Dec. 5, 2018
Peter Bergen wrote an article for CNN about Mike Flynn and his transition from advising the President to lying to the FBI.
Retired Lieutenant General Michael ("Mike") Flynn's fall from grace has been precipitous. Flynn was once an admired Army Special Operations officer who went on to hold one of the most powerful jobs in the world as President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser.
Now he is awaiting sentencing on December 18 for lying to the FBI. According to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's sentencing memo filed Tuesday, because of his extensive cooperation with investigators as well as his more than three decades of public service, prosecutors are requesting a minimal sentence, including the possibility of no jail time for Flynn.
Flynn has spoken to prosecutors 19 times as part of his plea agreement, which underlines his value to Mueller as a witness because of his early involvement in the Trump campaign and the key role he played in the transition, all of which gives him important insights into the campaign's precise involvement with the Russians.
How did Flynn's long fall from grace happen? This story is based on interviews with multiple former colleagues of Flynn's in the military, as well as with his colleagues in the Trump White House. (I have also interviewed Flynn in the past, although he has not spoken to the media while awaiting sentencing.)