President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty Friday after being charged with lying to the FBI and is fully cooperating with an investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged Russia ties.
Flynn said in a statement that he is now “working to set things right.
“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. I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he said.
Court documents posted online show the investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged Flynn with one count of “willfully and knowingly” making false statements about his contacts with Russia’s former U.S. envoy, Sergey Kislyak, during the transition in American administrations.
Mueller is probing allegations Russia sought to interfere in last year’s presidential race through what U.S. intelligence agencies have termed an “influence campaign”, and whether the Trump campaign cooperated with the effort.
As part of his plea deal, Flynn has agreed to “cooperate fully” with Mueller’s investigation, including handing over all evidence of alleged crimes in his possession, according to a copy of the agreement signed by Flynn Nov. 30.
Trump has staunchly denied any cooperation took place, and his lawyer distanced the president from Flynn in a statement that called the former national security adviser “a former Obama administration official” while noting Flynn served in the Trump administration for only 25 days.
“The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year. Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn,” Ty Cobb said.
Flynn left the administration in disgrace shortly after assuming his senior post amid disclosures he lied to officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, about his contacts with Kislyak and was a major Trump supporter during the campaign.
At the time, Flynn insisted to the FBI he did not speak with Kislyak about U.S. sanctions in the waning days of the Obama administration. But a statement of the offense from Mueller’s office said Flynn called Kislyak Dec. 29 to discuss the economic penalties after discussing the matter with “a senior official” of Trump’s transition team who was with other senior officials at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
He was separately directed by “a very senior member” of the transition team to contact foreign governments, including Russia, on Dec. 22 to discuss a UN resolution condemning Israel. That “very senior” transition official is Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner, NBC News reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Kushner has been a central figure in the transition and the administration where he has led efforts to restart peace talks between Israel and Palestine.
Flynn contacted Russia on Dec. 22 to discuss the UN vote condemning Israeli settlements, according to the charging document.
In a break from previous practice, the U.S. did not veto the resolution, instead abstaining.
Following the vote Dec. 23, Trump pledged on Twitter, “As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th”, making reference to his upcoming inauguration.
The charging document separately details other false statements he made to the FBI regarding his contacts with foreign governments.
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