Michael Flynn asks for delay in sentencing
Michael Flynn, President Trump's first national security adviser, requested a delay in sentencing for lying to the FBI, according to court documents released Tuesday night. The special counsel's office said Flynn's work with the government is "complete."
Flynn's attorneys are seeking a delay in sentencing until after the trial of his Turkish business associates, set to begin in July. Flynn plans to cooperate in that trial, which will take place in the Eastern District of Virginia. The government said it took "no position" in Flynn's request.
Flynn, a former Army lieutenant general, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to federal investigators concerning his contacts with Russian officials. Special counsel Robert Mueller's office released a memo a year later asking he not serve any jail time because he had provided "substantial assistance" to its investigation.
Flynn falsely stated he had not talked about sanctions with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, before Mr. Trump took office. In fact, Flynn called Kislyak five times at the end of December in 2016, and the two discussed sanctions the Obama administration had put on Russia. The day after Flynn resigned, according to then-FBI Director James Comey, Mr. Trump then encouraged Comey to drop the Flynn investigation.
Flynn had initially been set to be sentenced in December 2018, but a judge granted a delay so Flynn could cooperate further with the government. Judge Emmet Sullivan said he would take into account Flynn's 33 years of military service into account when deciding a sentence, but called his crime "very serious."
"Arguably, you sold your country out. The court's going to consider all that," Sullivan told Flynn in December. "But I'm not hiding my disgust, my disdain for this criminal offense."