While much attention is on alleged vote scandals right now, something equally disturbing is going on relatively unnoticed behind the scenes.
President Trump, doing what presidents before him including Clinton and Obama have done, has pardoned someone recently. But the controversial judge in the General Michael Flynn case is ignoring that presidential pardon. He’s scheduled hearings in his court for a parade of leftist activists to argue against the DOJ refusal to prosecute Flynn and in effect argue against Trump’s pardon. Judge Sullivan, a Clinton appointee, is acting as if there was no pardon.
The Judge appears to be playing the celebrity card in this matter. He only has to look at the millions of dollars so-called socialist Bernie Sanders raked in with phony presidential bids. Sullivan can clearly see the potential windfall his antics could bring. Scheduling these hearings now will put Sullivan in the forefront of a cooperative leftist news media.
When Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich harsh criticisms came from both the right and the left. Martin Auerbach, one of the federal prosecutors in Rich’s cases, described Rich as a man who thumbed his nose at the law every single time the country responded to a crisis whether it was the energy crisis or the Iran hostage situation.
Auerbach also cited the fact Rich evaded taxes on $100 million. But everyone understood Clinton had the constitutional authority to pardon, even a villain like Rich. General Flynn is not Marc Rich and what he’s said and done bears no resemblance to the behavior of Rich. Yet no Judge in Rich’s cases had the audacity of Sullivan.
Judge Sullivan by his actions is becoming a hero to the progressives. When this is over Sullivan too can write books that bring in millions. He can dance his way around the Left Pole speaker’s circuit gleefully recounting how he battled the evil Trump. Those engagements should also be lucrative. They have been for the Clintons and Obamas. There might even be a Netflix movie enshrining Sullivan into the Leftist Hall of Heroes for future generations of little progressives.
What this behavior does is to undermine the American system of jurisprudence and set dangerous precedents that could be harmful to all of us. It should be disturbing to everyone practicing law in this country and every judge. Is this the definition of abuse of power?
I’m surprised the attorneys who frequent this forum haven’t seen the danger in this irresponsible action by a federal judge. Maybe they have.
Ralph Miller
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Mr. Miller, perhaps you wrote your opinion piece before you learned that Judge Sullivan has dismissed the case against Michael Flynn as moot because of President Trump’s pardon. Maybe that alters your opinion of him?
The President’s pardon does not mean that Flynn is innocent, however—only that he cannot be punished for his admitted crimes. Flynn is still a liar. He was elevated to an important and sensitive position in our national security apparatus, yet he lied to Vice-President Pence and to the FBI about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Kislyak regarding President Obama’s sanctions against Russia for its interference in the 2016 election.
I applauded Judge Sullivan’s attempt to understand and investigate why the Justice Department would decide to discontinue its prosecution of him for the crime of lying to the FBI and senior administration officials, and not just rubber-stamp that dismissal. Remember, he lied not only to Pence and the FBI, but he also lied to Judge Sullivan. He stood up in court and admitted he was guilty and agreed to be punished. Then he attempted to withdraw his guilty plea by saying he was innocent.
Judge Sullivan had every right to be outraged. One simply does not lie to a federal judge. Or at least do so and expect to get away with it.
George Caudle