Jeanne Pirro had anticipated that Flynn’s guilty plea would be tossed out and the Trump Administration exonerated.
Here’s Judge Jeanine this weekend saying Flynn was set up and praising Judge Emmett Sullivan as someone “unafraid of the swamp.” She even speculated the judge could toss out the guilty plea and let Flynn walk …….. not so much as it turns out. pic.twitter.com/CbhSctbuV6
— David Mack (@davidmackau) December 18, 2018
At Flynn’s sentencing, Sullivan made a point of making sure that Flynn stated (and restated) that he lied to the FBI, that he knew it was wrong to do so and that he accepted responsibility. Sullivan asked Flynn whether he knew that lying to the FBI was illegal, and Flynn said, “I was aware.†The judge gave Flynn several chances to withdraw his guilty plea, and Flynn opted to proceed.
Then Sullivan went big. “Arguably, you sold your country out,†he told Flynn, adding: “I’m not hiding my disgust, my disdain, for this criminal offense.†He even invoked treason, asking the government whether they considered such a charge. (The government said it had not.) Sullivan suggested Flynn was working as a foreign agent while serving in the White House — a claim which he later backed off.
Judge Jeanine had praised Sullivan as a man who does not tolerate injustice. I guess not. Sullivan also made it clear he wasn’t buying the claim that Flynn had been “entrapped.” Merry Christmas.
Judge Sullivan gave Mr. Flynn the option of delaying the sentencing until he had completed his cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors. “I cannot assure that if you proceed today you will not receive a sentence of incarceration,†Judge Sullivan told Mr. Flynn.
After a short recess, Mr. Flynn returned to the courtroom to take the judge up on his offer.
Mr. Flynn faces up to six months in prison, but federal prosecutors have recommended a lenient sentence, including the possibility of probation, because Mr. Flynn has provided “substantial help†with multiple criminal inquiries.