perfectly conversations that may or may not have been rightfully recorded he ensured that Flynn is facing jail time. Now that we have a pretty good handle on all of the Big Lies coming out of the FBI and Mueller's investigation, the big question is this: Why did Michael Flynn plead guilty to lying about something that wasn't a crime in the first instance? This investigation into Trump's campaign is way out of control. On Friday morning, Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser, pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI. ABC News correspondent Brian Ross reported that Flynn was prepared to testify that candidate Donald Trump instructed "him to contact Russian officials during the campaign." The media went into a frenzy, social media exploded and the stock market dropped 350 points as it appeared everything the president had said about his campaign not colluding with the Russians could be untrue. Those of us who had been involved in the campaign were shocked. Fortunately for the country, it was the ABC report that was untrue. Several hours later, ABC issued a "clarification" and later a "correction" stating that it was actually "president-elect Trump" who directed Flynn to make contact "during the transition" as a "way to work together to fight ISIS." For having promoted this quintessential example of fake news, ABC suspended Ross for four weeks without pay. Kellyanne Conway: Americans Are Fed Up With the Clinton Double Standard. Shortly before boarding Marine One this morning ahead of a brief trip to Utah, President Trump told reporters he "feels bad" for former White House National Security Advisor General Mike Flynn and argued his life was destroyed for lying to the FBI while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suffered no consequences for doing the same. "I feel badly for General Flynn. I feel very badly. He's led a very strong life, and I feel very badly," he said to a gaggle of reporters. "I will say this: Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI and nothing happened to her. Flynn lied and they destroyed his life. I think it's a shame." "Hillary Clinton, on the Fourth of July weekend, went to the FBI, not under oath — it was the most incredible thing anyone has ever seen. She lied many times. Nothing happened to her. Flynn lied, and it's like they ruined his life. It's very unfair," he continued. A Land of Mini-Coups. Following Michael Flynn's guilty plea for "lying to the FBI", there seem likely to be further feverish developments in Robert Mueller's "Russia investigation". Professor William Jacobson asks the obvious question: ["]Why is Robert Mueller even investigating the presidential transition? The Order appointing Mueller concerns election interference, not post-election political decisions of the winning candidate.["] Indeed. First, it shouldn't be a crime to lie to the FBI given the way the FBI lies to us with impunity. [...] Martha Stewart wound up behind bars for telling a lie in a matter in which there was no underlying crime. In the case of Flynn, I heard some bigshot in Congress argue that Flynn's lies were somehow "material" to the investigation. But, as Professor Jacobson points out, it's hard to see how Russia can "interfere" with the election after it's been held. Sorry, left, Mike Flynn not the smoking gun. The left, including much of the media, are going nuts now, drooling at Michael Flynn's guilty plea as if it's the final nail in President Donald Trump's coffin — the long-sought means to the impeachment end. It's not. That's ludicrous. [...] Here are the facts: Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about communications he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak on Dec. 22 and 29. In December — after Trump had already won the White House. The timing makes moot the left's long-running mantra that Team Trump colluded with the Russians to steal away the election from Hillary Clinton. Breaking: Anti-Trump FBI Agent Fired From Investigation Interviewed Flynn. Peter Strzok, the FBI agent who was fired from Robert Mueller's Special Counsel's Office investigative team for alleged bias against President Trump back in August, also supervised the FBI's interviews of former National Security advisor Michael Flynn, according to Sara Carter of Hannity.com. After Strzok was removed from Mueller's office, he was reassigned to the FBI's human resources department[.] Two FBI agents interviewed Flynn on January 24 at the White House; one was Strzok and the other was reportedly a field supervisor in the "Russian Squad, at the FBI's Washington Field Office," according to a former intelligence official who was cognizant of the interview. The Scalp-Taking of Gen. Flynn. What is arguably most disturbing about this case is that then-National Security Adviser Flynn was pushed into a perjury trap by Obama administration holdovers at the Justice Department who concocted an unorthodox legal rationale for subjecting Flynn to an FBI interrogation four days after he took office, testing Flynn's recollection of the conversations while the FBI agents had transcripts of the calls intercepted by the National Security Agency. In other words, the Justice Department wasn't seeking information about what Flynn said to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak — the intelligence agencies already had that information. Instead, Flynn was being quizzed on his precise recollection of the conversations and nailed for lying when his recollections deviated from the transcripts. Why is Robert Mueller even investigating the presidential transition? It is clear from the prosecution of Flynn that Mueller views the transition as within the scope of Mueller's investigation, otherwise there would have been no reason for Mueller to prosecute Flynn. The lying took place before Mueller was appointed and did not concern conversations during the Trump campaign. For lying to the FBI when he did, Flynn could have been prosecuted by DOJ itself. Yet Mueller's team took it on themselves to prosecute the case involving a crime (lying) that took place after the new administration was sworn in regarding a conversation during the transition. The public documents regarding Flynn's plea make clear that the transition is in focus. If news reports have any credibility (and they may not), then Mueller is investigating the political actions of the Trump transition team during the transition period. Did the FBI retaliate against Michael Flynn by launching Russia probe? The FBI launched a criminal probe against former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn two years after the retired Army general roiled the bureau's leadership by intervening on behalf of a decorated counterterrorism agent who accused now-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe and other top officials of sexual discrimination, according to documents and interviews. Report: Top FBI official had it in for Flynn. We know that President Obama had it in for Gen. Michael Flynn. The former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency was a persistent critic of Obama's feckless policies, especially regarding ISIS. Obama reportedly advised president-elect Trump not to offer Flynn a high level position. According to this report from Circa, the FBI's Andrew McCabe also had an ax to grind with Flynn. 
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