Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about coordinating a U.N. vote with Russia

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published 1 December 2017

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI about his conversations with former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, documents published Friday reveal. Two separate conversations are cited in the court documents, including one in which Flynn falsely stated that in December 2016 he "did not ask the Russian ambassador to delay the vote on or defeat a pending United Nations Security Council resolution, and that the Russian ambassador subsequently never described to Flynn Russia's response to his request."

While the documents are rather cryptic, The New York Times explains that Special Counsel Robert Mueller and Kislyak apparently discussed a U.N. vote about whether or not to condemn Israel's construction of settlements:

At the time, the Obama administration was preparing to allow a Security Council vote on the matter.Mr. Mueller's investigators have learned through witnesses and documents that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Trump transition team to lobby other countries to help Israel, according to two people briefed on the inquiry. Investigators have learned that Mr. Flynn and Mr. Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, took the lead in those efforts. Mr. Mueller's team has emails that show Mr. Flynn saying he would work to kill the vote, the people briefed on the matter said. [The New York Times]

Reuters reports that Flynn was not directed directly by Trump, but by a "senior member of Trump transition team." Read the court documents here.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.