Judge Delays Sentencing for Trump's Former National Security Advisor

Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, stated during a court hearing on Tuesday, December 18, that he knew lying to the FBI was a crime. Judge Emmet Sullivan remarked that this retired general had 'arguably' sold out his country. However, contrary to expectations, Judge Sullivan postponed the final sentencing for Michael Flynn for three months. One reason for the delay is the trial of two of Flynn's associates in Virginia. Ekim Alptekin and Bijan Kian, two former partners of Flynn, are accused of violating federal laws regarding lobbying for a foreign entity. On the other hand, Judge Sullivan expressed 'disgust' over Flynn's lying to FBI agents during the Russia investigation. Michael Flynn admitted in December 2017 that he had lied to FBI agents about his conversations with Sergey Kislyak, the then-Russian ambassador to Washington. In January of that year, he had told FBI investigators that he had not discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with Kislyak, despite having done so. The penalty for providing false evidence to the FBI can be up to five years in prison. The former National Security Advisor pleaded guilty in court on Tuesday, and Judge Emmet Sullivan warned him that he could face a prison sentence but would suspend it. According to a Reuters report, the judge stated that Flynn had lied to the White House and, consequently, to the people, saying, 'I cannot hide my disgust over this matter, the insult that has occurred due to this violation of law.' He referred to the American flag, stating, 'This issue arguably calls into question everything that this flag stands for. Arguably, you (Flynn) have sold your country.' Robert Mueller, the special counsel at the Department of Justice investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, has asked the judge not to sentence Michael Flynn, a former U.S. Army general, to prison due to his service in the armed forces and 'substantial' cooperation with the investigation. Under Flynn's agreement with the prosecution, his prison sentence could range from zero to six months, and he could request the court to convert the penalty into a fine. Flynn's lawyers have asked the court to reduce his punishment to a maximum of one year of probation with minimal supervision and 200 hours of community service. They argue that since Flynn did not know that lying to FBI investigators was a crime, the court should grant him leniency. Critics of Robert Mueller's investigation claim that the FBI staged events to obtain evidence from Michael Flynn. Sarah Sanders, White House spokesperson, told Fox News, 'There is no doubt that he was set up.' She also claimed that the FBI has 'clear political bias' against Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice's inspector general announced in June that no evidence was found to support claims of political bias by the FBI. Last week, Robert Mueller, in evidence presented to the court, rejected critics' claims, stating, 'A person who is a national security advisor, a former head of security-intelligence agencies, and who retired as a general after 33 years of service in the army knows very well that he should not lie to FBI investigators.' Donald Trump stated that the reason for Flynn's dismissal from his position as National Security Advisor was his lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his relations with the Russians, but nonetheless, Flynn's actions were not illegal. Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion between his campaign and his advisors with Russia. Hours before the court session began, the U.S. President expressed support for his former campaign advisor, tweeting, 'I wish General Michael Flynn success in today’s court session. It will be interesting to see what he says in court despite the tremendous pressure he has been under.' In this context, Michael Flynn accepted the charge of lying to the FBI, and Donald Trump is 'not worried' about Flynn's acceptance of the charge. Mueller's office reported Flynn's cooperation with investigations into Russian interference in the U.S. elections. Bijan Kian, Flynn's Iranian-American partner, attended the court hearing.