Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has provided “substantial assistance,” according to court filings Tuesday.
The 13-page heavily redacted filing says Flynn provided “first hand” information about interactions between Russian government officials and President Trump’s transition. That information was pieced together during Flynn’s 19 meetings with the special counsel’s office.
But the filing does not disclose any new details about the information Flynn offered beyond saying it was a “benefit.” The special counsel’s team said it is not ready to disclose the full scope of Flynn’s cooperation because the investigation is still ongoing.
“His early cooperating was particularly valuable because he was one of the few people with long-term and firsthand insight regarding events and issues under investigation by the [Special Counsel’s Office],” wrote Brandon L. Van Grack, an attorney with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team.
As a result of his assistance, Mr. Mueller asked that Flynn serve no jail time for pleading guilty to making false statements to the FBI.
“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,” Mr. Van Grack wrote.
The revelations were disclosed in a sentencing memorandum detailing to a federal judge how valuable Flynn has been to the Russia probe. Flynn is expected to be sentenced Dec. 18, a little more than a year after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about contact with Russian government officials on behalf of Mr. Trump.
The first high-ranking Trump adviser to agree to cooperate with the special counsel’s office, Flynn faces as much as six months in prison, but he could also receive probation.
Flynn’s false statement charge stems from a January 2017 interview with the FBI about his contacts with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s then-ambassador to the United States. The two talked via phone about easing sanctions that the Obama administration imposed on Russia.
Mr. Kislyak and Flynn also discussed influencing foreign government votes on a United Nations resolution about Israeli settlements, according to court documents.
Flynn said members of Mr. Trump’s inner circle, including son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, at times, directed his actions in the weeks before Mr. Trump was inaugurated, plea documents revealed.
In February 2017, Flynn resigned from his position after news reports revealed that Obama administration officials warned the Trump White House about Flynn’s false statements. The White House said Flynn misled officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, about this conversations with Mr. Kislyak.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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