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Trump’s ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to FBI Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to FBI as Trump-Russia inquiry takes critical step
(about 1 hour later)
Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn pled guilty on Friday morning to one count of making false statements to FBI agents in their investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The inquiry into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia took a significant step forward on Friday when the president’s former national security adviser pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI – and revealed he was cooperating with Robert Mueller’s investigation.
In a deal with prosecutors, Flynn has offered testimony about conversations inside the Trump campaign about contacts with Russian operatives, which is the focus of a major investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. Michael Flynn appeared in court in Washington to plead guilty to one count of making false statements to FBI agents in their investigation into Russian attempts to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
The plea was part of a larger deal by Flynn to cooperate with special counsel Mueller, in which Flynn says he is prepared to testify about top-level conversations inside the Trump transition team about an agenda for discussions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition period, according to court documents.
Trump and his aides and family have previously denied such contacts and discussions.
Flynn acknowledged wrongdoing for the first time in a statement on Friday.
“It has been extraordinarily painful to endure these many months of false accusations of ‘treason’,” Flynn said. “But I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong, and, through my faith in God, I am working to set things right.”
He added: “My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the special counsel’s office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country.”
Trump’s lead personal lawyer on the case, Ty Cobb, sought to distance the president from his former ally, a key adviser during the 2016 presidential election.
“Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr Flynn,” Cobb said in a statement, which stated that Flynn served in the Trump administration for only 25 days and called Flynn a “former Obama administration official”.
Obama fired Flynn as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency and warned Trump against hiring him.
That icy treatment from the Trump camp represented a hard reversal of the president’s previous embrace of Flynn, and belied Flynn’s status as a member of the innermost circle of the Trump campaign, which he joined in February 2016. Just nine months ago, Trump intervened personally with then FBI director James Comey in an effort to deflect an investigation of Flynn, according to Comey.
Now it is knives out on both sides. In a deal with prosecutors, Flynn, according to Reuters, has offered testimony about conversations inside the Trump transition team about contacts with Russian operatives, which is the focus of a major investigation by Mueller.
The president and aides have long denied all such contacts.The president and aides have long denied all such contacts.
About four days after Trump became president, Flynn made “materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statements” to law enforcement about a meeting he had with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, according to court documents. About four days after Trump became president, Flynn made “materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statements” to law enforcement about a meeting he had with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, according to court documents published on Friday.
Flynn was filmed walking into FBI headquarters on Friday morning. He ignored shouted questions from the media asking whether he had reached a deal with special counsel. Flynn falsely denied to investigators that he had asked Kislyak in a meeting during the presidential transition to refrain from escalating the situation after the United States imposed new sanctions on Russia, and falsely denied that he had asked the ambassador in a separate meeting to delay a vote on a UN resolution, according to the documents.
Flynn falsely denied to investigators that he had asked Kislyak in a meeting during the presidential transition to refrain from escalating the situation after the United States imposed new sanctions on Russia, and falsely denied that he had asked the ambassador in a separate meeting to delay a vote on a UN resolution, according to court documents.
Flynn further failed to recall being told by Kislyak that Russia had decided to moderate its response to the new sanctions at Flynn’s request, the documents said.Flynn further failed to recall being told by Kislyak that Russia had decided to moderate its response to the new sanctions at Flynn’s request, the documents said.
Flynn, who had failed to declare payments from Turkish and Russian sources and who was reportedly under investigation for an alleged role in a kidnapping plot, appeared vulnerable to much more serious charges than making false statements. Flynn was filmed walking into FBI headquarters on Friday morning. He ignored shouted questions from the media asking whether he had reached a deal with special counsel.
The retired lieutenant general, who had failed to declare payments from Turkish and Russian sources and who was reportedly under investigation for an alleged role in a kidnapping plot, had appeared vulnerable to much more serious charges than making false statements.
Anne Milgram, who has worked closely in the past with Mueller and his team as a former attorney general for the state of New Jersey and former federal prosecutor, said that prosecutors’ decision to charge Flynn with a relatively minor offense indicated that a deal for Flynn to cooperate with prosecutors had been struck.Anne Milgram, who has worked closely in the past with Mueller and his team as a former attorney general for the state of New Jersey and former federal prosecutor, said that prosecutors’ decision to charge Flynn with a relatively minor offense indicated that a deal for Flynn to cooperate with prosecutors had been struck.
“And that was very quick,” Milgram said in an email.“And that was very quick,” Milgram said in an email.
Details of the cooperation began to emerge at midday. Prosecutors said Flynn spoke with a “senior official” of Trump’s transition team who was at Mar-a-Lago resort in December 2016 to discuss what to communicate to the Russian ambassador, according to Reuters.
The White House declined to comment on the news Friday morning but said the president’s lead lawyer in the matter would address the news.
“The White House is not going to respond to this,” deputy press secretary Raj Shah was quoted by CNN as saying. “Ty Cobb will at some point.”
The Trump campaign has denied coordinating with Russia during and after the presidential campaign, even as evidence of at least 19 in-person meetings between the two sides has emerged and Mueller’s team has uncovered high-level conversations inside the campaign about the contacts.The Trump campaign has denied coordinating with Russia during and after the presidential campaign, even as evidence of at least 19 in-person meetings between the two sides has emerged and Mueller’s team has uncovered high-level conversations inside the campaign about the contacts.
Previously the special counsel has charged former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and aide Richard Gates III, and former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos pled guilty to making false statements, a similar charge to Flynn.Previously the special counsel has charged former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and aide Richard Gates III, and former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos pled guilty to making false statements, a similar charge to Flynn.
But Trump had seemed especially protective of Flynn, who unlike the others was part of his inner circle during the campaign, frequently introducing Trump at campaign events and working closely with members of Trump’s family including son Donald Trump Jr and son-in-law Jared Kushner. But Trump had until now seemed especially protective of Flynn, who unlike the others was part of his inner circle during the campaign, frequently introducing Trump at campaign events and working closely with members of Trump’s family including son Donald Trump Jr and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic proportion!Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic proportion!
In one of Flynn’s most public outings during the campaign, he appeared at the Republican national convention in Cleveland and led the crowd in a chant of “Lock her up!” referring to Hillary Clinton and her handling of classified information on a private email account.In one of Flynn’s most public outings during the campaign, he appeared at the Republican national convention in Cleveland and led the crowd in a chant of “Lock her up!” referring to Hillary Clinton and her handling of classified information on a private email account.
But it would be Flynn, and not Clinton, who would face criminal charges. But it would be Flynn, and not Clinton, who would face criminal charges, and on Friday protesters outside the courthouse chanted “lock him up!” as he left.
Former FBI director James Comey, whom Trump fired in May, said that the president had asked him in February to drop an investigation into Flynn’s activities – the very investigation in which Flynn had, according to the charges, lied about a month earlier. Flynn just exited the courthouse and got into a black SUV and left, no comment. Protesters outside chanted, "Lock him up" pic.twitter.com/P24IVeQvs0
Comey, whom Trump fired in May, said that the president had asked him in February to drop an investigation into Flynn’s activities – the very investigation in which Flynn had, according to the charges, lied about a month earlier.
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Comey quoted Trump as saying. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Comey quoted Trump as saying. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”
Flynn resigned after 24 days as national security adviser when US surveillance records came to light indicating that he had discussed sanctions with Kislyak, despite a public denial at the time by vice president Mike Pence that such a discussion had taken place.Flynn resigned after 24 days as national security adviser when US surveillance records came to light indicating that he had discussed sanctions with Kislyak, despite a public denial at the time by vice president Mike Pence that such a discussion had taken place.
Flynn’s request to Kislyak to block a UN resolution, which according to the documents Flynn denied making in an interview with the FBI, appeared to pertain to a resolution denouncing Israeli settlements.Flynn’s request to Kislyak to block a UN resolution, which according to the documents Flynn denied making in an interview with the FBI, appeared to pertain to a resolution denouncing Israeli settlements.
Trump was not yet in office when Flynn made the request, a possible violation of Logan Act proscriptions against communicating with foreign governments and undermining US policy.Trump was not yet in office when Flynn made the request, a possible violation of Logan Act proscriptions against communicating with foreign governments and undermining US policy.
The resolution to denounce the settlements passed 14-0 on 23 December, with the United States abstaining.The resolution to denounce the settlements passed 14-0 on 23 December, with the United States abstaining.