US Department of Justice Withdraws Lawsuit Against Former White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will drop the lawsuit against former White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who was charged with making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during the investigation of President Donald Trump's 'Russia scandal.' The move is expected to draw criticism that the DOJ is directly protecting President Trump's close associates, along with backlash from the Democratic Party.

According to CNN and other foreign media on the 7th (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice submitted a motion to the court to dismiss the charges against former advisor Flynn. Flynn was a central figure in the 2016 Russia scandal, which involved allegations of collusion between the Russian government and Trump's campaign. He discussed the issue of lifting sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. at the time but was charged for lying to the FBI by denying such discussions. Later, he admitted to lying to the FBI and agreed to cooperate with the investigation, but then withdrew his plea, claiming that FBI agents used improper methods during the investigation, and pleaded not guilty.

In the motion to dismiss submitted to the court, the DOJ stated that, as Flynn claimed, there were issues with the FBI agents' investigation and that there was evidence suggesting he was induced to plead guilty, leading to the decision to drop the charges. It is known to be extremely rare for the DOJ to completely drop a lawsuit on a matter where a guilty plea has already been made.

President Trump posted on Twitter immediately after the news of the DOJ dropping the lawsuit, saying "Welcome." On the 15th of last month, President Trump had stated that he was "considering a full pardon" for former advisor Flynn, which drew criticism as an overt act of protecting his close associates.

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