Ex-Trump Adviser Flynn Admits Lying To FBI

Ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI about meetings with Russia’s ambassador weeks before Donald Trump became president.

The charges were brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, as part of his inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.

Mr Flynn is the most senior member of the administration to be indicted.

He said he was co-operating with Mr Mueller’s inquiry.

What happened at court?

Appearing in a federal court in Washington DC on Friday, he admitted to one count of knowingly making “false, fictitious and fraudulent statements”.

According to an AFP reporter, Mr Flynn was asked by Judge Rudolph Contreras if he wished to plead guilty and responded with the words “Yes, sir”. The judge continued: “I accept your guilty plea. There will be no trial and there will be probably no appeal.”

A handful of protesters outside the court called for the former national security adviser to go to jail

A short time later he issued a statement in which he said “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”.

Just over a week ago, US media said his legal team had told the president’s lawyers they could no longer discuss the case, prompting suggestions that he had begun co-operating with prosecutors.

In his statement, Mr Flynn made clear he was “working to set things right” and stressed: “My guilty plea and agreement to co-operate with the Special Counsel’s Office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country”.

As the court developments unfolded, the White House issued a statement saying that “nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn”.

In October, Mr Trump’s former presidential campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and business associate Rick Gates were accused of conspiring to defraud the US in his dealings with Ukraine. It also emerged that another ex-aide, George Papadopoulos, had pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents.

What is Flynn charged with?

Michael Flynn was forced to resign in February, a month after he was questioned by the FBI for misleading the White House about meeting then Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak during the transition period before Mr Trump took office.

According to the charge sheet, Michael Flynn is accused of:

• falsely telling FBI agents that on or about 29 December 2016 he did not ask Mr Kislyak to “refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions that the United States had imposed against Russia that same day”
• failing to recall that Mr Kislyak had later told him Russia was moderating its response to the sanctions as a result of his request
• falsely saying that on or about 22 December 2016 he did not ask Mr Kislyak to “delay the vote on or defeat a pending United Nations Security Council resolution”. Although there is no detail of the resolution in question, the discussion came a day before the Obama administration decided not to veto a resolution asserting that Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory “had no legal validity”.

Is this damaging for President Trump?

By Anthony Zurcher, BBC News North America reporter

Michael Flynn lost his prized national security adviser post because of December 2016 conversations he had with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak. Now he’s facing criminal charges.

That’s bad news for Mr Flynn, but it could be even worse news for Donald Trump, who reportedly directly lobbied former FBI Director James Comey to back off the Flynn investigation before firing the top law man.

Michael Flynn met Donald Trump in Florida in December before having talks with the Russian ambassador

Mr Flynn has told Robert Mueller’s team that he spoke with Trump presidential transition officials before and after reaching out to Sergei Kislyak and was instructed on how to handle the call. This contradicts public assertions made by the president himself that Mr Flynn was operating independently and against orders.

If the former national security adviser has evidence that corroborates his claims, it would be the biggest bombshell yet in this wide-ranging investigation. Mr Mueller has already indicted former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort and reached a plea agreement with former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos for lying about his own contacts with the Russian government.

It’s clear the independent counsel investigation is casting a very wide net, and Mr Mueller just landed his biggest fish yet.

Who is Michael Flynn?

Mr Flynn lost his role as national security adviser after only 23 days in the post, when it emerged he had misled Vice President Mike Pence over his discussions with the then Russian ambassador over lifting US sanctions on Russia.

But he has since become embroiled in further allegations. US media reported last month that he and his son had been offered $15m (£11.5m) by Turkey to help forcibly remove a Muslim cleric from the US and deliver him to Turkey. His lawyer condemned the reports as “outrageous”.

A retired three-star lieutenant-general in the US Army, he lost his job in the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in 2014 under President Barack Obama. He later aligned himself with the Trump campaign.

During the Republican party convention in the summer of 2016, he led chants of “lock her up”, aimed at Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. As he was escorted from court by FBI agents on Friday, a handful of protesters shouted “criminal” and “lock him up”.