Michael Flynn, President Trump's first national security adviser, is now telling a court he lied about lying.
In 2017, Flynn admitted to lying to the FBI about the nature of his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Flynn briefly cooperated with federal prosecutors, but then fired his legal team and hired new attorneys who accused prosecutors of misconduct. His lawyers are now trying to get the charges against Flynn dismissed, and in a new legal filing submitted Wednesday, Flynn said he only pleaded guilty because he was being pressured by his previous legal team and prosecutors.
"In truth, I never lied," he said. "My guilty plea has rankled me throughout this process and while I allowed myself to succumb to the threats from the government to save my family, I believe that I was grossly misled about what really happened."
Earlier this month, prosecutors recommended he serve up to six months in prison, after originally recommending leniency. On Wednesday, prosecutors wrote in a filing that should the judge reject Flynn's plea withdrawal, the government would accept him being sentenced to probation. Flynn is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 27.