Michael Flynn moves to withdraw guilty plea, claiming government ‘vindictiveness’

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn asked a federal judge Tuesday evening for permission to withdraw his guilty plea of lying to the FBI in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe of Russian election interference, alleging that prosecutors breached his cooperation agreement by demanding his false testimony.

The stunning reversal — more than two years after Flynn pleaded guilty Dec. 1, 2017, and two weeks before he faces sentencing — threatens to sidetrack, if not derail, the prosecution of the highest-ranking Trump official charged and one of the first to cooperate with Mueller’s office.

Any change in plea must be approved by a judge. Continue reading.