HMM: Prosecutor of ex-Trump aide Michael Flynn withdraws from case amid controversy over documents.
A former top prosecutor for Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation abruptly withdrew from the case against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.
Brandon Van Grack, a special assistant U.S. attorney and the chief of the Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit at the Justice Department, submitted a notice of withdrawal to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday. A reason for his withdrawal was not given.
Van Grack leaves the case facing rising criticism from Flynn’s legal team and allies of President Trump, who believe he did not comply with the judge’s order to produce all evidence in the government’s possession “that is favorable to defendant and material either to defendant’s guilt or punishment.”
Trump has said he is considering a pardon for his former national security adviser, and late last month, he said he would consider bringing Flynn back into his administration, noting he was “essentially exonerated.”
In a sign that’s more ominous still for Van Grack’s career, and the government’s case against Flynn, he’s reportedly also withdrawing from his other government cases.
UPDATE: AP Exclusive: Justice Dept dropping Flynn’s criminal case. AP is still trying to cover for DOJ, but this is a debacle of the first order for them. The length and nature of this story also suggests that AP had some warning, no doubt from within the DOJ, that this was coming, hence the spin.