FBI chief orders internal review of Flynn investigation

WASHINGTON - Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said on Friday he has ordered an internal review of the investigation into President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

In a statement, Wray said he ordered the FBI's inspection division to conduct an after-action review of the Flynn investigation to "evaluate the relevant facts related to the FBI's role in the Flynn investigation and determine whether any current employees engaged in misconduct".

The review is also aimed to "evaluate any FBI policies, procedures, or controls implicated by the Flynn investigation and identify any improvements that might be warranted," said the statement.

"The after-action review will complement the already substantial assistance the FBI has been providing to US Attorney Jeff Jensen in connection with his work on the Flynn case," it said.

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it was abandoning the prosecution of Flynn "after a considered review of all the facts and circumstances of this case, including newly discovered and disclosed information," evoking sharp criticism from Democrats and a number of former DOJ officials.

This came two years after Flynn pleaded guilty to the FBI for lying about his contacts with Russia during Trump's presidential transition period.

The FBI probe into Flynn's link with Russia led to Flynn's ouster by Trump in February 2017, and became part of the US investigation led by special counsel Robert Muller into Moscow's alleged meddling to help Trump win the presidency in 2016.