Mueller Cites 'Substantial Assistance' From Flynn, Suggests No Jail Time
WASHINGTON (CBS NEWS) -- The special counsel has filed a memo saying that the sentencing guidelines for Flynn's offense suggest 0 to 6 months, but the sentencing memo, referring to Flynn's "substantial assistance," suggests that he not serve any time for the one count of making a false statement 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," the memo says.
The government said that some of the information Flynn gave is sensitive, and related to ongoing investigations, so it asked that part of an addendum to the sentencing memo be sealed. This suggests that the investigation may not be wrapping up soon.
The fact that the special counsel recommended that Flynn not be incarcerated doesn't suggest that his crime was unimportant.
"The defendant's offense is serious," the memo reads. Flynn "made multiple false statements, to multiple Department of Justice ("DOJ") entities, on multiple occasions." The government had an ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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