The Justice Department is dropping its criminal case against Michael Flynn, President Trump’s first national security adviser, after new evidence emerged this week that raised important questions about the legitimacy of the FBI’s case against Flynn, and its subsequent investigation into alleged ties between Trump and Russia.
Flynn’s case isn’t cut-and-dry. He pleaded guilty to lying to a federal agent and admitted he gave false information about his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump’s inauguration. This admission is still problematic, as was Flynn’s original appointment, even in light of recent evidence, which shows FBI employees discussing what appears to be a perjury trap during their interrogation of Flynn.
But the fact that the DOJ is dropping Flynn’s case is significant for a couple of reasons: First, it suggests that there was enough evidence of malicious intent on the part of the FBI that prosecutors felt they couldn’t get a conviction. Second, this change in Flynn’s case further undermines the Russian collusion investigation and the flimsy evidence that James Comey’s FBI used to justify it.
Flynn was one of the key dominoes in the Russian collusion investigation. His admission of guilt helped Comey’s FBI justify a full-fledged investigation into allegations that Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to steal the election. These allegations led to a two-year independent investigation, led by special counsel Robert Mueller, who ultimately concluded that there was no evidence tying Trump or his campaign to Russian meddling in the election.
Mueller’s only real conquest was Flynn, whose guilty plea highlighted that Trump at least had second-hand connections to Russian assets. But now Flynn’s plea looks like a setup, and what little credibility Mueller’s investigation still had has been lost.
There’s a lot we still don’t know about Flynn, his dealings with the Russian ambassador, and the FBI’s subsequent investigation. But what we do know is this: Flynn was never the target. But Trump was. And it’s becoming more clear that the dirty cops behind the Russia investigation planned to use Flynn to get to Trump by any means necessary.
