Flynn's Sentencing May Not Be So 'Uneventful' After All

Michael Flynn's sentencing hearing is due to start at 11am Tuesday, a day that began with his former boss wishing him well. "Good luck today in court to General Michael Flynn," Trump tweeted in reference to his first national security adviser, who pleaded guilty last year as part of the Mueller probe to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US. "Will be interesting to see what he has to say, despite tremendous pressure being put on him, about Russian Collusion in our great and, obviously, highly successful political campaign. There was no Collusion!" Flynn might not need too much luck: Thanks to his extensive cooperation with Robert Mueller, both the prosecution and the defense have asked for no prison time.

CNN reports he's looking at zero to six months of prison time, with federal Judge Emmet Sullivan making the call. But the Washington Post reports the hearing may not be so "uneventful" after all. That's because Flynn's attorneys' sentencing submission suggests he was tricked by the FBI into making false statements because he did not receive advance warning from them that such lies would be a crime. The Guardian reports prosecutors didn't buy the argument: "A sitting National Security Advisor, former head of an intelligence agency, retired Lieutenant General, and 33-year veteran of the armed forces knows he should not lie to federal agents." Judge Sullivan asked for additional documents in response. The Post expects Flynn to press the judge for leniency in court. (Two of Flynn's associates have been charged.)