Court-tapped judge-advocate tears into Barr's 'corrupt and politically motivated' move to drop Flynn case

William Barr
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The long legal drama surrounding Michael Flynn, briefly President Trump's first national security adviser, is lurching toward another courtroom showdown this month. A full panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., ruled Aug. 31 that U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan can continue his examination of the Justice Department's decision to drop Flynn's prosecution, and Sullivan has selected Sept. 29 as the date the Justice Department and Flynn's defense team will appear in court to press him to dismiss the case.

After Attorney General William Barr controversially decided to drop the case in May, arguing that Flynn did not commit a crime because the FBI should not have interviewed him, Sullivan appointed a retired federal judge, John Gleeson, to argue against the Justice Department's motion. In a 30-page filing Friday, Gleeson tore into Barr, calling his move a "corrupt and politically motivated favor unworthy of our justice system."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.