House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff criticized President Trump for his “attacks” on the justice system after the commander in chief announced he is “strongly considering” a pardon for former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Schiff, a California Democrat who was the lead impeachment manager in the Ukraine saga, demanded the president stay focused on responding to the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to dozens of deaths in the U.S.
“Mr. President, keep your focus on the current crisis. The delay in testing and your failure to lead are already costing us dearly. Your attacks on the independence of the justice system and rewarding of cronies who lied for you can wait. Incompetence kills,” Schiff said in a tweet Sunday afternoon.
Mr. President, keep your focus on the current crisis. The delay in testing and your failure to lead are already costing us dearly.
Your attacks on the independence of the justice system and rewarding of cronies who lied for you can wait.
Incompetence kills. https://t.co/uebbLzWBtE
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 15, 2020
About an hour earlier, Trump spoke of alleged misconduct in floating a pending pardon his former aide.
“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 said in a tweet.
Flynn, 61, pleaded guilty in December 2017 for lying to investigators about his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak regarding U.S. sanctions and a United Nations Security Council vote and faces possible prison time.
After swapping legal teams, Flynn changed his tune, telling the U.S. District Court in Washington in January, “I am innocent of this crime.” He filed to withdraw his guilty plea after the Justice Department asked Judge Emmet Sullivan to sentence Flynn to up to six months in prison, though afterward, the department said it believed probation would also be appropriate. Flynn’s team, led by Sidney Powell, a former federal prosecutor, is now pressing for the dismissal of his case, arguing that the client was unfairly treated by the FBI.
Justice Department prosecutors said they stand by the zero-to-six-months recommendation, but added “probation is a reasonable sentence.”
Trump’s commentary about another case stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, the one involving his longtime confidant Roger Stone, prompted a wave of criticism, including a rebuke from his own attorney general, William Barr, who said the president’s tweets make it “impossible for me to do my job.”
Democrats, concerned about “political interference,” requested the Justice Departments documents and interviews with 15 officials with knowledge of cases of personal interest to Trump. Among those they hope to depose is U.S. Attorney John Durham, who is conducting a review of the Russia investigation.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler asked Barr to respond by Friday. The attorney general is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31. He was called to testify by House Democrats, who seek answers about the Justice Department’s conduct, including the scaled-back sentencing recommendation for Stone and matters related to Russia and Ukraine.
