Flynn has fired his counsel and is retaining new lawyer ahead of his sentencing

[Leghorn21]

BREAKING: Michael FLYNN has fired his counsel and
is retaining a new lawyer ahead of his sentencing.

Link to tweet

[snowybirdie]

1. Classic

delaying trick. Will likely push back sentencing.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Delaying tactic?

If so, I wonder why since this hearing has already been pushed back, and I also wonder if this judge will put up with it. Also, I wonder who really fired whom.

[marble falls]

3. He's going to a "hail Mary" for a Trump pardon. It delays a bit but reeks of desperation.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Changing lawyers won't affect whether Spanky pardons him.

Something else is going on. It could be simply that the lawyers who withdrew weren't getting paid (Covington & Burling is a big, expensive white-shoe law firm and their hourly rates are probably staggering), and Flynn had to hire someone cheaper to represent him at the sentencing hearing.

Maybe that's because he wants to withdraw his guilty plea - and good luck with that. That almost never works, and it would cost a bundle to try.

[marble falls]

10. He's delaying to keep from being sentenced hoping Spanky will pardon him in the interim ...

Spanky realizes that if he draws too much flack over his pardoning too many obvious criminals he begins to negatively affect his own possible pardon from a President Pence.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. Spanky can pardon him at any time so that's not the likely reason for a delay.

In fact, if Dolt 45 was smart (which he isn't), he'd let Flynn cool his heels in the pokey for a few months and then pardon him. That way he could claim Flynn has received some punishment but he doesn't need any more.

Anyhow, the judge doesn't have to grant another delay in sentencing (and so far there hasn't been a motion to do so), and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he didn't.

[marble falls]

12. He wants to be pardoned before he goes to prison. He doesn't want a photo of him in uniform.

[ScratchCat]

4. One day after

the judge decided the tapes wouldn't be released.

No coincidence.

[procon]

5. Does that mean he's finally given up any hope

that Trump is going to pardon his traitorous ass, and he really is going to do some hard time in prison. May he be greeted everywhere he goes with screaming mobs loudly shouting chants of, "Lock him up!"

[Wellstone ruled]

6. The Flood Audio

last week seemed to be some type of turning point . Notice how he resigned Representation effective three days later.

Suspected this tactic at that time. Ponzi Don offering a Pardon? Most likely,the story about the Balloon Pardon is coming into focus.

The Players are in place,and Barr will draft the letters of Pardon.

[brooklynite]

8. Michael Avenatti is available...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Not really. The California Bar has suspended Avenatti's license

by placing him on involuntary inactive status as the first step to disbarring him. https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/04/politics/avenatti-california-bar/index.html

[gratuitous]

13. According to the motion, Flynn has "already retained new counsel"

Makes me think this isn't a mutually-agreed separation. Usually when our firm withdraws from representation, if there is replacement counsel, we name the firm and ask the court and other parties of record to address all future pleadings and correspondence to the new attorneys.

Covington & Burling may not know who Flynn has retained as his new attorneys, or the transition to new counsel isn't a mutual decision. I'm sensing some lingering acrimony between the lawyers and the client.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

15. The "lingering acrimony" might have to do with not getting paid.

Covington & Burling aren't cheap.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. The judge in the Flynn case just now released the audio of John Dowd's voicemail

to Flynn's lawyer, asking for information "that implicates the president" and reminding him about how the president feels about Flynn. Somehow I don't think this judge is going to cut Flynn any slack. Right now on my teevee, Nicole Wallace's panel is totally freaking out over it.