US judge delays sentencing of former Trump adviser Michael Flynn

A US judge on Wednesday delayed the planned December 18 sentencing hearing of Michael Flynn, former National Security Adviser to the US President Donald Trump. The judge, however, did not set a new date for the sentencing hearing. Judge Emmett Sullivan delayed the hearing after both Flynn and the United States filed a joint motion to request the delay. 

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The joint motion to request the delay was filed citing the release of the Justice Department inspector general's report on the origins of investigations into the alleged interference of Russia in the 2016 US Presidential election. The inspector general is expected to release the report on December 9. "The parties expect that the report of this investigation will examine topics related to several matters raised by the defendant," they wrote in the joint filing.

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Flynn pleaded guilty of lying to FBI

In 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty of lying to FBI agents about his conversations with Sergey Kislyak, then Russian ambassador to the United States. The conversations between Flynn and Sergey took place on December 29, 2016, after the results came out in favour of Donald Trump. The phone conversation was reportedly viewed by Obama advisers who have been briefed on its content by the FBI with suspicion of a deal between the incoming team and Moscow. 

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In January 2017, a leading newspaper in the US reported that Flynn is under investigation over his alleged conversation with Russian officials. In February, Flynn denied having spoken to Sergey about the sanctions placed on Moscow by the Obama administration. However, the next day US counterintelligence officials shared an account indicating that such discussions did take place. 

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On February 13, 2017, Flynn resigned as National Security Advisor following news reports about his communications with Russian officials. Flynn's 24-day tenure was the shortest in the 63-year history of the office. Flynn is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General who played a key role in shaping US counterterrorism strategy and dismantling insurgent networks in Afghanistan and Iraq.