May 12, 2020 | 9:03pm
A federal judge on Tuesday reportedly ordered a hold on the Justice Department’s move to drop its case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in anticipation of potential challenges to the dismissal.
US District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of Washington, DC, issued the order, according to The Washington Post, saying he expects legal experts and other groups will want to argue against the Justice Department’s decision.
The judge did not set a time for possible challengers, but said he will do so “at the appropriate time,” the report said.
In late 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about two contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
He sought to change his plea last January when he got a new legal team, accusing federal prosecutors of setting him up.
The Justice Department filed court papers last week to drop the case against Flynn, arguing that the FBI’s interview was “untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Flynn” and was “conducted without any legitimate investigation.”
