Special counsel Robert Mueller recommends no jail time for Michael Flynn

NEW YORK: Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has provided so much help to prosecutors investigating the Trump campaign and Russia's attempt to sway the 2016 election that Special Counsel Robert Mueller said he has earned a lenient sentence that doesn't include time behind bars.

After pleading guilty early last December to lying to federal agents, Flynn provided useful information during 19 interviews, Mueller's prosecutors said on Tuesday in a court filing. They noted that some of the benefit from Flynn's cooperation may not be “fully realised at this time” because investigations are “ongoing”.

“Given the defendant’s substantial assistance,” Mueller said, a sentence that “does not impose a term of incarceration — is appropriate and warranted.”


Mueller's recommendation of no jail for Flynn is another indication the Special Counsel is willing to give a break to those who help his investigation. But he also seemed to be sending a message to others, who may still be under scrutiny.

“Senior government leaders should be held to the highest standards,” Mueller said in the sentencing memo filed in federal court in Washington.

With high-profile roles on President Trump's campaign, Flynn, who retired as a lieutenant general in 2014, has likely guided Mueller through periods of intense investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.