Appeals Court Delivers Bad News to Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn wanted to force a judge to immediately drop the case against him, but a federal appeals court said no such luck. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals denied Flynn's request to have charges dropped by a vote of 8-2 on Monday, reports the Hill. The ruling means that US District Judge Emmet Sullivan can continue to examine the Justice Department's unusual decision to drop the criminal case against President Trump's former national security adviser, per the Washington Post.

The background: Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about conversations he had with Russia's ambassador to the US, and he pledged to work with the Robert Mueller investigation. However, he rescinded his guilty plea earlier this year and decided to fight the charges. In May, the Justice Department conducted its own review of the case and opted to drop the charges. Also as part of Monday's ruling, the court rejected Flynn's request to have Emmet removed from the case. (More Michael Flynn stories.)