CNN legal and national security analyst Susan Hennessey called the Department of Justice’s decision to drop the charges against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn an “astonishing assault on the rule of law.”
“This moment represents the full collapse of an apolitical Justice Department,” Hennessey wrote Thursday. “An astonishing assault on the rule of law and in a functional DOJ it would prompt mass resignation.”
This moment represents the full collapse of an apolitical Justice Department. An astonishing assault on the rule of law and in a functional DOJ it would prompt mass resignation. https://t.co/SBa8Ubl5NN
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) May 7, 2020
The DOJ announced Thursday that it was dropping all charges against Flynn after “an extensive review and careful consideration of the circumstances.” (RELATED: ‘Waco’: A Timely, Must-Watch Series In The Age Of Authoritarianism)
The announcement comes just over a week after documents revealed discussions between FBI agents over whether their goal was to get Flynn to lie, in order to either prosecute him or get him fired. Flynn pleaded guilty in late 2018 to lying to the FBI, but said earlier this year that he regretted his decision, saying he believes he was honest with FBI agents who interrogated him during the early days of the Trump administration. (RELATED: Trump Tweets Support For Mike Flynn After Attorney Releases So-Called Exculpatory Evidence)
“When FBI agents came to the White House on January 24, 2017, I did not lie to them. I believed I was honest with them to the best of my recollection at the time,” Flynn said.
Hennessey has been a staunch critic of the Trump administration, and the CNN analyst asked her Twitter followers earlier this year to donate to left-wing causes to “ensure Trump is defeated” in his re-election campaign.
