Federal prosecutors recommend Michael Flynn get up to 6 months in prison

Michael Flynn.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

After originally recommending leniency, federal prosecutors on Tuesday told a judge they believe former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn should be sentenced to up to six months in prison for lying to the FBI about the nature of his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

Flynn, President Trump's first national security adviser, pleaded guilty in 2017 and began cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office. Prosecutors said his assistance was valuable and he should receive probation, but last year, his new legal team switched tactics, accusing prosecutors of misconduct. The government wrote in its sentencing memo that Flynn "ultimately hindered" the prosecution of his former lobbying partner Bijan Rafiekian and no longer deserves any credit for working with them.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.