US ex- NSA Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying about Russia links
Wahington, Dec. 1: Donald Trump’s former top advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying over his contacts with Russia, in a dramatic escalation of the FBI's probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
The fourth, and most senior, figure indicted so far in the investigation into Russian interference in last year's election, Mr Flynn appeared in federal court in Washington for a plea hearing less than two hours after the charges against him were made public.
“Yes, sir,” the retired three star general and former military intelligence chief said when asked if he wanted to plead guilty.
“I accept your guilty plea,” responded Judge Rudolph Contreras, adding: “There will be no trial and there will be probably no appeal.”
Mr Flynn was charged Thursday with one count of lying about his private discussions with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, regarding US sanctions being imposed on Moscow by the government of then president Barack Obama.
“On or about January 24, 2017, defendant Michael T. Flynn did willfully and knowingly make materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations” over a government matter, federal prosecutors said in the twopage charge sheet.
At the time Mr Flynn was a campaign advisor with no official US government role, but it was known that he would likely become Trump's White House national security advisor — a post he was forced to resign in February, just weeks after the president took office, due to concerns over his contacts with Russia.
— AFP