Rachel Maddow reveals Michael Flynn's new plot to score a pardon: Hiring a Fox News lawyer

Former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is awaiting sentencing, but the judge in his case isn't exactly friendly to his cause.

During her Wednesday show, Maddow wondered if it's for this reason that Flynn's new lawyer is a "hail Mary" attempt at getting a pardon.

She explained that Flynn thought in December that he would be fine and likely not get that much time in prison. But there was one comment the judge made that was a point of concern. According to Maddow, Flynn gave the judge a memo lamenting that he felt like he was "being railroaded" by the FBI and that they should have warned him that it's a crime to lie to the FBI.

The judge said out loud in open court that arguably "Mike Flynn, you sold out your country," Maddow quoted. "The judge asked prosecutors if Flynn could have been charged with treason. It was at that point that Flynn decided if he really wanted to get the no jail time he was hoping for and that prosecutors recommended, maybe it would be best to postpone his sentencing hearing and see if he couldn't do anything to get this judge look nor kindly upon him at a future date."

Flynn's new strategy is swapping out his lawyer for one that is seen frequently on Fox News. Flynn made a deal with prosecutors to flip on the Trump team, which likely infuriated the president, but if Flynn is about to jail time, this is all he can really do to throw himself on Trump's mercy.

Sidney Powell is a frequent Fox guest who gives her legal analysis on why the Mueller investigation is a "witch hunt." She even sells anti-Mueller t-shirts on her personal website.

Flynn's old lawyers were relatively tame compared to who Powell is. But whatever there was before was enough for the judge to be furious with Flynn. The new lawyer likely won't be winning any friends.

"Either Flynn has a great desire to spend a really long time in prison, or perhaps, Mike Flynn is planning on not being sentenced by that judge. Finding some way to get around it," she said.

Flynn's lawyer has now asked the judge for a 90-day delay on sentencing, which would give her ample time to make appearances on Fox News and make her case to the president for why Flynn should be pardoned, despite flipping on him.

It's unclear if the judge would fall for that.

Watch the full commentary below: