WASHINGTON: The lead attorney for U.S. President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser on Tuesday told a federal judge that she has discussed the ongoing criminal case with the president and asked him not to pardon Michael Flynn, an extraordinary admission that raises questions about political interference.
At the same hearing, U.S. Justice Department lawyers denied any corruption or political motives in efforts to get the federal criminal case against Flynn dropped.
In May, Attorney General William Barr stunned many in the legal community by ordering prosecutors to have the case dropped, a decision that came after Trump repeatedly complained that Flynn was being treated unfairly.
Critics have accused Barr of giving special treatment to Trump allies such as Flynn and Trump’s longtime friend and supporter Roger Stone.
Flynn’s defense counsel Sidney Powell tried to invoke…