Michael Flynn said “I don’t remember” when asked by FBI agents about discussing sanctions with a Russian diplomat during Trump’s transition to office, according to a memo filed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller that gives new details about lies the former National Security Adviser told the feds.
During the 2017 interview, the agents asked Flynn if he had discouraged Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak from retaliating against the U.S. for the Obama administration’s decision to expel Russian spies from the U.S.
Flynn responded: “Not really. I don’t remember. It wasn’t, ‘don’t do anything,’” according to the memo, made public in a court filing Monday night.
In fact, Flynn had asked Kislyak to, “refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions that the United States had imposed on Russia that same day,” according to prosecutors.
The agents also asked Flynn if he spoke to Kislyak about a pending U.N. resolution on Israeli settlements. Flynn denied he had tried to influence Russia’s vote, but prosecutors discovered that to be a lie, according to charging documents.
Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to making false statements to the FBI. He will be sentenced on Tuesday.
Mueller’s team filed the memo in federal court in Washington D.C. after a judge ordered it be made public. The document — known as a 302 — was heavily redacted.