A Dark Day for Democracy

Yesterday the Justice Department has dropped its prosecution of Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser. Robert Reich commented: “Flynn had previously pleaded guilty twice to lying to F.B.I. agents . . . is getting zero jail time for lying to the F.B.I, undermining prosecutors, and betraying the country . . . Attorney General William Barr has turned the Justice Department into nothing more than a political tool for Trump to wield against his enemies and withdraw against his friends. This is how dictatorships are built.”

Trump has been preparing to pardon Flynn because Flynn put loyalty to Trump over duty to the country. Whether it was Trump’s idea or Barr’s we may never know, but the two of them surely discussed the matter and decided that their common goal of perpetuating Trump’s presidency and moving the country toward a right-wing autocracy would be better served if Barr dropped charges against Flynn, sparing Trump the political blow-back from pardoning him.