President Trump said Saturday the guilty plea of his former national security adviser Michael Flynn showed “no collusion” between his aides and Russia.
“What has been shown is no collision,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for New York City. “There’s been absolutely no collusion, so we’re very happy.”
Mr. Flynn pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to a charge of lying to FBI agents about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. before Mr. Trump was inaugurated. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Investigators in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation say Mr. Flynn was acting on the direction of at least one other senior Trump transition adviser, believed to be presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Mr. Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, served as the White House national security adviser for less than one month before he resigned under pressure. Vice President Mike Pence said Mr. Flynn misled him about the extent of his contacts with Russian officials during the transition.
The complaint against Mr. Flynn said he contacted Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in late December after the Obama administration imposed sanctions on Russia for meddling in the presidential election. Russia agreed not to escalate the situation, a move commended by Mr. Trump.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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