WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador last December.
Flynn's plea made him the first senior White House official to cut a cooperation deal in the special counsel's investigation into election interference.
Flynn's discussions with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, were part of a coordinated effort by Trump's aides to create foreign policy before they were in power, documents released as part of Flynn's plea agreement show. Their efforts undermined the existing policy of President Barack Obama and flouted warnings by Obama administration officials that Flynn had discussed sanctions with Kislyak and was therefore compromised and potentially vulnerable to blackmail.
The documents do not disclose what Trump knew about Flynn's discussions. But in at least one instance, prosecutors say, Flynn was directed by a "very senior member" of the presidential transition team to discuss a U.N. resolution. Trump's lawyers believe that unnamed aide was Trump's son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, according to a lawyer briefed on the matter.
[DOCUMENT: Read Flynn's plea deal, indictment]
The transition team was led by Vice President Mike Pence. Its top members included Kushner; Reince Priebus, Trump's first chief of staff; and K.T. McFarland, who was Flynn's deputy and was later appointed to be the ambassador to Singapore. Flynn spoke to McFarland about another of his conversations with Kislyak, according to the lawyer.
Flynn's decision to plead guilty to lying to investigators about those conversations marked a significant new phase in the investigation of the special counsel, Robert Mueller, and a politically treacherous development for the president and his closest aides, whose activities in the West Wing are being scrutinized by FBI agents, lawmakers, federal prosecutors and the media.
The admissions by Flynn have the potential to reshape the public's understanding of what the president's associates said and did in the days after Trump's unexpected election victory. And they suggest that prosecutors now have a cooperative source of information from inside the Oval Office during the administration's chaotic first weeks.
Trump and his aides claimed in January that they were misled by Flynn about his discussion with Russians regarding sanctions imposed on Moscow by the Obama administration because of the election interference. In fact, the documents say multiple members of the team coordinated the specifics of Flynn's outreach to Russia and knew that the conversations were about sanctions.
FLYNN'S FULL STATEMENT
After over 33 years of military service to our country, including nearly 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 have ever done and stood for. But 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.
December 1, 2017
Trump has said that he did not direct Flynn to discuss sanctions with the Russian ambassador but that he "would have directed him because that's his job." There is a law -- the Logan Act -- that bars U.S. citizens from interfering in diplomatic disputes with another country.
But the statute has not been used in a prosecution in modern history, and it would not be uncommon for incoming administrations to interface with foreign governments with whom they will soon have to work.
Still, Flynn's agreement provided new context for Trump's efforts to get FBI officials to back off their investigation of Flynn.
James Comey, the former FBI director, has said the president asked him to shut down the investigation one day after Flynn was fired in February. "I hope you can let this go," the president said, according to congressional testimony by Comey.
In May, the president fired Comey and said the Russia investigation was on his mind at the time. Mueller is investigating whether Trump's firings of Comey or Flynn amount to obstruction of justice.
Trump made no public comments Friday.
Ty Cobb, the president's lawyer dealing with the Russia inquiry, played down the potential impact of Flynn's deal, saying that Flynn served only briefly in the administration and had pleaded guilty to just a single count of lying to the FBI.
"Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn," Cobb said in a statement.
[RUSSIA REPORT: Documents on Russian interference in election ]
But while the court documents released Friday show no direct evidence of collusion with Russia, the special counsel's filings so far paint a damning portrait of Trump's associates.
Mueller's team announced charges in October against three other Trump campaign officials, former chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates, and a former campaign foreign-policy adviser, George Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his own foreign contacts.
Flynn's 45-minute hearing Friday in federal court in Washington marked a turning point for the 58-year-old Flynn, a decorated Army general who had risen to lead the Defense Intelligence Agency but was fired by Obama before joining the Trump campaign.
In a statement, Flynn denied "false accusations of 'treason,'" but said he had agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, who are examining whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russians during the election and whether anyone sought to cover it up.
"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," 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."
Flynn arrived at the courtroom with his wife, holding hands. They occasionally traded glances, and her legs trembled before prosecutors laid out their case that Flynn had repeatedly lied to investigators about his dealings with Russia and his lobbying on behalf of the Turkish government.
Flynn was a prominent Trump surrogate during the campaign, known for leading rally crowds in "Lock her up" chants regarding Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.
Outside the courthouse Friday, a small group of protesters shouted "Lock him up!" at Flynn as he left the building.
Flynn's plea agreement requires his full cooperation. He agreed to take a polygraph and, if asked, to participate in covert law enforcement activities. Such undercover activities are unlikely, however, since the plea agreement was filed publicly.
SENTENCING DELAYED
Prosecutors said they would delay Flynn's sentencing, a sign that their investigation was not over and that they had not exhausted Flynn's cooperation. Lying to the FBI carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, but court documents indicate Flynn faces a likely sentence of zero to six months in prison.
Because he pleaded guilty to lying, Flynn hurt his credibility as a witness if he ever offered evidence against someone else at trial. But Flynn's cooperation could still be valuable in guiding Mueller's understanding of the campaign's contacts with Russia, even if he cannot directly implicate anyone in a crime.
According to prosecutors, on Dec. 22, 2016, Flynn discussed with Kislyak an upcoming U.N. Security Council vote on whether to condemn Israel's building of settlements. At the time, the Obama administration was preparing to allow a Security Council vote on the matter.
Mueller's investigators have learned through witnesses and documents that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel asked the Trump transition team to lobby other countries to help Israel, according to two people briefed on the inquiry. Investigators have learned that Flynn and Kushner took the lead in those efforts.
Mueller's team has emails that show Flynn saying he would work to kill the vote, the people briefed on the matter said.
Flynn also had formed a consulting group after he left the Obama administration that led to inquiries into questionable lobbying for foreign governments, including the Turkish government.
Investigators working for the special counsel have questioned witnesses about whether Flynn was secretly paid by Turkish officials during the campaign. After he left the White House, Flynn disclosed that the Turkish government had paid him more than $500,000 to represent its interests in a dispute with the United States.
Prosecutors did not charge Flynn with crimes related to his work with the Turkish government. But in the documents, they made clear that they have evidence that Flynn "made materially false statements and omissions" in his federal filings about that lobbying work.
Flynn's son, Michael Flynn Jr., was intimately involved with his father's undisclosed lobbying efforts. The son has not been charged with a crime and it is not clear whether his possible legal exposure put extra pressure on his father to plead guilty. Barry Coburn, a lawyer for Flynn Jr., declined to comment.
In recent weeks, Trump's attorneys have expected Flynn to plead guilty, particularly after one of Flynn's attorneys, Robert Kelner, said he could no longer communicate about the probe with Trump's lawyers.
Information for this article was contributed by Michael D. Shear and Adam Goldman of The New York Times; by Carol D. Leonnig, Adam Entous, Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky, Josh Dawsey, Spencer S. Hsu and Rosalind S. Helderman of The Washington Post; and by Eric Tucker, Chad Day, Zeke Miller, Jonathan Lemire, Michael Biesecker, Desmond Butler and Mary Clare Jalonick of The Associated Press.
A Section on 12/02/2017