Page 6 - aruba-today-20190911

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 11 september 2019

In this July 14, 2019, file photo, the sun sets behind telescopes at
the summit of Mauna Kea.
Associated Press
University: Losing

Hawaii telescope

risks billions in funds Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, leaves the federal
court with his lawyer Sidney Powell, left, following a status conference with Judge Emmet
HONOLULU (AP) — Losing the school in terms of the Sullivan, in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019.
the Thirty Meter Telescope amount of research dol- Associated Press
could mean losing billions lars generated. Overall, the Judge sets new sentencing
of dollars in research fund- university brought in $430
ing over the next few de- million in research money date for Michael Flynn
cades, a senior University this year, a 10% increase
of Hawaii official said. over the previous year.
Vassilis Syrmos, the school’s Syrmos said he’s working to By ERIC TUCKER out, she contended course and ask for him to
vice president for research move that number closer Associated Press the “entire prosecution spend at least some time
and innovation, told the to a half-billion in the next WASHINGTON (AP) — A should be dismissed be- behind bars.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser three to four years. lawyer for Michael Flynn cause of egregious gov- If the Dec. 18 sentencing
not building the advanced “Right now our reputation accused federal pros- ernment misconduct.” date holds, it will be his
telescope on the summit is excellent,” Syrmos said. ecutors of misconduct “There is far more at stake second sentencing hear-
of Mauna Kea on Hawaii’s “We’re going to be good on Tuesday as a judge here than sentencing,” ing on that exact date in
Big Island could impair the enough in astronomy for scheduled a December Powell said. She later ac- as many years.
school’s ability to attract years to come without the sentencing hearing for cused the government of Flynn was supposed to
research dollars. Thirty Meter Telescope. But President Donald Trump’s “being too busy working be sentenced last De-
Some Native Hawaiians we’re not going to be a former national security on what they wanted to cember for lying to the
oppose building the ob- center of excellence like adviser. accomplish in convicting FBI about his December
servatory on Mauna Kea we are now. We need to The arguments from Flynn Mr. Flynn” to seek truth or 2016 conversations with
because they believe its push the needle for our sci- attorney Sidney Powell justice. then-Russian Ambassador
summit is sacred. Protest- ence and research. And were the latest in a series Prosecutor Brandon Van Sergey Kislyak.
ers have been blocking the the TMT is the opportunity.” of aggressive attacks on Grack, a member of But that sentencing hear-
road to the summit since An international consortium the foundations of special Mueller’s team, strongly ing was abruptly cut short
mid-July to prevent con- of universities and national counsel Robert Mueller’s denied the accusations after Flynn, facing a sharp
struction from getting un- observatories is spearhead- Russia investigation. They and said the government rebuke from Sullivan that
der way. The university was ing the telescope project. It represented yet another had given Flynn’s team raised the prospect that
expecting to be in a good has spent the past decade step in Flynn’s evolution more than 22,000 pages he might be sent to prison,
position to receive billions winning the necessary per- from a model coopera- of documents. asked that he be allowed
for TMT-related astronomy mits from the state of Ha- tor — he was the first and He said the information to continue cooperating
research and instrumenta- waii to build the $1.4 billion only White House official Powell was seeking ei- with prosecutors in hopes
tion development from the observatory. to cut a deal with prose- ther had no bearing on of earning credit toward
National Science Founda- The University of Hawaii cutors — to a defendant the case, or was mate- a lighter punishment.
tion but the funding will go will receive at least 7.5% whose newly combative rial that Flynn had been In court Tuesday, she un-
elsewhere if the telescope of the observation time on and unremorseful stance made aware of before loaded on Mueller’s in-
isn’t built in Hawaii, Syrmos the telescope if it’s built may cost him a chance pleading guilty to lying to vestigation.
said. The university’s Insti- on Mauna Kea, one of the at the probation sen- the FBI about his interac- She accused Peter Strzok,
tute for Astronomy is among world’s best spots for view- tence prosecutors had tions with the Russian am- one of the two FBI agents
the top three programs at ing the skies.q previously said he was bassador to the United who interviewed Flynn
entitled to. States. at about his interactions
Even as U.S. District Judge Asked by Sullivan if the with Kislyak, of being “im-
Emmet Sullivan set a Dec. government stands by paired” by bias. She said
18 sentencing date, Pow- its recommendation that that among the informa-
ell made clear that she Flynn should be spared tion she had not received
considered the case far prison time for his coop- were copies of Strzok’s
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Though she said she was documents on that ques- removal from Mueller’s
not seeking to have Fly- tion — suggesting pros- team and ultimately his
nn’s guilty plea thrown ecutors may reverse firing from the FBI.q