On Tuesday, D.C. District Judge Emmet Sullivan informed federal prosecutors that he is reversing his previous order for them to turn over transcripts of the phone call between President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak:
It is unclear exactly why Sullivan has changed his mind. However, former prosecutor Glenn Kirschner speculated on Twitter that "The prosecutors must have filed additional information under seal that satisfied Judge Sullivan's concerns and made him reasses [sic] the propriety of his original order directing disclosure." He added, "I trust Sullivan’s judgment, independence and ethics. He would not have changed course without a darn good reason, IMO."
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about the nature of his conversation with Kislyak, which allegedly centered on getting the then-incoming Trump administration to adopt foreign policy stances favorable to Russia. He subsequently cooperated with former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.