WASHINGTON — The judge overseeing the case against President Trump’s former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn said he’s weighing whether to hold Flynn in criminal contempt.

The surprise announcement Wednesday evening marks the latest dramatic twist in Flynn’s legal saga.

President Trump’s Department of Justice has sought to drop its case against Flynn for lying to investigators about his conversations with a Russian diplomat, despite Flynn’s guilty plea.

But Judge Emmet Sullivan just signaled that he’s not going to let the case go that easily.

Flynn’s new legal team and right wing commentators have argued that Flynn was really entrapped by over-eager investigators looking to damage Trump.

Judge Sullivan said he’ll appoint a retired judge to argue the case against dropping the charge against Flynn. And that judge, John Gleeson, will also address the question of whether Flynn should be “held in criminal contempt for perjury,” Judge Sullivan’s brief order says.

Judge Sullivan’s order didn’t explicitly address the question of how Flynn, who has recently been fighting against his own guilty plea, might have perjured himself.

Read the order here:

Cover: Michael Flynn, former U.S. national security adviser, exits federal court in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, June 24, 2019. (Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)