Vice President Mike Pence has said he’d be “happy” for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to return to President Donald Trump’s administration in some capacity.
In an interview with HBO news network Axios interview set to air on the evening of 11th May, Pence was asked by host Mike Allen about the Justice Department’s dismissal of all charges against Flyn,, noting Trump had “talked about bringing him back to the administration”.
“I think Michael Flynn is an American patriot, and he served this country with great distinction in uniform. Now I believe the decision by the Justice Department lays bare what was clearly prosecutorial abuse, and for my part, I’d be happy to see Michael Flynn again,” he said.
Pence’s comments were particularly significant in light of the fact that Flynn was originally fired as national security adviser in February 2017 after being accused of lying to him about phone contact with then-Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Sergey Kislyak. Axios suggest a return to the Trump fold could mean he features on the November 2020 presidential election campaign trail.
“Trump insiders say they wouldn’t be surprised to see Flynn back on the campaign trail, where he was a warmup act for Trump in 2016,” the outlet states.
The Justice Department announced 7th May it was dropping its case against Flynn, "after a considered review of all the facts and circumstances of this case, including newly discovered and disclosed information". It was decided an interview Flynn had with the FBI was "conducted without any legitimate investigative basis".
Hours before the motion release, Flynn's prosecutor Brandon Van Grack stepped down. The former national security adviser had pleaded guilty in 2017 to making false statements over his contacts with Kislyak, which he then withdrew at the start of 2019. Ever since, he has claimed he was tricked by the FBI into lying to them.