Trump’s former aide charged with lying about Russian links

ADAM SCHIFF, US House of Representatives

Intelligence Committee member WASHINGTON DC: United States President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the US, the special counsel’s office charged in a court filing made public yesterday.

The charge against him is another escalation in an investigation that has cast a cloud over the Trump administration since the Republican president took office on Jan 20.

In a filing with the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the office said Flynn made false statements to the FBI on Jan 24.

Flynn falsely told FBI officials that in December 2016 he did not ask Russia’s ambassador to the US to refrain from escalating the situation after Washington had imposed sanctions on Moscow, according to the filing.

The sanctions were imposed by outgoing Democratic president Barack Obama.

Flynn, who was a senior adviser to Trump before the president took office, also falsely stated that he did not recall the Russian ambassador telling him that Moscow had chosen to moderate its response to US sanctions as a result of his request, the document alleged.

The filing, dated Nov 30, also said Flynn falsely stated that he did not ask the Russian ambassador earlier in December to delay a vote or defeat a pending United Nations Security Council resolution, and that the ambassador never described Russia’s response to his request. Reuters