Flynn argues against prison time in Russia investigation

Michael Flynn begs judge to spare him jail and asks for one-year probation and 200 hours community service saying his cooperation with Robert Mueller’s investigation ‘was not grudging or delayed’

  • Michael Flynn is President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser 
  • Flynn on Tuesday asked a judge not to send him to prison as sentencing is scheduled for next week
  • Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations with Russia’s then-ambassador to the United States during the transition
  • Special Counsel Robert Mueller has recommended no prison time for Flynn
  • Flynn met with Mueller’s investigators 19 times and provided assistance 

Lawyers for President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, asked a judge Tuesday to spare him prison time, saying he had devoted his career to his country and taken responsibility for an ‘uncharacteristic error in judgment.’

The arguments to the judge echoed those of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office, which last week said that Flynn’s cooperation – including 19 meetings with investigators – was so extensive that he was entitled to avoid prison when he is sentenced next week.

Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations during the presidential transition period with the then-Russian ambassador to the United States, will become the first White House official punished in the Special Counsel’s ongoing probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

In court papers Tuesday, he requested probation and community service for his false statements.

Lawyers for President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn (seen above in July), asked a judge Tuesday to spare him prison time

The filing comes as lawyers for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort said they were still deciding whether to dispute allegations that he lied to investigators and breached his plea agreement. 

A judge gave Manafort until Jan. 7 to respond to prosecutors’ claims that he misled them about his interactions with an associate who they say has ties to Russian intelligence and with Trump administration officials.

The defendants, their fortunes sliding in opposite directions, represent starkly different paths in Mueller’s investigation – a model cooperator on one end and, prosecutors say, a dishonest and resistant witness on the other. 

Even as prosecutors recommend no prison time for Flynn, they’ve left open the possibility they may seek additional charges against Manafort, who is already facing years in prison.

Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI over statements he made about meeting the then-ambassador of Russia during the Trump transition. Trump is seen above in Oval Office on Tuesday

Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI over statements he made about meeting the then-ambassador of Russia during the Trump transition. Trump is seen above in Oval Office on Tuesday

Given both men’s extensive conversations with prosecutors, and their involvement in key episodes under scrutiny, the pair could pose a threat to Trump, who in addition to Mueller’s investigation is entangled in a separate probe by prosecutors in New York into hush-money payments paid during the campaign to two women who say they had affairs with the president.

Since his guilty plea a year ago, Flynn has stayed largely out of the public eye and refrained from discussing the Russia investigation despite encouragement from his supporters to take an aggressive stance.

Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, spent three decades in the military, including five years in combat. 

In a public statement after his plea, Flynn has said he cooperated with prosecutors because it was in ‘the best interests of my family and our country.’

Flynn will become the first White House official punished in the Special Counsel's ongoing probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. The Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, is seen in the above photo

Flynn will become the first White House official punished in the Special Counsel’s ongoing probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. The Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, is seen in the above photo

In Manafort’s case, prosecutors have accused him of repeatedly lying to them even after he agreed to cooperate. 

They say Manafort lied about his interactions with a longtime associate they say has ties to Russian intelligence, his contacts with Trump administration officials and other matters under investigation by the Justice Department.

Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in Washington in September and faces sentencing in a separate case in Virginia, where he was convicted of eight felony counts related to his efforts to hide millions of dollars he earned from Ukrainian political consulting from the IRS.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk