Michael Flynn ‘eager to proceed to sentencing’ on charges in Russia investigation

Former national security adviser is apparently still cooperating with investigation into Russian meddling in 2016 presidential election

Michael Flynn, former US national security advisor, arrives for a status hearing at federal court in Washington, DC (Yuri Gripas/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Michael Flynn, Donald Trump's former national security adviser, is “eager to proceed to sentencing” on charges related to the Russia investigation, his lawyer has said.

General Flynn pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI about his contact with Russian officials and agreed to cooperate with the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

At his first court appearance since then, his lawyers indicated he was continuing to cooperate with the investigation and was hoping to wrap up the case against him quickly.

“General Flynn is eager to proceed [to sentencing] when it is possible,” attorney Robert Kelner told the district court judge overseeing the case. “With the cooperation agreement, it really is up to the government to make that determination.”

Mr Flynn’s sentencing has been delayed as he works with special counsel Robert Mueller on the investigation into possible collusion between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia – as is standard for cooperating witnesses.

But District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan said that he would be willing to expedite the process by scheduling a sentencing hearing two months after Gen Flynn's cooperation ends, rather than the normal 90 days.

Attorneys for both Gen Flynn and Mr Mueller's office said they would welcome such a move.

Pre-sentencing reports – an in-depth investigation of a convicted criminal’s background used to inform the severity of their sentence – are usually undertaken at the same time a sentencing date is set.

Mr Sullivan questioned why he should break from tradition in this case.

Former federal prosecutor Daniel Goldman told Reuters that the move to delay Mr Flynn’s sentencing date indicates that the special counsel still needs his cooperation – possibly for a trial where he would testify against someone yet to be charged.

However, the hearing provided little other information on the direction of Mr Mueller’s investigation, which the president’s lawyers have urged him to wrap up.

The special counsel has reportedly been attempting to question Mr Trump about the firing of Gen Flynn and former FBI director James Comey for months.

It remains unclear whether he has managed to do so.

Gen Flynn served as Mr Trump’s national security adviser for less than a month in 2017. He resigned after it was revealed that he had misrepresented his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to vice president Mike Pence and others.

He was the first Trump campaign associate to be charged by Mr Mueller and is still the only White House official to have been charged.

Reuters contributed to this report.