To some expert observers, movement toward sentencing of former Trump Deputy Campaign Manager Rick Gates is a sign that special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe is nearing an end. | Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Legal Mueller delays sentencing for ex-Trump aide Gates over ongoing cooperation The delay stands in contrast to two other high-profile former Trump officials who are moving toward sentencing in the Mueller investigation.

Special counsel Robert Mueller again pushed back the sentencing of former Donald Trump campaign deputy Rick Gates because the longtime GOP operative is still cooperating on "several ongoing investigations."

The delay, laid out in a new one-page joint filing , stands in contrast to two other high-profile former Trump officials — Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort — who are moving toward sentencing after also pleading guilty and cooperating with the special counsel’s probe.


But in a Wednesday memo filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Circuit, attorneys for Mueller and Gates confirmed that Gates “continues to cooperate with respect to several ongoing investigations, and accordingly the parties do not believe it is appropriate to commence the sentencing process at this time.”

Both sides agreed to give the court another update by January 15 on his cooperation and whether they’re ready to move toward sentencing for Gates, who pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy against the U.S. and making a false statement in a federal investigation.

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Conversely, Mueller has moved toward sentencing other officials who have pleaded guilty in the probe.

Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser who pleaded guilty last December for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials during the Trump transition, is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18

And lawyers for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the special counsel have a Friday deadline to file their first joint status report ahead of his sentencing with the D.C. Circuit judge overseeing a portion of his case.

Manafort is also scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 8 for his conviction on bank and tax fraud charges in federal court in Alexandria, Va. At that trial, Gates testified against Manafort.

To some expert observers, movement toward sentencing both Manafort and Gates is a sign that Mueller’s probe is nearing an end.

“It’d be unusual to start to let people providing information to get sentenced if something you’d need them to testify about is about to happen,” said Andrew McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor and National Review columnist.

The pre-sentencing memos for both Flynn and Manafort may spell out some of the details about their cooperation, including how frequently they’ve met with investigators and whether they’ve agreed to testify in future trials.

Several former federal prosecutors interviewed about the upcoming filings said they may offer insight into some of Mueller’s potential end game plans, but cautioned that observers cannot glean too much from the materials.