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Saturday, 2 December 2017
Trump Aide Turns On President After Pleading Guilty To Lying to FBI - Says - "I LET DOWN MY COUNTRY BUT I'M NOT A TRAITOR: FLYNN'S EXTRAORDINARY STATEMENT...
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office is charging former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn with lying to the FBI, in the second major legal action against a top Trump campaign or White House official, it revealed Friday. According to an information released by Mueller's office, Flynn willfully made 'false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements in a matter within the jurisdiction' of the U.S. government, including the FBI. Flynn has a court appearance in Virginia scheduled for Friday morning.
Former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn will provide 'full cooperation' to Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his Russia probe after his stunning guilty plea in federal court Friday morning.
'My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the special counsel’s office reflect a decision I made in the best interest of my family and of our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions,' Flynn said in a statement.
Flynn plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., in the latest bombshell development in the Russia investigation that has ensnared leading advisors of President Donald Trump.
Although he pleaded guilty to just a single count, it is what Flynn was prepared to tell investigators that immediately exploded across the political landscape.
Flynn has promised to provide 'full cooperation' to Mueller's team, ABC News reported.
Flynn is facing extraordinary legal and financial pressures. According to the report, he was facing 'serious financial problems' and wanted to do the 'right thing for his country.'
I LET DOWN MY COUNTRY BUT I'M NOT A TRAITOR: FLYNN'S EXTRAORDINARY STATEMENT...
After over thirty-three years of military service to our country including five years in combat away from my family and then my decision to continue to serve the United States, it has been extraordinarily painful to endure these many months of false accusations of treason and other outrageous acts.
Such false accusations are contrary to everything I’ve ever done and stood for.
But I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong.
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 interest of my family and of our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions.'
...HE'S AN OBAMA OFFICIAL WHO LIED TO TRUMP TOO: HOW PRESIDENT'S LAWYER TY COBB HIT BACK
Today, Michael Flynn, a former National Security Advisor at the White House for 25 days during the Trump Administration, and a former Obama administration official, entered a guilty plea to a single count of making a false statement to the FBI.
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.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office charged Flynn with lying to the FBI about Russia as well as efforts to derail a UN Security Council resolution, in the second major legal action against a top Trump campaign or White House official.
Flynn said in a statement: 'After over thirty-three years of military service to our country including five years in combat away from my family and then my decision to continue to serve the United States, it has been extraordinarily painful to endure these many months of false accusations of treason and other outrageous acts.'
'Such false accusations are contrary to everything I’ve ever done and stood for,' Flynn said.
'But I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong. 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 interest of my family and of our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions,' he continued.
White House lawyer Ty Cobb issued a blistering statement calling Flynn – who as a defense intelligence official was fired by President Obama only to be hired by Trump – a 'former Obama administration official.
'Today, Michael Flynn, a former National Security Advisor at the White House for 25 days during the Trump Administration, and a former Obama administration official, entered a guilty plea to a single count of making a false statement to the FBI,' said Cobb.
'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 president's lawyer said.
'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.'
According to a statement of the offense released by Mueller's office, Flynn on December 29 called a member of Trump's presidential transition team, who was with other senior transition members at Mar-a-Lago.
Flynn and the officials discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia, as well as 'the potential impact of those sanctions on the incoming administration’s foreign policy goals’ and that members of the transition ‘did not want Russia to escalate the situation.’
Immediately after the call, according to the statement of offense, Flynn called Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak and requested that Russia 'not escalate the situation.'
On December 30, just days later, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement stating Russia would not take retaliatory action – the preference Flynn heard about from Mar-a-Lago.
Flynn's plea shook political Washington, even as it sent Wall Street into a tailspin.
The White House had planned a 'pool spray' of the president's meeting with Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya, but abruptly cancelled an event with cameras and reporters Friday morning.
The Dow Jones industrial average briefly dropped 350 points, although it closed down only 41 points on the day.
A judge accepted Flynn's guilty plea Friday morning, CNN reported. The maximum sentence is five years.
'Yes, sir,' Flynn, a retired three-star general said when the judge asked about his guilty plea.
Judge Rudolph Contreras accepted the plea and said: 'There will be no trial and there will be probably no appeal,' AFP reported.
According to an information released by Mueller's office, Flynn willfully made 'false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements in a matter within the jurisdiction' of the U.S. government, including the FBI.
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