Michael Flynn is a "True Patriot"

After this week’s stunning announcement from the Department of Justice that it would be dropping criminal charges against Michael Flynn, Congressman Peter King joined The Cats Roundtable to discuss new revelations into the FBI’s investigation of Flynn and why the case was dropped.

Flynn had pleaded guilty in December 2017 to making false statements to the FBI, following a wire-tapped White House interview in January 2017 about his communications with former Russian Ambassador Surgey Kislyak in December 2016.

As a member of the intelligence committee, King recalled to The Cats Roundtable in early 2017, when then-Director of the FBI James Comey, testified the FBI had sent agents into the White House to interview Flynn, who was working as National Security Advisor, about his conversation with Kislyak. King said that those agents had told Comey they did not believe Flynn had done anything wrong.

“It was an abuse of power,” King told The Cats Roundtable, adding that James Comey and others had tried to “undermine the duly elected President of the United States” by charging Flynn.

Flynn’s sentencing had been postponed indefinitely this past February, after he claimed his lawyers violated his constitutional rights.

But in late April, the Department of Justice unsealed FBI documents related to their investigation of Flynn, leading his lead counsel, Sidney Powell, to argue the documents proved the FBI “knew he was innocent” but had charged Flynn as they began to “escalate” their pressure on Trump associates as part of the Trump-Russia investigation.

But if Flynn was innocent, why did he plead guilty? It’s simple, King told The Cats Roundtable: Flynn didn’t have a choice.

Over the course of his defense, Flynn had to exhaust millions of dollars, even selling his home, while prosecutors threatened that if he didn’t go along with them, they would indict his son.

So, Flynn pleaded guilty.

But as evidence mounted in his favor, Flynn dismissed his lawyers, withdrew his plea, and claimed his legal counsel had worked against his best interest for the prosecution.

King called the entire saga “a tragedy” for a “true patriot.”

King was confident that Attorney General Barr’s special counsel into the Trump-Russia investigation would continue to dredge up the motivations behind it. He told The Cats Roundtable that Attorney General Barr dropped the charges because he saw “there was no underlying crime.”

King believes the important takeaway from Flynn’s case is the need to rein in government agencies when their leaders try to bend the law.

“You can’t have the FBI operating as part of a police state,” he said.

While confident in the integrity of the FBI, King hoped Flynn’s case would bring out the select few who are tarnishing the reputation of the rest. He called on Director of the FBI Chris Wray to be “more active” in his role of changing the culture.

“Whoever was involved should be, at the very least, permanently removed from government service,” King told The Cats Roundtable, adding that there would be consequences for anyone who had a deeper involvement in a conspiracy to entrap Flynn.