As the investigation into President Trump’s campaign and possible collusion with the Russian government continues, the latest head to roll is that of Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor. On Friday he pleaded guilty to lying about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak.
When originally questioned by the FBI, Flynn stated that he had not spoken with the ambassador regarding the Russian position on an upcoming UN Security Council resolution for Israel. He has now retracted this and apologized for not telling the truth.
The Admission
After pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about his post-election contact with senior Russians (a charge which could carry up to five years in prison), Flynn made a statement about his plea. 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.”
“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.”
Flynn told the judge that he was not being pressured into pleading guilty and that he has not received any indication that he would receive a lighter sentence for doing so.
The Situation
Michael Flynn is not the first person to be targeted and charged over Russian connection in the former Trump team. What remains to be seen, however, is exactly how this will move forward the case of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
The meetings that Flynn admitted to took place after the president was elected, and while it seems a political maneuver for Flynn to lie to the FBI, it is difficult to see how this could tie in with the initial purpose of the investigation: Did Trump’s team collude with Russia to win the election?
Mueller’s Luck
To many who follow this case, it appears that Robert Mueller may be the luckiest man alive. Each time a news story about Mueller himself breaks, within a few days he has another scalp to hand to the media.
Within 48 hours of the news that Mueller likely has tens of millions invested with funds that have ties to Russian government contracts, and as such would have financial ramifications depending on the outcome of his investigation, he scores a hit on Paul Manafort.
And just a couple of days ago, a lawsuit was filed against AG Jeff Sessions and other in the DoJ calling on the plaintiffs to remove Mueller for leaking grand jury information. Now he has Flynn to feed to the media machine.
For now, Flynn’s plea is the big story, but it is almost unthinkable that Mueller would not use pressure and promises to try and roll him into a bigger catch. Liberty Nation will keep you updated with all the latest details as information comes out.
