Even potentially six months IS a very light sentence
I am not second guessing Mueller's team for suggesting Flynn face no jail time. They have their eye on the big picture, and in this case the picture could not be bigger. If Flynn's cooperation helps blow open the case that the President of the United States was secretly in bed with an American geo-political adversary, who am I to second guess why Mueller was willing to recommend no jail time for Flynn.
But it is the responsibility of the Judge in this case to second guess both the prosecution and the defense. That is his job. Strip away abstract sentencing guidelines which could not have been written in anticipation of a case like this one. Mike Flynn DID sell out his country for rewards from another nation, whether or not he was indicted for that crime yet. When was the last time this high a government official tried to literally sell out America? Benedict Arnold?
Even a full six months in jail is a relative slap on the wrist for the totality of the crimes that Mike Flynn committed. A few minutes ago I heard a commentator warn that jailing Flynn would have a chilling effect on whether future witnesses cooperate with Mueller's team. That is hogwash. How many criminal defendants in courtrooms all across America accept plea deals that shorten the potential jail time they face; from decades to years, from years to months, or from months to days every single day? There is nothing about white collar crime in general, or selling out our nation specifically, that makes it different from any other crime in regards to defining what "a light sentence" entails. Their so called high standing in society does not protect them from spending even a single night in jail. They could have thrown the book at Flynn. They haven't. I think anyone at risk from Mueller's prosecution can understand that regardless of how this ultimately plays out, there is a big difference between whatever sentence that Flynn will ultimately face, and the one that a man like Manafort, who did not cooperate, will receive.
