Former Trump adviser’s sentencing delayed till March to allow for further cooperation

The sentencing of former US national security adviser Michael Flynn has been postponed for 90 days to allow the high-ranking military official to prolong his cooperation in the Russia probe after he admitted to lying to the FBI and was accused of betraying his country.

During an explosive hearing on Tuesday, US District Judge Emmet Sullivan severely criticized US President Donald Trump’s former adviser for committing a “serious offense” by lying to FBI agents in the investigation into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and selling out the United States.

“This is very serious offense. A high-ranking senior official of the government making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation while on the physical premises of the White House,” Sullivan said in federal court in Washington, DC. “Arguably, you sold your country out. I'm not hiding my disgust, my disdain for this criminal offense."

Earlier, Flynn had pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI about his contacts with then-Russian ambassador to the US, Sergei Kislyak, during the US presidential transition.

PressTV-Flynn admits lying to FBI over Russia contacts

US President Donald Trump's former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI regarding his contacts with Russians.

The judge on Tuesday decided to postpone the sentencing for three months until Flynn has finished helping prosecutors in the Russia probe, saying he would hold the next hearing on March 13.

Trump had wished Flynn “good luck” just hours before the sentencing, which under federal guidelines could have landed the retired three-star general in prison for up to six months.

“Good luck today in court to General Michael Flynn,” the US president said in a tweet. “Will be interesting to see what he has to say, despite tremendous pressure being put on him, about Russian Collusion in our great and, obviously, highly successful political campaign. There was no Collusion!”

After the Tuesday hearing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused the FBI of "ambushing" Flynn and said his "activities" at the center of the case "don't have anything to do with the president."

Sanders also disputed that Flynn had committed treason.

Flynn's sentencing comes as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into allegations of Trump-Russia collusion and allegations of Russia's meddling during the 2016 US presidential election.

Earlier this month, Mueller praised Flynn’s extensive government cooperation and his “substantial assistance” in his two-year probe into the supposed collusion between Trump’s team and Russia.

Flynn is facing minimal prison time between zero to six months and a fine of $5,000 to $9,500.

Mueller has recommended a lenient sentence for Flynn, a sentence with no jail time.

Mueller’s office has said that Flynn, who will become the first White House official punished in the Russia probe, has had 19 meetings with investigators; enough to make him entitled to avoid prison when he is sentenced in March.

Mueller, a former FBI director, has been running a high-profile investigation into allegations that Trump won the 2016 presidential election against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton partly because Moscow had rigged the election in his favor.

Could Trump end his presidency by firing Mueller?

US President Donald Trump “has the power” to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel in the so-called Russia probe.

US intelligence agencies claim Russia-linked hackers provided WikiLeaks with damaging information -- in the form of thousands of hacked emails -- about Clinton to skew the presidential election in favor of Trump.

Trump has repeatedly denied that people close to him coordinated with Russia, calling Mueller’s investigation a “witch hunt.”  Moscow has also denied any interference in US elections.

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