Recently the Department of Justice, specifically Attorney General William Barr, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, has decided to drop the case of two years involving President Trump’s former national security advisor. Michael Flynn, when in court, pleaded guilty for lying about past phone calls with the Russian ambassador, as well as lying to investigators. There was no obvious motive for why the case was dropped, therefore some believe the reasoning was “to undermine and dismantle the work of the investigators and prosecutors who scrutinized Russia’s 2016 election interference operation.” However, the reasoning provided for why the case was dropped was because there was allegedly no evidence of lies, and the calls with the Russian ambassador were claimed to be irrelevant to the case. The case, however, was originally brought to court by Robert Mueller, who was the previous former council. The case was quite damaging for Trump and his image. It was said he even considered a pardon because of it. Read this article to learn more.
- Have you ever been admitted the truth of something bad, but your confession was disregarded? If so, did this cause you to feel guilty?
- What do you think will happen next to Flynn? Do you believe he will remain associated with Trump?
- Is it fair that Flynn’s case was let go completely, even after he pleaded guilty?
- What will happen next with this? Do you believe the case will resurface in the future?
1. This has happened many times and it feels harder to accept than receiving an actual punishment. After doing something bad I start to feel bad, and eventually I crack and spill the truth. But sometimes by the time I tell the truth, either the issue isn’t a big issue anymore, or the people involved are too forgiving. Both options make me feel equally as guilty.
ReplyDelete2. Donald Trump definitely won’t be quick to forgive Flynn for almost screwing him over, but the fact that he backed the repeal of his case, sheds some positive light on their relationship. It definitely won’t get back to normal, and Flynn most definitely won’t be Trumps National Security Advisor from now on, but there seems to be no more heat between them.
3. I don’t think it’s fair that Flynn’s case was completely dropped, but it was a good idea to let it slide at this time. In the past few months, the U.S. and the rest of the world has been battling Covid-19. With the virus around, more focus should be directed towards stopping it, rather than discussing an issue that started and ended 4 years ago. I am not saying the case is not important at all, but instead that there are bigger matters at hand right now. Besides that, when you think about it, it never caused major harm, as there were no casualties. And his confession about it makes it seem like, at least in my eyes, that he should deserve just a bit more lenience.
4. This case will, as many others of a similar type, resurface later on in the future. It was a big controversial topic in the 2016 election and many politicians might be slow to let it slide, including Hillary Clinton who lost to Trump in that election, and many of her supporters and other possibly any other democrats who liked her. With the Coronavirus around, it may take much longer to bring up the case than anticipated.
1, I agree with Yonathan, this has also happened to me many times. Receiving the truth and convincing others is often harder than actually getting a punishment. That feeling when you're apology gets denied is a very painful and guilt-filled moment. No matter how big of a problem/mistake it is getting your apology denied makes you feel very very guilty.
ReplyDelete2, Flynn will probably try distance himself from Trump, as he was involved in this scandal under his administration, and everyone would remember him as the person, who lied. This is an image you do not want, so that is why, I think Flynn will not be close to Trump anymore, despite Trump dropping his case.
3, Flynn's case should never be dropped in the first place. Flynn has already pleaded guilty to multiple cases and the evidence has already been stacked up. If the man who has been accused has pleaded guilty, there is no reason to drop their case out of nowhere. It seems completely illogical, and rash decision on behalf of the president, it is not fair to drop someone's case to protect your image.
4, This case will most definitely resurface in the future. Someone will find this suspicious and re-launch an investigation into this once this Covid-19 stuff is over. Such a big former public figure like Michael Flynn committing such a huge crime will not be ignored. This may even be used as a piece of evidence of "High crimes and misdemeanors" that Trump has committed.
I have done this many times because sometimes accepting the truth is better than receiving the punishment. This didn't make me feel guilty because I told the truth and I would only feel guilty if I lied and told the untruthful part of the story.
ReplyDeleteMicheal Flynn will not be associated with the trump organization because it would ruin trumps image if he pardons someone then lets them come back to there position with no consequences. In addition, Trump would have to fire his current national security advisor just to put Flynn back in.
I dont think it is fair that Micheal Flynn's case was let go completely because he plead guilty for the crime he committed and therefore; he should have to spend his time in prison. I also think that the presidents ability to pardon is corrupt because he can let go anyone who has been arrested in his campaign.
It wouldn't surprise me if this case resurfaced again in the future because it has to do with the president and his ability to pardon people. I also think this will resurface because the president has already pardoned 20 people.
1) Yes this has happened to me before and I feel so guilty that after a while I tell the truth but what happened isn't important anymore or something so I end up keeping the guilt I tried to get out when I told the truth.
ReplyDelete2)I agree with Yonathan, Michael Flynn will definitely not be Trump's National Security Advisor anymore but I do think that that they will be friends again because this case didn't really affect Trump's image and thats the most important thing for him right now as the president.
3) I agree with Yonathan, it was not fair that the case was dropped because in my opinion it shows a side of this country that I don't like. Why did they drop the case when he said he was guilty, that makes no sense to me, I know this doesn't have anything to do with this but there are thousands of inmates on death row and just in prison for a crime they didn't even commit. They likely continued to plead not guilty but no one believed them so why is this man pardoned when he literally said he was guilty. There is something wrong there and I just don't see how it's fair.
4) I do think it will resurface in the future, maybe something else totally different will come up and forcing this to resurface too. It is such a controversial topic and it's hard for it not to resurface since so many people think Trump cheated in the 2016 election. My question is if they do find out the truth in the future what would they do with that? This case could resurface after Trump's presidency and it's not like they could impeach him if he's out of office.
1. I can think of multiple instances in which I have admitted to doing something wrong and not face punishment. These cases were confusing to me and did not seem fair, but instead of feeling guilty, I was thankful for my parents' decision to not punish me.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Thomas that Micheal Flynn will not continue to be Trump's National Security Advisor. If Trump were to grant Flynn his position back, it would negatively affect his image and bring bad publicity to the topic.
3. It is not fair that Flynn's case was let go completely, even after pleading guilty. Thousands of people are wronging incarcerated and it does not seem fair that guilty people's cases are dropped. Dropping Flynn's case creates a negative image of the United State's criminal system and exemplifies how what Trump will do to benefit his former employees.'
4. Flynn's case will definitely resurface in the future, as it greatly upsets many people. Trump's pardoning will probably resurface in the election and could easily be used against him.
1) No, whenever I admit to doing something wrong, my parents punish me immediately. Sadly, they would never ignore it if I confessed to something, so I haven’t experienced this.
ReplyDelete2) I think Trump will only remain associated with Flynn if he thinks Flynn will be helpful to him. If Flynn continues to act in ways that could hurt Trump, Trump will definitely distance himself from Flynn. The last thing Trump wants to do is hurt his image, especially right before the election, and he will cut off a relationship with Flynn if he thinks Flynn might endanger that.
3) No, Flynn’s case should not have been dropped. If cases are dropped all the time when there is clear evidence that the accused person has lied, there is no point having a Justice system in the first place. Even though this trial wasn’t a huge deal, it could lead to other cases getting dropped for similar reasons, which would not be good. Also, Flynn pleaded guilty, which means he should have to spend at least some time in jail for lying. Even if he would be pardoned soon after, he should have to pay for his crimes.
4) I think this case will mostly likely resurface in the future because it has to do with Trump’s election, which is a very controversial topic due to Russia’s possible interference. However, it will not resurface until Covid-19 has passed because at the moment, there are much bigger problems going on that people are spending time and energy to solve. To respond to Valentina’s question, I think if Trump was out of office and he was found guilty for cheating in the election, then he would probably spend time in jail along with anyone else, like Michal Flynn, who was part of it.
1. Whenever I do something to feel guilty about, I usually tell people because I feel bad. If my parents were to not punish me, I would feel even worse because it would feel unfair and like I haven't been forgiven.
ReplyDelete2. I do not think Flynn will remain close with Trump. By lying, he has not only hurt his reputation, but also Trump's, and it would reflect badly on Trump to stay close with him.
3. It is not fair to pardon someone when there is clear evidence that what they did was illegal after they plead guilty multiple times. It is illogical and irrational to do so because, like Maddie said, what is the point of having the Justice system if people aren't held responsible for their actions.
4. This case will probably resurface in the future, however, most likely after Coronavirus. Since Trump is running for President again it is very likely this will come up again and can be used against him when running for office again.
1) I have admitted the truth and have had it been disregarded. Usually it’s when I fight with my younger brother and I admit to doing something wrong but my parents wind up blaming him for it. Sibling bonds aren’t exactly known to be perfect, and sometimes I feel relief after getting out of something, but in the end I feel guilty because he got in trouble for my wrongdoing.
ReplyDelete2) I think that Flynn will stay far away from Trump, and Trump will want to keep it that way. As people have said previously, associating themselves with each other will only worsen their reputations. They both will probably want to keep up a good image, and getting themselves involved in matters together won’t exactly help.
3) I don’t think Flynn’s case should have been dropped at all. He pleaded guilty in front of a court, instead of using the 5th amendment (self-incrimination). There doesn’t seem to be much logic in dropping a case where the person has already confessed and there is evidence to back up their crimes.
4) I do think this case will resurface in the future. There is already so much controversy about the case being dropped, that I think it will continue to come up. I think that some people will find it strange that the Justice Department just dropped the case instead of having Trump pardon Flynn.
1. I can't think of a time when I actually have admitted the truth about something I did to my parents or anyone else and not been punished except if I told them about something that happened a couple years ago (the statute of limitations had ended in those cases). Obviously, many times I've done something wrong and admitted the truth to myself but not to others, and gotten away with it, feeling very guilty in the process but I've never admitted the truth about my wrongdoing and gotten away with it nonetheless.
ReplyDelete2. Flynn's name will forever be tainted and connected to Trump, and all of this bad publicity over the DOJ dropping the case might actually force Trump to press new charges as if to tell the media that he is not Flynn's ally. I do not know whether there was a true lack of evidence in the Flynn case, but the clear political reason that Barr would want to drop charges would be to distance Trump from a possible future felon. Flynn will presumably be forced by the Trump administration and probably decided himself to settle down and not speak to the media.
3. I am not an expert who knows every shred of evidence in this case, and no one here is, so I am not one to pass a judgment on whether the dismissal of the case was fair. However, Flynn did plead guilty so it is only logical that the charges he plead guilty too should be explored by the justice system. From what I have read, this was an atrocious misuse of power by the DOJ to dismiss his case, but then again I do not know enough evidence to pass a true judgment on this matter .
4. This case will resurface in the future, either as other charges are pressed on Michael Flynn, or the Trump Administration tries to reinstate the original charges against Flynn. But whatever happens, this isn't going to go away anytime soon.
1. Yes, numerous times. It usually happens with me just being in complete denial about something that I obviously did. It was never anything too bad, but sometimes my "crimes" could get a little out of hand. However, I would wait a while before apologizing and owning up to what I did, but at that point my parents would usually just not care enough to punish me. Instead, they would give me a lecture and let me go.
ReplyDelete2. Flynn will always be connected to Trump in some way or another because there was no evidence that would allow for him to be innocent. I think that moving on his going against Trump will be a heavy burden on his future. He has upset almost everyone. He has upset some people by getting off scot-free, and he also upset other people by snitching on Trump. He incriminated himself, twice, out of his free will, meaning he could have said nothing and got away with lying about tampered phone calls. Fortunately, Flynn's trial has come about in a very eventful time. I do not believe that many people will remember much about Flynn or his crimes, but President Trump's direct or indirect involvement is self-evident in this case, and that, might be remembered.
3. This case relates to my Amendment Project because I am doing the 5th amendment's, right to freedom of self incrimination. I believe in the latin saying: "nemo tenetur seipsum accusare"(translated) "No man is bound to accuse himself". This amendment is part of the Bill of Rights, meaning that the founding father's prioritized this right when starting America. Flynn, therefore had no obligation to speak against himself, but he did. His admitted crimes deserve punishment.
4. I do not think that it will be brought up again, because of everything else happening, quarentine, killer bees, the economy in general, and Elon Musk naming his kid a math equation (kidding). But, due to all of these distractions I do not think Flynn's case is very significant, especially considering that it fits in with Trump's reputation.
ReplyDeleteI can’t remember a time when something thing like this happened to me but I can imagine how terrible and aggravated it could make a person feel if two people committed the same crime but one was pardoned because that person had connections. If I felt guilty about something then I would want to tell the person who I hurt, but if I get a free pass I would feel even more guilty that we aren’t equal.
I agree with Leo that Flinn would most likely try to distance himself from Trump due to his bad reputation of lying in trumps administration. He probably wouldn’t be liked or respected so it would be best for him to distance himself from people who know and arent found of his past crimes.
Dropping Flynn’s case seemed like an immature and unacceptable answer to the crimes and lies Flynn had committed. Being pardoned for a case with no idea if the defendant was guilty or not is one thing. Pardoning someone who admitted to there crimes and was clearly going to need lots of jail time and punishment is another thing that is completely unfair, and an inappropriate way to attempt to save someone’s reputation.
I think this Case will most likely resurface and become an issue again once Covid19 blows over. His case will definitely get what it deserves if the U.S. elects new president or if trump has changed his mind about pardoning Flinn’s crimes which isn’t as likely.
have you ever been admitted the truth of something bad, but your confession was disregarded? If so, did this cause you to feel guilty?
ReplyDeleteyes but it is hard for the jury or a parent to make the correct call one if someone is lying or not. It is also raises the stakes when that persons life in on the line. Although it is important to believe that someone is telling the truth people do not do it all the time and people have to be sceptical of everything.
What do you think will happen next to Flynn? Do you believe he will remain associated with Trump?
I do believe he will remain associated with trump because Trump wants to make this guy a success story and help him and make him do well. If that happens it would be great publicity for Trump and he is doing everything he can to try to win the next election.
Is it fair that Flynn’s case was let go completely, even after he pleaded guilty?
No, I think that there should have been another trial at least. But that is not how our government is set up so thats what happened.
What will happen next with this? Do you believe the case will resurface in the future?
I do not think that this case will resurface because I don't believe people want to take the time and money to go through this again so i think that it is an important case but I do not think it will resurface
1. I can’t remember a specific time when this happened to me, but I’m sure it has at some point. I imagine that I would not feel guilty however because if someone decided that I was not guilty of any wrongdoing and let me off the hook then why should I feel bad if I didn’t do anything wrong? In some specific cases this may be different, but in general, if you were let off the hook, there is probably a reason why.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that Flynn will remain associated with Trump and this situation will strengthen their relationship. I find it hard to believe that the justice department would drop a case that was pleaded guilty without any influence from the President or a member of his circle. The highest level of justice in the United States just dropped the case of a high profile criminal who admits to lying to the FBI on two separate accounts, directly relating to the Russian election interference which is one of the most fundamentally threatening events in US history. This to me raises a red flag, not only, regarding this specific case, but also, regarding the United States Justice system as a whole, signaling that corruption has reached the highest levels and is going unchecked by The President, the Justice Department, and the citizens of the United States.
3. No, lying to the FBI in one of the most high profile and important cases of the year, constitutes a reasonable punishment. There should be no question that Flynn should be charged for his crimes unless undeniable evidence shows that he is innocent. This evidence has not and probably will never be found regarding Flynns case and for this reason, and because he pleaded guilty already he should be charged for his actions.
4. I believe that this case will not resurface, but will continue to be discussed going forward. Legally, the case was dropped and will not be revisited.
ReplyDelete1) I have admitted the truth of something bad and had my confession disregarded. It did make me feel pretty guilty, but it was a generally victimless bad thing.
2) I think he will distance himself from the Trump administration. It’s not a personal thing, but the Trump administration is constantly getting investigated and he doesn’t again want to find himself in hot water.
3) I think it is fair that Flynn was released. His prosecution was unfair and unjust. FBI agents exchanged notes that said, “What is our goal? Truth/admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”, clearly showing the FBI did not have honest intentions. The FBI threatened to attempt to prosecute his son for fake FARA violations and it would be the reason he pleaded guilty, I believe any good parent would. Obama was keeping tabs on the investigation, even warning Trump of two men, Kim Jong-Un and Michael Flynn. Michael Flynn informed Obama of Al-Qaeda's power in North Africa under oath, saying they were making inroads. It went against Obama’s narrative that he had Al-Qaeda on the run, and so he was fired. The judge that sentenced Flynn asked Muellar if he had considered charging him with treason, a charge that warrants the death penalty, an obviously egregious from a judge. The FBI agents who interviewed Flynn also didn’t think he lied. This is all not mentioning the fact that COmey had shown obvious disregard for protocol and the rule of law. All in all, there is overwhelming evidence to contradict the prosecution of Flynn, not to mention a perfectly reasonable rebuttal to the people on this blog who think the guilty plea is evidence he’s actually guilty.
4) While unlikely, I hope this case does reemerge in the future. However, I believe it should be used as sufficient grounds to investigate the Obama administration's abuses of power.