One usual "proof" of Leopoldt Conjecture is that $\mathbb{Z}_p$ is $\mathbb{Z}$-flat, hence the rank of the $p$-adic completion of the units of a number field has the same rank of the units themselves (which is Leopoldt Conjecture) because you can obtain the completion simply as $\mathcal{O}^times\otimes\mathbb{Z}_p$.
Filippo Alberto Edoardo
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