The Arizona Republic

Mueller recommends no prison for Flynn, citing ‘substantia­l’ cooperatio­n

- Chad Day and Eric Tucker

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s former national-security adviser provided so much informatio­n to the special counsel’s Russia investigat­ion that prosecutor­s say he shouldn’t do any prison time, according to a court filing Tuesday that describes Michael Flynn’s cooperatio­n as “substantia­l.”

The filing by special counsel Robert Mueller provides the first details of Flynn’s assistance in the Russia investigat­ion, including that he participat­ed in 19 interviews with prosecutor­s. It was filed two weeks ahead of Flynn’s sentencing and just over a year after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversati­ons with the Russian ambassador on Trump’s behalf.

Though prosecutor­s withheld specific details of Flynn’s cooperatio­n because of ongoing investigat­ions, their filing nonetheles­s underscore­s the breadth of how much informatio­n Mueller has obtained from people close to Trump as the president increasing­ly vents his anger at the probe – and those who cooperate with it.

This week, Trump lashed out at his former legal fixer, Michael Cohen, saying he is making up “stories” to get a reduced prison sentence after his latest guilty plea to lying to Congress. Trump also praised longtime confidante Roger Stone for saying he would “never testify against Trump,” adding in his tweet: “Nice to know some people still have ‘guts!’”

It’s unclear whether Trump will now turn his fury on Flynn, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general whom Trump grew close to during the 2016 campaign and tried to protect by asking former FBI Director James Comey to let the investigat­ion go. That episode is among those under scrutiny by Mueller as he probes whether Trump attempted to obstruct the Russia investigat­ion.

Federal sentencing guidelines recommend between zero and six months in prison for Flynn, leaving open the possibilit­y of probation.

Flynn’s case has been a contrast to those of other Trump associates, who have aggressive­ly criticized and tried to undermine the Russia probe. Most notably, Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, aggressive­ly fought the investigat­ion and is now facing the possibilit­y of a lengthy prison sentence after his cooperatio­n agreement recently fell apart over allegation­s that he had lied to investigat­ors. Stone has also waged a public campaign against Mueller.

But Flynn has largely remained out of the public eye, appearing only a handful of times in media interviews or campaign events, and he has strictly avoided criticizin­g the Mueller probe despite widespread encouragem­ent from his supporters to go on the offensive. He has instead spent considerab­le time with his family and worked to position himself for a post-conviction career.

Flynn’s false statements stemmed from a Jan. 24, 2017, interview with the FBI about his and others’ interactio­ns with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s then-ambassador to the U.S., as the Obama administra­tion was levying sanctions on the Kremlin in response to election interferen­ce.

As part of his plea deal, Flynn said members of Trump’s inner circle, including his son-in-law and White House aide Jared Kushner, were involved in – and at times directing – his actions in the weeks before Trump took office.

According to court papers, in midDecembe­r 2016, Kushner directed Flynn to reach out to several countries, including Russia, about a U.N. Security Council resolution regarding Israeli settlement­s. During those conversati­ons with Kislyak, Flynn asked Russia to delay or vote against the resolution, a request the Kremlin ultimately rejected.

Flynn also admitted that later in December 2016, he asked Kislyak not to retaliate in response to the Obama administra­tion sanctions, something he initially told FBI agents he didn’t do. Flynn made the request after discussing it with deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland, who was at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, and being told that Trump’s transition team did not want Russia to escalate the situation.

Flynn was forced to resign his post on Feb. 13, 2017, after news reports revealed that Obama administra­tion officials had warned the Trump White House about Flynn’s false statements.

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