Jurist calls Flynn move ‘gross abuse’

An ex-federal judge appointed to a key role in the trial of Michael Flynn Wednesday slammed “gross abuse” by prosecutors who wanted to dismiss the charges against the ally of President Trump.

John Gleeson urged current U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan not to allow the feds to drop the case against Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a Russian envoy during the Trump transition.

The Trump administration “has engaged in highly irregular conduct to benefit a political ally of the President,” Gleeson wrote in a scathing 82-page filing.

Gleeson, a respected legal figure who once put mob boss John Gotti behind bars, said Flynn should face punishment for his original crime and maybe perjury too.

Gleeson’s report is a damaging blow to Attorney General William Barr, who has sought to placate Trump’s efforts to gin up a political scandal he calls #Obamagate! over the former president’s supposed role in the Russia campaign collusion investigation.

There was no immediate comment from prosecutors or Flynn’s lawyer.

Sullivan appointed Gleeson in a special role to weigh in on the case. It will ultimately be up to Sullivan whether to accept the Justice Department’s motion to drop the case.

It’s virtually unheard of for prosecutors to drop a case in which the defendant has already pleaded guilty and admitted to the crimes under oath.

Flynn pleaded guilty, as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the presidential transition period.

In January, Flynn tried to withdraw his guilty plea after hiring a new right-wing lawyer who is a key figure in the push to discredit Mueller’s probe.