Feds say Michael Flynn is ready for punishment, his lawyers refuse

Trump's former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, is ready to be sentenced, federal prosecutors said Friday, but his lawyers are demanding more time and access to classified documents.

"The case is not ready for sentencing," Flynn's lawyers, including recently recruited Sidney Powell, wrote in a joint report filed in Washington District Court.

The Flynn team stated that they had hundreds of thousands of documents to review as part of their case review and that they could not obtain further information, including transcripts and recordings of conversations. telephones, "which are either classified or suppressed by the government."

"We must have access to this information to represent our client in accordance with their constitutional rights and ethical obligations," they wrote.

Federal prosecutors were not in agreement: "The government is not aware of classified information that requires revelations to the accused or his attorney."

Prosecutors suggested that the court hold another status conference in the light of the stalemate. They offered four dates in September; The Flynn team stated that they would not be available at that time.

Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with former Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, in the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump's inauguration. He was to be sentenced in December, but he accepted the offer of Judge Emmet Sullivan to delay cooperation. Sullivan excoriated this audience by saying "it can be argued that you sold your country."

Flynn had initially been indicted as part of the investigation of special advocate Robert Mueller on Russia's interference in the elections and his eventual coordination with Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. He had was also seen as a potential witness in the trial of Bijan Rafiekian and Kamil Alptekin, former Flynn business partners, accused of unlawful lobbying on behalf of the Turkish government.

"Flynn's cooperation is complete," his lawyers said in the report. He "cooperated a lot" with Mueller's office and with prosecutors in the Rafiekian case, they said. "It cost Mr. Flynn more than 100 hours of his time and hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional legal fees."

But they asked the judge to schedule another situation report in 90 days.

The government, however, has asked Sullivan to adhere to the sentencing schedule. They proposed a hearing on the sentence at the end of October or early November.

"The government is not aware of any problems that require a court resolution before sentencing," they wrote in the joint report.

Flynn hired Powell in June – a decision that prompted some experts to question whether the retired Lieutenant-General of the Army was seeking a pardon from Trump.

Powell, a vocal supporter of Trump, had previously urged Flynn to withdraw his plea of ​​guilty. After being hired to represent Flynn in this case, she reportedly stated that Flynn would continue to cooperate with the government.