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By Ayah Galal
On Friday, President Trump’s former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about communicating with Russians.
According to the Associated Press, his plea to a single felony count of false statements makes him the first person from the Trump administration to be charged in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The Associated Press is also reporting that court papers make it clear that senior Trump transition officials were fully aware of Flynn reaching out to Russian officials just weeks before the presidential inauguration.
In a statement released on Dec. 1, Flynn denied “false accusations of ‘treason’” and 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.”
On Friday and Saturday, President Trump tweeted about Flynn, saying that he fired him because he lied to Vice President Mike Pence and the FBI.
On Monday, CNN reported that the White House’s chief lawyer told Trump in January that Flynn misled the FBI and lied to Pence.
President Trump’s personal lawyer, John Dowd, says Trump can’t be found guilty of obstructing justice, according to an interview with Axios.