Flynn sentencing delayed again as new lawyers ask for more time

A federal judge on Monday delayed sentencing in the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who appeared in court alongside his new legal team for the first time since December. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about his contacts with Russian officials in 2017 and fired his previous attorneys earlier in June ahead of Monday’s sentencing hearing in Washington.

Powell, a prominent conservative attorney and author, asked U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan for 90 days to prepare to discuss Flynn’s sentence, citing her need to sort through the “massive amount of information” in the case. Donning a white blazer with the words “carpe diem” on the lapel, Powell indicated that she and the rest of Flynn’s new counsel were working to obtain security clearances to examine classified information related to Flynn’s case.

Michael Flynn seen in a court sketch during a hearing in federal court on Monday, June 24, 2019. William Hennessy

However, Brandon Van Grack, one of the federal prosecutors handling the case, told Sullivan the government had provided 20,000 pages of documents to the defense, none of which were classified.

Sullivan began Monday’s hearing by addressing a connection to Powell, who wrote a book favorably mentioning his work and sent his chambers a copy that included a positive dedication to the judge. Sullivan asked if either legal team had objections to the case proceeding. No one responded.

Sullivan ultimately decided to allow the parties to file their next joint status report on August 30, giving Flynn and his team enough time to prepare and work through the final stages of his cooperation with the government. Flynn agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation as part of his plea agreement. Mueller’s office said in March that Flynn’s cooperation in their probe was complete.

But Powell confirmed Monday that Flynn will be back in court again in July to testify against Bijan Rafiekian, his former Turkish business partner. Rafiekian was indicted last December in the Eastern District of Virginia and charged with two federal felony charges for acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Turkey. 

Flynn and his team did not respond to any questions as they left the court.