A federal judge set out a timeline on Tuesday that could mean Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, might be sentenced by late October.

Judge Emmet Sullivan called prosecutors and Flynn, a retired lieutenant general, into a hearing to meet with him about next steps in the case.

A different judge took Flynn's guilty plea for lying to the FBI last December. Sullivan said he had some "discomfort" at the thought of preparing a sentencing hearing for someone he had never met before.

Rob Kelner, a lawyer for Flynn, said Flynn was eager to bring this chapter of his life to a close.

Flynn appeared tan and relaxed during the hearing, which lasted less than a half hour.

The judge directed Flynn and lawyers for special counsel Robert Mueller to give him an update on August 24th. If nothing changes by then, Flynn could face sentencing in late October, not long before the midterm elections for Congress.

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