May, 08 2020, 12:00am EDT
Attorney General's Decision to Drop Michael Flynn Prosecution Unprecedented & Further Grounds for Impeachment of William Barr
Statement of Karen Hobert Flynn, President of Common Cause
WASHINGTON
Attorney General William Barr is a cancer on justice in this nation. Americans expect and deserve an Attorney General who enforces the law impartially, not one who abuses his office to accommodate the whims of a President who believes he has unlimited power. Barr has turned a proud and honorable Department of Justice (DOJ) into a political tool of a corrupt presidency. The unprecedented decision to drop the prosecution of Michael Flynn, despite his guilty plea, is yet another blatant abuse of the powers of his office to cover up the misdeeds and crimes of the Trump administration. Barr's attempt at a Soviet-style whitewash of the Mueller report and other abuses of his office led Common Cause in December to call on Congress to impeach Attorney General Barr.
We renew our call to Congress to impeach William Barr before he does irreparable damage to the system of justice in our nation. We are a nation of laws yet William Barr, the nation's top law enforcement official, has routinely abused the powers of his office to undermine the rule of law for political advantage of the President who appointed him. Congress cannot allow these abuses to stand. The American people are watching and their verdict will be delivered on November 3, 2020.
In the interim, if Judge Sullivan grants the DOJ's motion to dismiss the case, he should do so without prejudice so future DOJ officials could prosecute Flynn for lying to the FBI, along with other crimes for which the DOJ withheld prosecution in exchange for Flynn's guilty plea. It is important to emphasize the Flynn entered his guilty plea to avoid prosecution for even more serious crimes including violations of Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for failing to register as agent of Turkey.
To read Common Cause's December 17, 2019 letter to Congress calling for William Barr's impeachment, click here.
To view this statement online, click here.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
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