Russia probe: Flynn pleads guilty to lying
WASHINGTON:US President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor Michael Flynn on Friday pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators about two conversations with the then Russian ambassador to the US during the transition period of the Trump administration in December 2016.
Flynn was charged with one count of making false statements to the FBI about his conversations with Russian envoy Sergey Kislyak regarding sanctions imposed against Russia by then president Barack Obama and about a vote in the UN Security Council involving Israel.
Prosecutors told a Washington court that Flynn said he was directed by the Trump transition team officials to make contacts with Russians.
“On or about January 24, 2017, defendant Michael T Flynn did wilfully and knowingly make materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations … (and) falsely stated and represented to agents of the FBI,” the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is conducting the probe, told the court.
In a statement issued after the court appearance, Flynn said, “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.”
His guilty plea could add to Trump’s Russia woes that have dogged his administration since his inauguration. The president’s legal team said: “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. The conclusion of this phase of the special counsel’s work demonstrates again that the special counsel is moving with all deliberate speed and clears the way for a prompt and reasonable conclusion.”