Judge agrees to delay Michael Flynn's sentencing

A federal judge has agreed to delay Gen. Michael Flynn's sentencing until March.

Here's what we know

During the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Judge Emmett Sullivan initially seemed to come down hard against Flynn, telling the former national security adviser that his "crime is very serious," and that he was "not hiding my disgust, my disdain for your criminal offense."

He also said told Flynn that he had "undermined everything this flag over here stands for," adding "arguably you sold your country out."

However, Sullivan later claimed that he was "not suggesting he committed treason." "Don't read too much into the questions I ask," he added.

"I felt terrible about that," Sullivan says, after the prosecutor notes Flynn's conduct as a foreign agent ended in mid-Nov 2016.

"I'm not suggesting he committed treason," Sullivan adds, further apologizing for his remarks in the prior session.
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) December 18, 2018

Flynn's attorney had approached Sullivan about delaying the sentencing, arguing that Flynn needed extra time to fully cooperate with the investigation.

"We are prepared to take your honor up on his suggestion of delaying sentencing, so he can [sic] out the last modicum of cooperation," his attorney said, according to CNN.

Prosecutors said that they did not object to this delay.

What did Flynn do?

Flynn is the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, a role now held by former U.N. ambassador John Bolton. He was forced to resign after only 24 days in the Trump administration.

Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in 2017 regarding conversations he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Specifically under scrutiny are conversations that Flynn had with Kislyak before Trump's inauguration.

On Dec. 5, special counsel Robert Mueller has recommended that Flynn not get any prison time, since he provided Mueller's team with "substantial assistance."