Legal experts from across the spectrum are responding to the stunning news that Attorney General Bill Barr has dropped all charges against former Trump National Security Advisor Mike Flynn.
Flynn had long ago pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia and what he told Vice President Mike Pence. He also acted as a paid, unregistered foreign agent for Turkey while serving on the Trump campaign and on the Trump transition team. Flynn infamously was texting his business partners while standing on the dais as just-sworn in President Donald Trump was delivering his inaugural address, allegedly texting a business partner “to say that a joint plan between Russia and Flynn’s business allies to build nuclear power plants in the Middle East was ‘good to go.'”
But now Barr has sent shock waves through the legal community, some say abusing his power while delivering what amounts to a pardon for Trump’s favorite former official.
Ken White, who runs the well-respected (although currently on hiatus) legal blog Popehat, conveys the gravity and enormity of what Barr just did:
Attorney and former FBI Special Agent Asha Rangappa explains why Barr did what he did:
Sam Vinograd, former National Security Council member, former Senior Advisor to the National Security Advisor sums it up:
Former DOJ Inspector General, former Assistant U.S. Attorney at SDNY:
David Corn, MSNBC analyst and D.C. bureau chief of Mother Jones rightly says Barr just issued a “shadow pardon.”
Constitutional law expert and professor Laurence Tribe:
LA Times Legal Affairs Columnist, Former US Attorney:
Former Director, White House Office of Government Ethics:
Former federal prosecutor:
Former National Security Council and former CIA official:
Former Senior Director, National Security Council:
Finally, Andrew McCabe issued a strong statement: