Why did Flynn decide to take the plea deal?

It also apparently avoided prospective charges for Flynn’s son. Flynn and his attorneys considered the deal to be the least bad way out of the jam. “My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the special counsel’s office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country.

Was Flynn entrapped by the FBI?

Flynn’s attorneys fought to get this material unsealed after their dealings with the government soured. They call it the basis for their claim that the FBI effectively entrapped him.

What was the relationship between Flynn and the Feds like?

The longer Flynn cooperated, however, the more fraught became his relationship with the feds. After giving prosecutors everything they wanted in the Russia matter, Flynn became less forthcoming when the government brought a case against his former business partner, prosecutors said.

Why did Sullivan defer Flynn’s sentence?

Ultimately, Sullivan deferred the sentencing because he said he had more questions about the matter, adding more months to Flynn’s legal saga. If Sullivan had issued a sentence then and resolved Flynn’s case, Flynn’s admissions and guilt might have stood. His legal odyssey might have ended there.

What might have set the stage for Flynn’s release?

In a strange twist, what might have set the stage for Flynn’s eventual release was an encounter with an outspoken judge who raised the prospect of punishing him more severely. Nearly everyone, including Trump, expected Flynn to be sentenced in late 2018 when he appeared before Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington.

What if Judge Sullivan had issued a different sentence to Flynn?

If Sullivan had issued a sentence then and resolved Flynn’s case, Flynn’s admissions and guilt might have stood. His legal odyssey might have ended there. Instead, the judge’s delay led to the phase of the story in which Flynn replaced his attorneys and broke with the government.

Did the government threaten to indict Michael Flynn’s son?

Moreover, in this case, it is alleged that the government threatened, if Flynn did not plead guilty, to indict his son. These are the kinds of pressures routinely used by prosecutors.

Why did the Justice Department drop the Flynn case?

Partisan hypocrisy reigns. The decision by the Justice Department to drop the Flynn case sends an important message to prosecutors that goes beyond the Flynn case. There must be a single standard of justice and civil liberties — including the presumption of innocence — that transcends partisan politics.

Did the FBI have enough evidence to investigate Flynn?

And a report by the Justice Department’s inspector general found that the bureau had sufficient evidence to investigate Mr. Flynn as part of its inquiry into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, even as the report was sharply critical of the F.B.I.’s broader handling of that investigation.