A surprising delay in the sentencing of former national security adviser Michael Flynn after a federal judge questions his plea. He also had some stern words for the defendant. Statements that seemed to surprise Flynn and his attorneys.
Judge Sullivan is going thru defense filing, says it raised concerns about whether Flynn still wanted to plead guilty. Flynn lawyer Rob Kelner says they aren’t contesting false statements guilty plea as a result of any misconduct by FBI.
— Evan Pérez (@evanperez) December 18, 2018
Judge Sullivan: “I’m not hiding my disgust, my distain for this criminal offense.”
Says he can’t guarantee he’s going to avoid incarceration. Gives Flynn yet another opportunity to speak with his lawyers.
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) December 18, 2018
Breaking: Flynn decides to delay sentencing after judge threatens him with jail.
— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) December 18, 2018
Sentencing is now set for March.
Flynn was national security advisor for Donald Trump for less than a month. He resigned after it was revealed he that misled Vice President Mike Pence and the FBI about his communication with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Later in 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI about his interactions with Kislyak.
Over the last year, Flynn has spoken with Robert Mueller’s team 19 times. As a result, the special counsel told a federal court that due to his “substantial assistance” in the Russia investigation, Flynn should not get jail time.
Despite that “assistance” Donald Trump has seemed to remain in Flynn’s corner. Earlier Tuesday the president wrote, “Good luck today in court to General Michael Flynn. Will be interesting to see what he has to say, despite tremendous pressure being put on him, about Russian Collusion in our great and, obviously, highly successful political campaign. There was no Collusion!’
Questions are swirling over why Trump has remained so supportive of Flynn and whether his tweets directed at him are witness tampering.
To recap: Two years ago, President-elect Trump taps Flynn as national security adviser. Two months later, Trump fires him for lying to VP, FBI et al. Today, Trump wishes Flynn good luck despite cooperating with Mueller for a year. Why is POTUS so kind to Flynn and angry at Cohen? https://t.co/cllcgkjvrm
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) December 18, 2018
Meanwhile, these may not be the last charges that Flynn faces.
3/3 Even if the statement of offense could be read expansively to protect Flynn from other charges it is increasingly clear he could face, the plea is only between Flynn and the Special Counsel‘s office. In other words, a U.S. Attorney’s offices bring other charges. pic.twitter.com/LEzeU3Ioro
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) December 18, 2018