WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller asked that the sentencing of Michael Flynn be delayed for at least 60 days in a court filing Tuesday.
The former Trump administration national security advisor pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators on Dec. 1, 2017.
On Feb. 1, lawyers were directed to come back to the court with a sentencing status report no later than May 1.
“Due to the status of the Special Counsel’s investigation, the parties do not believe that this matter is ready to be scheduled for a sentencing hearing at this time,” states the filing. A follow-up sentencing status check is scheduled for June 29.
Flynn’s guilty plea indicated he’s working with special counsel investigators. The court filing said Flynn “falsely stated and represented” to FBI agents that while working on the Trump transition team on Dec. 29, 2016, he “did not ask the government of Russia’s ambassador to the United States to refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions that the United States had imposed against Russia that same day,” along with Flynn telling investigators he “did not recall the Russian Ambassador subsequently telling him that Russia had chosen to moderate its response to those sanctions as a result of his request.”
Flynn was also charged with lying about a Dec. 22 conversation, saying he “did not ask the Russian Ambassador to delay the vote on or defeat a pending United Nations Security Council resolution; and that the Russian Ambassador subsequently never described to Flynn Russia’s response to his request.”
He faces up to five years in prison on the charge. He was released with the requirement that he check in weekly until sentencing.
Flynn said in a statement at the time that his actions “were wrong, and, through my faith in God, I am working to set things right.”
“My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the Special Counsel’s Office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country,” he said. “I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
The only sentence that has been handed down for the multiple guilty pleas thus far in Mueller’s probe was Alex van der Zwaan. A month ago, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail, a $20,000 fine and two months on supervised release.
The Dutch lawyer, who worked in London for New York law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, pleaded guilty in February to lying to investigators about his interactions with former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates.
Gates, who turned cooperative with his Feb. 23 guilty plea to conspiracy against the United States and lying to federal investigators, is scheduled for a sentencing status report May 14.
Guilty pleas in the Mueller investigation have also come from Richard Pinedo, a 28-year-old Santa Paula, Calif., man who bought and sold bank account numbers and helped clients set up PayPal accounts. He pleaded guilty to identity fraud and is cooperating with Mueller.
At the end of March, both sides requested a sentencing status report delay for Pinedo until May 29.
Former Trump campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos, who tried to set up a meeting between the presidential candidate and the Russian government, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to federal agents about the nature and timing of his contacts. The plea deal was unsealed on the same day as the Manafort and Gates indictments.
Papadopoulos’ sentencing was postponed in an April 23 status report, with the next report due May 23. He is cooperating with Mueller.
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