Judge in Mike Flynn's case recuses himself
The judge in the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has recused himself, CBS News' Paula Reid reports.
Flynn's case, in which he has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, has been reassigned to Judge Emmet G. Sullivan after Judge Rudolph Contreras recused himself.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has confirmed the recusal, but has not provided an explanation for it.
Flynn's case will now be sentenced by Sullivan, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, in February.
Last week, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Flynn was fired from the administration in February after he misled Vice President mike Pence about those contacts.
President Trump — or at least his Twitter account — caused confusion over the weekend by claiming the president fired Flynn "because he lied to the vice president and the FBI," raising the question of whether Mr. Trump knew Flynn had lied to the FBI when he fired the former national security adviser.
Later, Mr. Trump's lawyer, John Dowd, took responsibility for the tweet.