I think Sullivan is trying to box Flynn in if Flynn says his answers to the Rule 11 colloquy when the court accepted his guilty plea were based on the advice of his counsel.
This judge surely has been around long enough to know that innocent people plead guilty b/c they wish to avoid the risk of some alternative of being found guilty is a worse option for them. It is surprising that he can’t see that the FBI has no evidence that Flynn lied. Maybe it’s he doesn’t want to see. Forget that justice is blind. This is a case where the judge is blind, intentionally or otherwise.
Given that this Judge has threatened Flynn with a perjury charge and contempt there’s no way his attorney will let him answer any such questions. He will assert the 5th.
Yes, the advice of his counsel that had both a conflict of interest and withheld exculpatory information from Flynn and the court.
The evidence in this case demands that judge Sullivan acquiesce to the Department of Justice and defense counsel and end this charade.