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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 2018)
NATION/WORLD Thursday, December 6, 2018 East Oregonian Page 7A Prosecutors recommend no jail time for Flynn By CHAD DAY AND ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON — Pres- ident Donald Trump’s for- mer national security adviser provided so much informa- tion to the special counsel’s Russia investigation that prosecutors say he shouldn’t do any prison time, accord- ing to a court filing that describes Michael Flynn’s cooperation as “substantial.” The filing by special counsel Robert Mueller pro- vides the first details of Fly- nn’s assistance in the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possi- ble contacts with the Trump campaign. Flynn participated in 19 interviews with prosecutors and cooperated extensively in a separate and undisclosed criminal probe, according to the filing. But the docu- ment’s lengthy redactions also underscore how much Mueller has yet to reveal. It was filed Tuesday, two weeks ahead of Flynn’s sen- tencing and just over a year after he became one of five Trump associates to plead guilty in the Russia probe — in his case admitting to lying to the FBI about con- versations with the Rus- sian ambassador to the U.S. before Trump took office. Though prosecutors with- held specific details of Fly- nn’s cooperation because of ongoing investigations, their filing nonetheless illustrates the breadth of 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 accused his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, of making up “stories” to get a reduced prison sentence after plead- ing guilty to lying to Con- gress and also praised long- time confidante Roger Stone for saying he wouldn’t tes- tify against Trump. It’s unclear if Trump will now turn his fury on Flynn, whom Trump bonded with during the 2016 campaign. Trump has repeatedly lamented how Flynn’s life has been destroyed by the special counsel’s probe. At one point, he tried to pro- tect Flynn by asking former FBI Director James Comey to drop an investigation into his alleged false statements, according to a memo Comey wrote after the February 2017 encounter. That episode, which Trump has denied, is among those under scru- tiny by Mueller as he probes whether the president attempted to obstruct the Russia investigation. Federal sentencing guide- AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster In this Feb. 1, 2017 file photo, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn speaks during the daily news briefing at the White House in Washington. lines recommend between zero and six months in prison, and Mueller’s office said Flynn’s cooperation merits no prison time. Prosecutors said Flynn’s early cooperation was “par- ticularly valuable” because he was “one of the few peo- ple with long-term and first- hand insight” into the events under investigation. They noted his cooperation likely inspired other crucial wit- nesses to cooperate. Mueller’s team credited Flynn with serving 33 years in the U.S. Army, including five years in combat. But prosecutors also said the long military and govern- ment service that sets him apart from all other defen- dants in the investigation made his deception more troublesome. “The defendant’s exten- sive government service should have made him par- ticularly aware of the harm caused by providing false information to the govern- ment, as well as the rules governing work performed on behalf of a foreign gov- ernment,” they wrote. Flynn’s case has stood apart from those of other Trump associates, who have aggressively criticized the investigation, sought to undermine it and, in some cases, been accused of lying even after agreeing to cooperate. Trump’s former cam- paign chairman, Paul Manafort, is accused of repeatedly lying to investi- gators since his guilty plea. Another Trump campaign aide, George Papadopoulos, is serving a 14-day prison sentence and, though he pleaded guilty to the same crime as Flynn, was denied probation because prosecu- tors said his cooperation was lacking. But Flynn has largely remained out of the pub- lic eye, appearing only spo- radically in media inter- views or campaign events, and avoided criticizing the Mueller probe despite wide- spread encouragement from his supporters to go on the offensive. He has instead spent considerable time with his family and worked to position himself for a post-conviction career. Another highly antici- pated filing is expected Fri- day from Mueller’s office, detailing the lies that pros- ecutors say Manafort told them after his guilty plea. In Tuesday’s filing, pros- ecutors emphasized that the conduct Flynn lied about cuts to the core of the inves- tigation into any coordi- nation between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Flynn’s false statements stemmed from a Jan. 24, 2017, interview with the FBI about his interactions with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s then-ambassador to the U.S., as the Obama administration was levying sanctions on the Kremlin in response to elec- tion interference. Mueller’s office blamed Flynn for other senior Trump transition officials making misleading public statements about his con- tacts with Russia, an asser- tion that matches the White House’s explanation of Fly- nn’s firing. “Several senior members of the transition team pub- licly repeated false informa- tion conveyed to them by the defendant about communi- cations between him and the Russian ambassador regard- ing the sanctions,” the filing said. As part of his plea deal, Flynn said members of Trump’s inner circle, includ- ing his son-in-law and White House aide Jared Kush- ner, were involved in — and at times directing — his actions in the weeks before Trump took office. According to court papers, in mid-Decem- ber 2016, Kushner directed Flynn to reach out to several countries, including Rus- sia, about a U.N. Security Council resolution regarding Israeli settlements. During those conversations with Kislyak, Flynn asked Rus- sia to delay or vote against the resolution, a request the Kremlin ultimately rejected. BRIEFLY Border Patrol agent charged with capital murder in Texas LAREDO, Texas (AP) — A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been charged with capital murder after telling investigators he killed four female sex workers because he considered them worthless and that he thought he was doing something good for his Texas border city, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said he will seek the death penalty if Juan David Ortiz is found guilty in the September slayings. “The scheme in this case, from Ortiz’s own words, was to clean up the streets of Laredo by targeting this community of individuals who he perceived to be disposable, that no one would miss and that he did not give value to,” Alaniz said at a news conference. Ortiz, 35, was initially charged with four counts of murder, as well as aggravated assault and unlawful restraint. He has been held in Webb County jail on a $2.5 million bond since his Sept. 15 arrest in the bor- der town of Laredo. Ortiz, a Border Patrol intel supervisor and Navy veteran, seemed to be living a typical subur- ban life with his wife and two chil- dren when the killings occurred. After the first slaying, he contin- ued going to work as usual. He was eventually arrested after he pulled a gun on a woman who was able to escape and asked a state trooper for help. Residents head back into California town leveled by wildfire PARADISE, Calif. (AP) — Joyce and Jerry McLean sifted through twisted metal and bro- ken glass Wednesday on the prop- erty where their mobile home once stood, hoping to find precious fam- ily possessions that might have sur- vived the devastating California wildfire that leveled Paradise. They were among hundreds of residents who were finally allowed back into neighborhoods on the east side of town a month after the blaze killed at least 85 people and destroyed about 14,000 homes. The couple, dressed in white hazmat suits and wearing leather gloves, searched for his gold wed- ding band, a Bible that belonged to his great-grandmother and Christ- mas ornaments made by their son when he was a boy. “We didn’t own expensive things, but we had a lot of memory things,” said Joyce McLean, 73. Read this book, and you’ll understand a lot about what makes Oregon Oregon. — Jackman Wilson, Editorial Page Editor, The Register-Guard Friday DECEMBER 7 th , 2018 Evening Gala | 6:00 pm 21 or older | $40 EACH tickets sold via presale at SAHPENDLETON.ORG/WINTERFEST or by calling 541-278-2627 “Grit and Ink” tells a story that is very worthy of being told. Saturday DECEMBER 8 th , 2018 Family Day | 10am-2pm FREE ADMISSION Sponsored by WIldhorse Resort & Casino • Prime Rib and Salmon Dinner • Lunch with Santa & his elves • Live and Silent Auctions • Make ornaments & playdough • Music, Dancing, full cash bar, table games gift shop, wreaths, and swags for sale • Write letters to Santa BOTH EVENTS WILL BE LOCATED AT THE — Kerry Tymchuk, Executive Director, Oregon Historical Society Pendleton Convention Center Small-town family business history at its best. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact St. Anthony Hospital Foundation at 541-278-2627 —Richard Baker, U.S. Senate Historian Emeritus NOW AVAILABLE AT IN PRINT AND eBOOK FOR KINDLE Also available from local booksellers or call 800-621-2736 books.eomediagroup.com/grit-ink Proceeds benefi t St. Anthony Hospital Foundation, Cason’s Place Grief Support for Children & Families, and Pioneer relief nursery. More information is available at SAHPENDLETON.ORG/WINTERFEST Th ank You to Our Generous Sponsors Kind Leaf and Welltower
