Mueller asks for no jail time for Michael Flynn

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U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has told a federal court that Michael Flynn, former U.S. national security adviser, has given "substantial assistance" to the Russian probe and should not be given jail time, local media reported on Tuesday.

"Given the defendant's substantial assistance and other considerations set forth below, 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," Mueller said in a court filing.

In the court filing, Mueller's office said Flynn assisted with the investigation "concerning links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign."

Flynn also provided "firsthand information about the content and context of interactions between the transition team and Russian government officials," the filing said.

Nineteen interviews have been reportedly provided by Flynn to Mueller's office and other federal prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Flynn also provided help on other criminal investigations, although those details were redacted from the filing because the probes are ongoing.

Flynn, who held the White House job for only 24 days, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on the phone alongside then chief strategist Steve Bannon (R) and then U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn, in the Oval Office, White House, Washington, DC, January 28, 2017. /VCG photo

He will be sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on December 18.

He is so far the only member of Trump's administration to plead guilty to a crime uncovered during Mueller's wide-ranging investigation into alleged Russian attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. election and potential collusion by Trump aides.

Mueller's probe, which could threaten Trump's presidency, has already ensnared 32 individuals and three Russian firms.

Mueller is expected to issue a report on his findings possibly sometime next year.

In addition to Flynn, others who have since been charged by Mueller include Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort and campaign deputy Rick Gates, as well as Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty last week to lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Organization skyscraper in Moscow.

Trump has called Mueller's probe a witch hunt and has denied colluding with Russia.

Moscow denies trying to interfere in the elections.

Flynn's crime of lying to the FBI carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. His plea agreement states, however, that he is eligible for a sentence of zero to six months and can ask the court not to impose a fine.

Source(s): Reuters