Reuters: “U.S. appeals court judges on Tuesday signaled skepticism toward a bid by President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn to compel a federal judge to immediately drop the criminal case against him as the Justice Department has demanded – even though Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.”

“Ten judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit were hearing arguments in the politically charged case after a three-judge panel, in a 2-1 ruling on June 24, directed U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the Justice Department’s motion to clear Flynn. As the hearing got underway, Sidney Powell, Flynn’s lawyer, accused Sullivan of ‘usurping’ the job of a prosecutor and said the judge ‘impermissibly sallied forth to right the wrongs that he perceived.’ Democrats and other critics have accused Attorney General Bill Barr of protecting Trump’s friends and allies in this and other high-profile criminal cases, warping the rule of law. Trump on July 10 also commuted the prison sentence of his friend and adviser Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying under oath to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Early questions from the judges dealt with procedure and whether it was premature for their court to step in now, before Sullivan has even ruled on the Justice Department’s request for dismissal.”