U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan on Tuesday withdrew his request that the Justice Department publicly release transcripts between Michael Flynn and former Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak, reports AP.
What he's saying: In a brief, Sullivan said, “upon consideration of the government’s submissions in response to those orders, the government is not required to file any additional materials or information on the public docket.” He didn't give any further justification for his reversal.
Context: Last Friday — a deadline established by Sullivan in May — prosecutors did not provide a transcript of Flynn’s December 2016 phone call with Kislyak, claiming they didn't depend on that conversation to determine Flynn's sentence. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contact with Kislyak.
Go deeper: DOJ holds transcripts on Russian sanctions between Michael Flynn and Ambassador Kislyak
