“A federal judge Thursday agreed to postpone Michael Flynn’s sentencing for another month while he considers the former Trump national security adviser’s recent request to withdraw his guilty plea over false statements to the FBI.
In his order, U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan set a new sentencing hearing for Feb. 27, while also spelling out a series of deadlines for lawyers in the case to explain their views on the retired Army general’s unusual move.
Flynn formally told Sullivan on Monday he wanted out of the plea deal he’d reached with then-special counsel Robert Mueller’s office in late 2017. That decision comes months after Flynn shifted to a more confrontational defense strategy, hiring new lawyers and fighting with federal prosecutors over planned testimony in a related criminal case.
The abrupt turn to a more combative style prompted federal prosecutors earlier this month to tell Sullivan that Flynn was no longer exhibiting the same remorse he did when he entered his guilty plea. As a result, DOJ prosecutors recommended that Flynn face a sentence of up to six months in prison, potentially a much stiffer penalty than probation, which the government seemed open to a year ago.” (Read more: Politico, 1/16/2020) (Archive)