Former FBI Director James Comey express dismay at the Department of Justice dropping criminal charges against retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn Thursday, saying that the nation’s top law enforcement agency has “lost its way.”
“The DOJ has lost its way. But, career people: please stay because America needs you,” Comey wrote on social media. “The country is hungry for honest, competent leadership.”
The Justice Department moved Thursday to dismiss the criminal case against former national security adviser Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Prosecutors asked a U.S. District judge to dismiss the charge of making false statements to the FBI with prejudice against Flynn.
Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI in a January interview amid special counsel Robert Mueller‘s probe into Russian meddling in the presidential election. Flynn said he made the false statement regarding his interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
In January, the Justice Department changed its sentencing recommendation from probation for Flynn to six months in prison because it said he was unrepentant. A week later, Flynn asked to withdraw his guilty plea, saying prosecutors broke the plea agreement when they requested jail time.
Handwritten notes in FBI documents, which a federal judge released last month, question whether the “goal” was “to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired.”
President Donald Trump celebrated the DOJ’s decision regarding the Flynn case, telling reporters at the White House: “He was an innocent man… Now in my book he’s an even greater warrior.”
“I hope a lot of people are going to pay a big price,” the president added, before accusing Obama-era FBI officials of committing treason. “They’re scum.”
The president made the comments as he met with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in the Oval Office.
The UPI contributed to this report.
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