Sarah Sanders denies reality of Michael Flynn's legal smackdown: 'We still firmly believe' FBI 'ambushed' him

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday dismissed a judge's criticisms of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

During the first White House press briefing this month, Sanders was asked to respond to Judge Emmet Sullivan, who suggested on Tuesday that Flynn deserves jail time for lying to FBI officials about his contacts with Russians.

But the press secretary refused take back comments she made earlier in the day asserting that the FBI had "ambushed" Flynn by entrapping him.

Flynn, however, directly refuted that assertion in his Tuesday court appearance.

"We still firmly believe [Flynn was ambushed]," Sanders insisted. "What we do know that was inappropriate by own self-admittance of [former FBI Director] James Comey is the FBI broke standard protocol in the way that they came in and ambushed General Flynn and in the way that they questioned him and the way that they encouraged him not to have the White House counsel's office present and we know that because James Comey told us that."

In a follow up question, a reporter noted that Flynn "has cooperated with the special counsel's office and met with them 19 times. Is there a particular reason why the president has not said that he is rat the way he said Michael Cohen is a rat?"

"Look, we know Michael Cohen to be a liar on a number of fronts and the president's opinion is extremely clear on that front," she replied. "I don't see any reason to go beyond that comment at this time."

"Maybe [Flynn] did do those things but that has nothing to do with the president directly," Sanders later added.

Watch the video below from CNN.