Barr Installs Outside Prosecutor to Review Case Against Michael Flynn, Ex-Trump Adviser

[Calista241]

Source: New York Times

Attorney General William P. Barr has assigned an outside prosecutor to scrutinize the criminal case against President Trump's former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn, according to people familiar with the matter.

The review is highly unusual and could trigger more accusations of political interference by top Justice Department officials into the work of career prosecutors.

Mr. Barr has also installed a handful of outside prosecutors to broadly review the handling of other politically sensitive national-security cases in the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, the people said. The team includes at least one prosecutor from the office of the United States attorney in St. Louis, Jeff Jensen, who is handling the Flynn matter, as well as prosecutors from the office of the deputy attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen.

Over the past two weeks, the outside prosecutors have begun grilling line prosecutors in the Washington office about various cases -- some public, some not -- including investigative steps, prosecutorial actions and why they took them, according to the people. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal deliberations.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/us/politics/michael-flynn-prosecutors-barr.html

---

Developing story.

[Botany]

1. Barr is not the A.G. but Trump's consigliere

The installation of Trump as President with Russian & mob help is the biggest crime
in our history and Barr is working to cover it up and let the conspirators off the hook
for their crimes.

Flynn was in negotiations with the Russians before and after the election.

[KPN]

2. And tRump's making it hard for him to do his job with all those tweets. These assholes are so

fucking transparent, and the deplorables actually love that. They love the transparency. To them it's like, "there take that you mf'ing libruls, stick that up your ass" and then guffaw. They're a bunch of wanna be bullies who eat this "get in their face" shit up. Why? Because they are so frigging weak and frightened by their own shadows. The world scares them. Fuck them ... every one of them.

[MaineBlueBear]

18. Deplorable doesn't

seem to cut it anymore. I have no doubt this ends in a similar fashion as the McCabe investigation.

No evidence of a crime just the appearance of wrongdoing.

[Squinch]

3. Executive branch lost, Justice Department lost. Courts lost. Not a lot of fallback positions left.

We really better pick ourselves a SURE winner this primary. There is no room for error in this election.

[ashredux]

4. It Just Gets Worse....thanks GOP Senators

[madaboutharry]

5. This is beyond a 5 alarm fire.

Bringing in "outside" prosecutors to question the decision making and judgement of DOJ attorneys is designed to do one thing: undermine the integrity of the process within the DOJ. And who are these "outside" prosecutors? No doubt they are right wing Trump loyalist with the very agenda just described.

One of the first things to occur in a fascist takeover is to kick the legs out from under the Judicial System. Once that is gone there is no democracy.

[cstanleytech]

6. Where the hell is the American Bar Association? They need to get the fuck off their asses.

[COLGATE4]

13. The ABA has nothing to do with it. Complaints would need to

be filed with the State Bar Association(s) where Barr is a member. The ABA is simply a lobbying organization which has noting to do with lawyer complaints/discipline.

[cstanleytech]

16. Fine then has anyone filed any complaints? I mean surely the state

bars have to have some basic ethics rules he has already broken?

[COLGATE4]

21. Hard to know since ethics investigations are conducted

under very tight reserve. It's possible that one or more complaints have been filed with the DC Bar but we won't know for a while.

[cstanleytech]

22. It would be nice if he loses his law license everywhere and he deserves it.

[COLGATE4]

23. He should have been disbarred because of his role in

covering up Iran Contra, never mind his new role as being a fluffer for Trump.

[NotHardly]

7. Well, all of this is a Reichstag fire of the 21st Century...self-immulation with metaphorial flames

...still, burnt to a crisp is still burnt to a crisp

[forgotmylogin]

8. Trying to amalgamate power in the Executive Branch.

What's next, a "Supreme Supreme Court"?

[Renew Deal]

9. In the end, it will be Barr that will be investigated

Trump will not be president forever.

[hamsterjill]

10. We need a "Star Chamber"

For anyone who isn't familiar, google the movie staring Michael Douglas.

[dalton99a]

11. Kick

The moves amounted to imposing a secondary layer of monitoring and control over what career prosecutors have been doing in the Washington office. They are part of a broader turmoil in that office coinciding with Mr. Barr’s recent installation of a close aide, Timothy Shea, as interim United States attorney in the District of Columbia, after Mr. Barr maneuvered out the Senate-confirmed former top prosecutor in the office, Jessie K. Liu.

[plcdude]

12. So the media

Is all talking about the “fake fight” between the AG and Impotus and AG is trying to slip outside and probably biased prosecutors by us. There needs to be an investigation on this matter as well.

[patphil]

14. It's all part of Barr's plan to intimidate prosecutors into toeing the line.

The intent is obvious. Go after one of Trump's people and you will be investigated.

[Pepsidog]

15. Mother F'er

[BlueJac]

17. This is so criminal,

You don't get the verdict you want, find someone who will!

[PSPS]

19. So barr has now installed "minders" throughout what used to be the justice department

[Lars39]

26. There are already minders in other departments

They’ve been there quite a while.

[NoMoreRepugs]

20. WHEN, not IF, Democrats, when in control of the 3 branches at some point start the Era of

Retribution, it is going to be something to behold. For the pearl clutchers and move forward don't look back crowd - step away - the ADULTS will handle this.

[LudwigPastorius]

24. Banana republic...

We are one.

[ck4829]

25. Why?