Dec 13, 2018

Trump tweets that Michael Flynn got a "great deal"

Zachary Basu

President Trump tweeted Thursday morning that his former national security adviser Michael Flynn — for whom special counsel Robert Mueller recommended little to no prison time last week — got "a great deal."

"They gave General Flynn a great deal because they were embarrassed by the way he was treated - the FBI said he didn’t lie and they overrode the FBI. They want to scare everybody into making up stories that are not true by catching them in the smallest of misstatements. Sad! WITCH HUNT!"

Reality check: In his sentencing memo, Mueller explained that Flynn deserved leniency for lying to the FBI because he had offered "substantial assistance" in the special counsel's investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia. Flynn's defense attorneys claimed in their own sentencing memo that, prior to Flynn's initial January 2017 interview with the FBI, agents decided not to warn Flynn of the penalties of lying, and that Flynn was "unguarded" and "saw the FBI agents as allies."

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Coronavirus dashboard

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 8 p.m. ET: 857,487 — Total deaths: 42,107 — Total recoveries: 178,034.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 8 p.m. ET: 188,172 — Total deaths: 3,873 — Total recoveries: 7,024.
  3. Business updates: Should you pay your rent or mortgage during the coronavirus pandemic? Find out if you are protected under the CARES Act.
  4. Public health updates: More than 400 long-term care facilities across the U.S. report patients with coronavirus — Older adults and people with underlying health conditions are more at risk, new data shows.
  5. Federal government latest: President Trump said the next two weeks would be "very painful," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans.
  6. U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt: Captain of nuclear aircraft carrier docked in Guam pleaded with the U.S. Navy for more resources after more than 100 members of his crew tested positive.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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