Former Trump national security adviser Michael T. Flynn has pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to the FBI, in yet another blow to the tumultuous Trump administration. The charge comes after months of news reports about possible misdeeds by Flynn. Here’s what he pleaded guilty to — and the other controversies that haven’t resulted in criminal charges against him.
What he’s been charged with:
Flynn has been charged with lying to the FBI on Jan. 24, 2017, about two conversations he had in late 2016 with Russian ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak. The conversations came after the election but before President Trump had taken office.
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Flynn, who had advised Trump on national security during the campaign, was in his fourth day as national security adviser when the FBI interviewed him. The charges are contained in a criminal information, or charging document, released by the office of special counsel Robert Mueller.
■ The FBI is alleging that in a Dec. 29, 2016, conversation with Kislyak, Flynn asked Russia to refrain from “escalating the situation in response” to sanctions that then-President Obama had imposed that day on Russia for meddling in the US election. Prosecutors assert that the Russian ambassador subsequently told Flynn that Russia had chosen to “moderate its response” to those sanctions because of his request.
Flynn allegedly lied when he said he did not make the request — and lied when he said he did not recall the Russian ambassador’s response.
■ The FBI is alleging that Flynn asked Kislyak on Dec. 22, 2016, to “delay the vote on or defeat” a pending UN Security Council resolution and later received a response to his request.
Flynn allegedly lied when he said he did not make the request and lied when he denied getting a report back from Kislyak. The Security Council voted a day later to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Obama administration took the unusual step of abstaining, rather than vetoing, the resolution by the 15-nation council. Trump and his team had spoken up on Israel’s behalf, and Trump almost immediately criticized the UN vote on Twitter.
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What he hasn’t been charged with:
Flynn, who was forced to resign in February, after 24 days in office as national security adviser, has been involved in a number of other controversies. Here are some of them:
■ Media reports said in November that Mueller is investigating an alleged plot involving Flynn and his son, Michael G. Flynn, to kidnap a US-based Muslim cleric from the country for as much as $15 million.
Turkey claims Fethullah Gulen was behind last year’s failed coup attempt. Gulen, who lives in rural Pennsylvania, denies the claim.
■ Questions have also been raised about whether Flynn was secretly paid by the Turkish government during the final months of the Trump campaign, at a time he was advising Trump on foreign policy. Federal prosecutors alleged in court documents filed Friday with his plea that he had also lied in foreign agent registration filings about the work he had done for Turkey, but he was not specifically charged for those false statements.
Material from Globe wire services was used in this report.