Flynn doesn’t deserve jail time, says Mueller
RUSSIA MEDDLING PROBE Ex-NSA is the first person from Trump’s camp to fully cooperate with the special counsel
WASHINGTON: The US special counsel probing the 2016 Russian meddling case has recommended that Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser (NSA), be given no prison time for his crime of lying to FBI agents because of his “cooperation” in connection with several investigations.
“Given the defendant’s substantial assistance and other considerations”, prosecutors for special counsel Robert Mueller wrote in a court filing on Tuesday that “a sentence at the low end of the guideline range including a sentence that does not impose a term of incarceration - is appropriate and warranted”.
In a heavily redacted addendum to the filing, the prosecutors listed his assistance in several cases, including a criminal investigation, the details of which were not provided.
Flynn, who sat for 19 interviews with various government agencies, is the first person from US President Donald Trump’s camp to strike a cooperation deal with the special counsel’s team.
In seeking no prison term for the former NSA, the prosecutors said his “early cooperation was particularly valuable” because he was one of few people who had “long-term and firsthand information” of the events under investigation, and his decision to cooperate may have influenced the decisions of other witnesses to cooperate.
Six guilty pleas have been obtained so far by the special counsel’s office, which has also indicted 25 Russian nationals.
Mueller’s office cited Flynn’s military service of 33 years to say it was both a “mitigating” and “aggravating” factor in his sentencing.
His military career, it said, distinguished him from all others charged in this case so far, but “senior government leaders should be held to the highest standards”.
Flynn is a former three-star general, who was fired as the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency by Barack Obama, president at that time, over personal issues.
Flynn began advising Trump in early 2016 and his appointment as the NSA was among the first announcements made by the president-elect.
Flynn was forced to resign in February, just after 24 days in office, after it came to light that he lied to vice-president Mike Pence about his interactions with the Russian ambassador and related communications.
He pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to FBI agents about the Russian contacts, a crime that is punishable with five years in jail. He has since been cooperating with the special counsel’s team.
In court filings, Mueller’s prosecutors have focused on Flynn’s interactions with the Russian ambassador as a member of Trump’s transition team.
On December 22, he had sought Russia’s help to block a UN Security Council resolution condemning an Israeli settlement, going against the Obama administration’s decision to let it pass. The Russians refused to help and the resolution was passed.
On December 29, Flynn had discussed with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak sanctions imposed by Obama on Russia, and had urged that Moscow needn’t escalate tensions by retaliating. The new administration would roll them back, he had assured them.