On June 24, a federal appeals court ordered a lower court to allow the case against Michael Flynn, the former National Security Adviser, to be dismissed. The decision was requested by the Justice Department, ending the legal saga that started from the Russian investigation.
Flynn is finally free
The decision came in a 2-1 ruling and order from judges on the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
The lawyers of Michael Flynn made an appeal, asking for a writ of mandamus. The writ of mandamus is an order asking a government official to fulfill a duty. The request from Flynn's lawyers directed District Judge Emmet Sullivan to approve the motion to dismiss submitted by the Department of Justice.
Judge Sullivan did not grant the motion immediately and instead sought to hold hearings regarding the issue. This move angered Fynn's allies.
Judge Sullivan's decision to keep Flynn's case open despite the request from the prosecutors to dismiss it was eventually preceded by the decision of the DOJ to drop the case against Flynn even after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
The DOJ stated that Flynn's FBI interview does not justify Flynn's investigation. President Donald Trump tweeted about the decision and expressed his happiness about the outcome. A senior DOJ official told Fox News that the Justice Department is pleased by the appeals court decision to drop Flynn's case.
The Republicans were happy with the decision, but the Democrats were not. They slammed the department and stated that it has been politicized under the leadership of Attorney General Bill Bar.
The stunning move of the Justice Department was made the last month after it dropped its case against Flynn because they have reviewed all the circumstances and facts of Flynn's case and concluded that it was not enough for investigation and was unjustified.
The motion to dismiss the case came after notes from the FBI were discovered. The notes talked about the purpose of Flynn's interview if it was to find out the truth about the Russian interference during the 2016 elections or to get Flynn to lie and ensure that he gets fired or charged. In the end, Flynn faced charges and he was fired from the Trump administration.
The notes, which the FBI's former head of counterintelligence Bill Priestap wrote after meeting with former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, showed officials discussing the interview in advance.
Russian investigation
Aside from being a part of the investigation done by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Flynn was also fired from his position as the national security adviser. The firing came after he was accused by the Trump administration of misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials about his phone calls with Sergery Kislyak
In December 2016, Flynn talked to Kislyak about Russia's interference in the U.S elections. Flynn did not know that he was being wiretapped at that time, and in January 2017, he was quested by FBI agents on the communications.
The FBI used Flynn's answers to form the basis for the false-statement charge, Flynn later pleaded guilty to the charge.
