White House On Flynn Pardon: “He Should Never Have Been Prosecuted”
President Donald Trump has pardoned his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, saying the retired Army General should never have been prosecuted in the first place.
Flynn, the President’s first national security adviser, earlier pleaded guilty twice in connection to charges from the Russia investigation done by former special counsel, Robert Mueller — which, after two years, wrapped up with a finding that President Trump didn’t collude with the Russians to win the 2016 election.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1331706255212228608
“It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has been granted a Full Pardon. Congratulations to @GenFlynn and his wonderful family, I know you will now have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving!” the President tweeted.
Following this announcement, the White House issued a statement explaining President Trump’s pardon saying that the former national security adviser “should never have been prosecuted.”
The pardon, it said, “sets right an injustice against an innocent man.”
“President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Grant of Clemency granting a Full Pardon to General Michael T. Flynn. The President has pardoned General Flynn because he should never have been prosecuted. An independent review of General Flynn’s case by the Department of Justice — conducted by respected career professionals — supports this conclusion. In fact, the Department of Justice has firmly concluded that the charges against General Flynn should be dropped,” the White House statement read.
“This Full Pardon achieves that objective, finally bringing to an end the relentless, partisan pursuit of an innocent man.”
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, noted that General Flynn “should not require a pardon” saying that he is “an innocent man” — that “even FBI agents who interviewed General Flynn did not think he was lying.”
Victim of partisan politics
“Multiple investigations have produced evidence establishing that General Flynn was the victim of partisan government officials engaged in a coordinated attempt to subvert the election of 2016,” McEnany said, noting that these individuals sought to “undermine” President Trump’s administration “at every turn.”
MICHAEL FLYNN IS PARDONED!
JUSTICE‼️ 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) November 25, 2020
The prosecution pursuing Flynn’s case has come under fire after the release of cFBI documents that suggested a plot to get the former national security adviser to lie to investigators.
“What is our goal?” one of the FBI’s notes read. “Truth/admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?” it added.
Since then, the Justice Department has moved to drop its case against Flynn.
The President has also earlier offered support for his former adviser and suggested that the retired Army General was treated unfairly by the FBI.
Following the pardon, Flynn issued a statement calling the move as a “ “Pardon of Innocence.”
https://twitter.com/GenFlynn/status/1331934828812496898
‘Tyranny Will Not Topple Us’
His family also issued a separate statement, saying what happened to the retired general “must never happen again.”
“We are forever appreciative to President Trump for giving back to Michael his freedom in undoing a hideous wrong,” Flynn’s family said, noting that the former national security adviser’s determination and resilience in the face of this battle exemplifies his decades of dedication to this nation as a soldier.
“Let it be heard across this great country and around the world that tyranny will not topple us. Masks will not silence us. Threats will not stop us. Evil will not triumph,” the statement added. “We are Americans. We stand on the shoulders of the greatest forces and heroes of bravery and courage the world has ever known. That is our legacy and our obligation to defend now, and for generations to come.”
https://twitter.com/BarbaraRedgate/status/1331968076963848192
