On Wednesday, a three-panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn should be dismissed, which has been requested by the Department of Justice despite the fact that Flynn lied to the FBI on two occasions and allegedly committed perjury during his plea agreement.
President Donald Trump immediately celebrated on Twitter, posting two tweets on the matter:
Great! Appeals Court Upholds Justice Departments Request To Drop Criminal Case Against General Michael Flynn!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2020
Is James Comey and his band of Dirty Cops going to apologize to General Michael Flynn (and many others) for what they have done to ruin his life? What about Robert Mueller and his Angry Democrat Cronies – Are they going to say, SO SORRY? And what about Obama & Biden?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2020
But legal experts suggest that any celebration by Trump or Flynn and his legal team will likely be very short-lived, because the full appeals court will probably hear the case now. Several of them weighed in, also via Twitter:
Appeals court tells Sullivan to drop Flynn case, in 2-1 divided opinion written by Trump appointee. Stay tuned for request to full court of appeals to rehear it.
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) June 24, 2020
Just finished the Flynn decision.
It is an excrescence, as the dissent points out. It guts one of the most important safeguards of our democracy: an independent judiciary.
Sullivan should seek en banc review. He will win if he does–the opinion is that weak.
— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) June 24, 2020
Silver lining? Flynn can now be charged with ALL crimes come January, including the other felonies he admitted to in the Statement of Offenses in this case AND the prosecutors will not have to fight to undo a corrupt Trump pardon (and no 6-month cap). https://t.co/0Q6NGn1iMG
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) June 24, 2020
Yes, you read that correctly: If Joe Biden is the next president his attorney general and DOJ can throw the book at Flynn and Trump won’t be able to pardon him. This case is far from over with.
Featured Image Via NBC News