Live: U.S. Politics
Live U.S. political coverage.
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Flynn prepared to testify Trump directed him to contact Russians: ABC
U.S.Michael Flynn, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, is prepared to testify that Trump directed him to make contact with Russians when he was a presidential candidate, ABC News reported on Friday. -
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“The fact that Flynn was charged with, and is pleading guilty to, such a minor crime, suggests a bombshell of a deal with prosecutors," said Cornell law professor Jens Ohlin. "Flynn was facing serious criminal liability for a variety of alleged missteps, including his failure to register as an agent of a foreign power. If this is the entirety of the plea deal, the best explanation for why Mueller would agree to it is that Flynn has something very valuable to offer in exchange: damaging testimony on someone else.”Reporting by Anthony Lin
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Flynn being charged with only a single charge of making false statements “suggest that Flynn has flipped and his cooperating,” said Andrew Wright, former associate counsel in the Obama White House and professor at Savannah Law School.
The allegations against Flynn were laid out in a document known as a criminal information, not an indictment. Such a procedure is used when a defendant has agreed to cooperate and waived his right to have a grand jury hear the evidence against him, Wright said.
Bypassing a grand jury allows Mueller to avoid the risk of details of his investigation being revealed,” Wright said. “The government by doing it this way is able to keep more of it cards hidden,” he said.Reporting by Anthony Lin -
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This time, the president can’t get away with claiming these charges aren’t about his inner circle’s contacts with Russia, and he can’t dismiss Michael Flynn as some low-level aide. This development should serve as a clear signal to Republicans in Congress that it is time to take this investigation seriously and stop making excuses for the president’s attempts to interfere with it.Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez
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Ex-Trump adviser Flynn charged with lying to FBI, expected to plead guilty
U.S.U.S. President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States, the U.S. special counsel's office charged in a court filing made public on Friday. -
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Former Trump national security adviser charged with lying to the FBI about contacts with Russian officialsHere's what we know:
- Flynn is the biggest fish yet to be snared by special counsel Robert Mueller.
- Flynn falsely told investigators he didn't ask Russian ambassador to refrain from escalating situation after U.S. had imposed sanctions on Russia: court filing.
- Flynn falsely stated he didn't recall that the Russian ambassador told him that Russia had chosen to moderate its response to sanction as a result of Flynn's request: court filing
- Flynn falsely stated that he did not ask Russian ambassador to delay vote on a then-pending U.N. Security Council resolution: court filing
- Flynn falsely stated that the Russian ambassador never described Russia's response to the request on the U.S. Security Council resolution: court filing.
- Flynn is expected to appear in court at 10:30 a.m.
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Conyers not quitting after Pelosi calls on him to resign: lawyer
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called on fellow Democrat John Conyers to resign, calling sexual harassment allegations against him serious and credible, but Conyers' attorney said he was not thinking of stepping down. -
McCain backs Senate tax bill, boosting chances of approval
The Republican drive to push sweeping tax legislation through the Senate picked up momentum with the endorsement of Senator John McCain, as party leaders pursued behind-the-scenes deals to secure enough votes for passage. -
Trump considers plan to replace Tillerson with CIA chief: U.S. officials
President Donald Trump is considering a plan to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has had a strained relationship with his boss over North Korea and other issues, senior administration officials said. -
Senate Republicans shove tax bill ahead; spending fight erupts
Senate Republicans rammed forward President Donald Trump's tax cut bill in an abrupt, partisan committee vote that set up a full vote by the Senate as soon as Thursday, although some details of the measure remained unsettled. -
Today in politics:
- Tax bill: Trump's push for tax cuts hit new turbulence, with Democrats abruptly pulling out of a planned White House meeting with him after he sent a tweet attacking them, while some Senate Republicans were demanding changes to the tax bill.
- CFPB showdown: The Trump administration warned that granting a temporary restraining order to prevent the president from naming an interim director of the consumer watchdog would be an extraordinary intrusion into the executive branch that would harm the agency.
President Donald Trump talks with Sen. John Barasso (R-WY) as he arrives with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at the Republicans weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 28, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria -
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Staff from the National Turkey Federation jump in to calm "Drumstick" the turkey as it flaps its wings, causing Tiffany Trump to jump away, after it was pardoned by the president. REUTERS/Jim Bourg
See more photos from the turkey pardoning -
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Exclusive - State Dept. revolt: Tillerson accused of violating U.S. law on child soldiers
U.S.A group of about a dozen U.S. State Department officials have taken the unusual step of formally accusing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of violating a federal law designed to stop foreign militaries from enlisting child soldiers, according to internal government documents reviewed by Reuters. -
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- Attorney General Jeff Sessions says he now recalls a meeting in March 2016 that has come under scrutiny as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s election campaign colluded with Russia.
- In testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Sessions acknowledged he attended a meeting with George Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser who pleaded guilty last month to lying to the FBI.
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China media, Hong Kong government bristle at Trump's pledge of curbs, sanctions
HONG KONG/BEIJING China's state media and the government of Hong Kong lashed out on Sunday at U.S. President Donald Trump's vow to end Hong Kong's special status if Beijing imposes new national security laws on the city, which is bracing for fresh protests.
