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In Michael Flynn's first appearance in federal court since he pleaded guilty seven months ago, his lawyers confirmed that he continued to work with the government and that he was eager to be convicted and conclude his case.
Flynn's presence in the Washington court served to uncover rumors that Flynn's lawsuit was in the process of collapsing and that the retired Lieutenant-General of the Army could withdraw his plea of guilty. in the special lawyer Robert Mueller
Flynn admitted in December to have lied to the FBI about contacts with the then Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, becoming one of the first Trump associates to cooperate – and the highest official accused – in the Mueller investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Tuesday, the lawyer of Flynn Robert Kelne told the judge that his cooperation agreement with prosecutors remains in effect. "General Flynn is eager to continue [to sentencing] when possible, with the cooperation agreement, it is up to the government to make this decision," he added.
Flynn has become an important exhibition for some Trump supporters. maintain that the former general was ill-treated by the FBI as part of a vast conspiracy to undermine the president.
Some Republicans in Congress wondered if Flynn had been unfairly pushed to plead guilty. In May, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, complained in a letter that former FBI director James Comey had told the committee in 2017 that officers interviewed by Flynn did not believe it [Flynn] Michael Flynn turned to a deal "class =" trb_em_ic_img "title =" Faced with growing legal vulnerabilities, Michael Flynn turned to a deal "data-c-nd =" 400×225 "/>
Flynn did not speak at the hearing on Tuesday, and his lawyers did not file anything in advance to suggest that he had doubts about his Advocacy or raised concerns before US District Judge Emmet Sullivan of Washington for the hearing after the defense and the prosecutors jointly asked him on June 29 to begin preparations for the sentence, while saying that he was not guilty. it was still too early to fix the sentence given the "status" of the investigation Ongoing
Sullivan asked why he should break with his usual practice of setting a sentencing date at the same time as he or she begins the pre-sentence review. Dissatisfied with the response from both sides, Sullivan ordered Flynn to go to court
Sullivan also stated that he wanted to have a chance to meet Flynn for the first time and to know the parties before the conviction. Another judge in Washington, Judge Rudolph Contreras, accepted Flynn's plea on December 1, before recusing himself for undisclosed reasons.
The pre-conviction report is an investigation into whether the background to the plea was not clear. a person can justify a harsher sentence, It takes 70 to 90 days to prepare and this is a necessary step in the federal system before sentencing. However, prosecutors are not required to set a sentencing date even after the report is complete.
In a joint response to the judge, Attorney Brandon Van Grack and Lawyer Flynn Kelner stated that they always wanted to defer the sentence and update it. Sullivan again spoke of the date of August 24, they had asked to start the pre-sentence investigation because it would help the court to go faster.
Prosecutors generally delay the conviction of witnesses until they cooperate – including before a grand jury or trial – it is no longer necessary to do so and to do so on a regular basis with the cooperating defendants to submit periodic reports on the situation to a sentencing judge
. pressure on the parties to the conviction, "said Sullivan.But whenever they wanted to proceed, the judge said that he could" fix the sentence in 60 days, as opposed to the traditional 90 days. "
"We would certainly accept that, your honor," Kelner said, "the government would like it too," said Van Grack
if a 60-day sentencing time was to begin on August 24, could see Flynn sentenced before November's congressional elections.
The Special Advisor's Office and Flynn have postponed three times until now – which is not unusual in major investigations – but the June adjournment attracted extensive scrutiny while the president's legal team suspected Trump of sitting for an interview with the office of the special adviser
the president of the events that led to his rulings to oust Flynn and Comey, including by considering the possible efforts by Trump or others to hinder the investigation of the special advocate, reported the Washington Post.
In the case of Flynn, n Mr. Flynn resigned from his position as White House senior officer in February 2017 after the White House declared that he had inducted Vice President Pence and other officials of the White House. misleading administration about his contacts. with Kislyak.
His plea revealed that he was in contact with senior officials of Trump's transition before and after his communications with the ambassador. The pre-inauguration communications with Kislyak involved efforts to blunt the political decisions of the Obama administration – on sanctions against Russia and a UN resolution on Israel – the potential violations of a rarely enforced law
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