Michael Flynn fires lawyers who cut plea deal with Mueller

[pnwmom]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has fired his lawyers who arranged a 2017 plea deal that helped set the tone for others to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Flynn's attorneys, Rob Kelner and Steve Anthony, said in a court filing Thursday morning their longtime client was "terminating" them, and that he has already found new legal representation.

The new lawyer or lawyers have not yet announced who they are to the court.

The announcement also comes shortly after a transcript was released of a voicemail Kelner had received from Trump personal attorney John Dowd on the eve of Flynn's plea deal, suggesting the White House should be kept apprised of what Flynn was doing. Flynn turned that voicemail over to prosecutors -- and Mueller credited him for doing so. The voice mail became part of Mueller's investigation into whether Trump had tried to sway cooperators.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/06/politics/michael-flynn-fires-lawyers/index.html

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Here's Politico's story:

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/06/michael-flynn-fires-legal-team-1356175

The next joint status report from Flynn’s legal team and the Justice Department is due June 14. In their letter, Kelner and Anthony noted Sullivan has the power to deny their motion to withdraw as lawyers if it would slow trial or harm the integrity of the case but suggested there was no reason for him to do that.

“As only sentencing remains in this case, sentencing has not yet been scheduled and General Flynn has already retained new counsel, withdrawal at this time would not be prejudicial to any of the parties or otherwise inconsistent with the interests of justice,” the attorneys wrote.

Later Thursday, Sullivan issued a brief one-paragraph order “denying without prejudice” the Flynn lawyers’ motion to withdraw, though it appears the decision centered around a technicality.

Sullivan, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, said the attorneys didn’t follow a local rule for the court to include the text of a proposed order for him to sign. They also failed “to indicate the manner in which the motion was served upon Mr. Flynn.”

ON UPDATE:

The judge has denied the motion without prejudice, due apparently to some paperwork screw-up. The attorneys will be allowed to refile.

Link to tweet

[div class"excerpt"]Looks like Michael Flynn's lawyers from Covington are staying on the case, at least for the immediate future ... due to botched paperwork:

[CaptainTruth]

1. Maybe he just doesn't need them? He's just awaiting sentencing, right?

[pnwmom]

3. He needs lawyers. He's already hired some new ones. And the rumor is that they're

high profile. Dershowitz and Giuliani have already denied being the mystery lawyers.

[CaptainTruth]

6. Thanks. That's what I was wondering, if he still needed high-profile expensive lawyers...

...or if he was saving himself money by getting someone cheaper to wrap up the final work.

If they're high profile, I wonder what he's planning? Fighting the sentence? Appealing? Seems odd.

[dchill]

12. He needs someone with the legal savvy...

...to overturn the Constitution.

[SkatmanRoth]

2. Mueller Special Council investigation has closed; now the fix is in.

Mueller can no longer peruse the case against Flynn. Barr has arranged for Flynn to walk on some obscure technicality. The new lawyers act as a firewall when to fix is signed off on by the Judge.

[pnwmom]

4. Flynn was already getting a sentence with no jail time. It's hard to believe a new lawyer

would do better, or that Sullivan would sign off on a fix.

Several months ago, he all but accused Flynn of having committed treason.

[SkatmanRoth]

7. Flynn can withdraw his plea deal right up to the time of sentencing.

Watch for Flynn to move for dropping charges based on some evidence sealed by court because it was considered 'Secret' by the Government. The evidence will never be made public, and Flynn gets off scot free.

[pnwmom]

8. Except that doesn't explain why Sullivan, having seen sealed evidence,

all but accused Flynn of treason, and recommended that he delay his sentencing so that he could be of even more use to the government.

[DeminPennswoods]

11. Based on Sullivan's question about treason, maybe

Flynn thinks Sullivan will, despite the SCO's request for 0 time, send him to jail and he wants new lawyers who will fight that.

[certainot]

10. i believe you. the republican machine has deep pockets for the best advice

and the buzz from 1500 invisible/ignored coordinated radio stations give it all 'legitimacy' and 'popular sentiment'

[LiberalLovinLug]

5. So....they can now be called in to testify?

jot them down on 'the list'.

[humbled_opinion]

9. Interesting...

I know that the right wingers are going to bring out some serious misinformation in the coming weeks, much of it will focus on Obama admin officials that unmasked the surveillance of Kisleyak, I bet the play is going to be no collusion, no conspiracy so the underlying unmasking of civilians that did nothing wrong and got caught up in the maelstrom of the "WitchHunt" was nefarious at best and illegal at most.... I hope the media does its job and shoots this crap down before it gets roots.