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 if 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.
It’s unclear if 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.