Flynn Pleads Guilty To Lying To FBI In Russia Probe, Sources Say Kushner Told Flynn To Contact Russian Officials; Flynn Guilty Plea Brings Russia Probe To Trump's Inner Circle.
ERIN BURNETT, OUTFRONT HOST: OutFront next, the breaking news, Michael Flynn cooperating with Bob Mueller. His guilty plea bringing the Russia probe into Trump's center circle now in the cross hairs, the President son-in-law, Jarred Kushner. Plus, the White House tonight distancing itself from Flynn trying to tie him to President Obama but just so close for Trump and Flynn. And more breaking news. Senators still working on last minute changes to the tax bill before a vote tonight. Do they even know what they're about to vote on? Let's go OutFront. And good evening to all. I'm Erin Burnett. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Tonight OutFront breaking news, Flynn flips, putting Jared Kushner in the cross hairs. President Trump's former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleading guilty today to lying to the FBI. He is now cooperating with Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Flynn now the most senior White House official that we know of cooperating with Mueller, and he is the fourth member of Trump's campaign to be charged as part of the Russia probe. Flynn's plea though is by far the most significant. Documents from Flynn's plea hearing revealing that it quote, very senior member of Trump's transition team directed Flynn to reach out to foreign governments, including Russia's to find out where they stood on a U.N. Security Counsel resolution about Israeli settlements and to pressure them. This is a dig big deal because it's illegal for any one not representing the sitting President to do this, and sources familiar with the matter telling CNN that Kushner is that top transition official who directed Flynn to make those calls. Flynn also admitting that he lied to investigators about his calls with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, those calls focusing on U.S. sanctions on Russia. Court filings show that Flynn wasn't flying solo. He told multiple senior officials on the Trump transition team about those discussions with Kislyak. And that's where we are tonight. The Russia investigation now inside Trump's inner circle and the looming question is what did Trump know? The White House trying to minimize today's news, one source saying it's a win for the White House and Trump's attorney Ty Cobb saying in his statement and I quote, "Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn." But Trump's relationship with Flynn was close and he defended him even after Flynn left the White House.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Michael Flynn, General Flynn is a wonderful man. I think he's been treated very, very unfairly by the media. Mike was doing his job. He was calling countries and his counterparts. When I looked at the information, I said, I don't think he did anything wrong. If anything, he did something right. He is, in my opinion, a very good person. I believe that it would be very unfair to hear from somebody who we don't even know and immediately run out and fire a general.</s>BURNETT: Could Flynn lead Mueller to the Oval office? Jim Sciutto begins ours coverage of this breaking story OutFront tonight. And Jim, obviously, huge developments on Michael Flynn and, of course, on Jared Kushner, raising serious questions about the inner circle and the President himself tonight.</s>JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Erin, the White House trying to portray Flynn in this as a freelancer here. But frankly, there's a lot of information in this statement of offense that belies that story. You have Flynn keeping senior members of the transition team informed to these conversations that he was having and then lied about and you have a senior member of that transition team instructing him to carry out some of these conversations he lied about. It was a very small transition team with the President at the top. It would be interesting if all this happened without any of the President's knowledge and as you note, what is key here, Michael Flynn is now cooperating in this investigation.</s>SCIUTTO (voice-over): Tonight, the ongoing Russia investigation has reached President Trump's innermost circle. Trump's former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn says that he is cooperating with the Special Counsel's probe into possible cooperation between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Flynn pled guilty to repeatedly lying to the FBI, including making false statements about his December 2016 conversations with Russians then Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak. According to the statement of offense, Flynn lied when he told the FBI he did not discuss sanctions with Kislyak. On the same day that President Obama expelled Russian diplomats from the U.S. and boosted sanctions on Moscow in retaliation for Russia's meddling in the presidential election. Flynn also sought Russia's help during the transition to block a U.N. Security Counsel vote that the Obama administration was abstaining on. The White House said late Friday morning, "Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn." However, court documents made clear that Flynn was not acting alone. According to prosecutors, Flynn communicated with senior members of the President's transition team about the conversations. And in at least one instance was directed by transition officials to reach out to Russia. Tonight, CNN has learned that the President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is the very senior member of the presidential transition team identified in today's court documents. Kushner directed Michael Flynn to contact the Russian ambassador and other countries regarding the U.N. Security Counsel vote on Israeli settlements, this according to sources familiar with the matter. Flynn's guilty plea belies President Trump's repeated denials of any contacts or involvement between his campaign and Russia. (on camera): In your view has the President lied about what communications his team had with Russia?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, abundantly and frequently and in just about every way, but most significant in denying that this happened saying it's a hoax.</s>SCIUTTO (voice-over): After the court proceeding, Flynn went immediately to the home of his son, Michael Flynn Jr.</s>SCUITTO: The legal fate of his son still key. We reported recently that Michael Flynn Sr. was increasingly concerned about the legal jeopardy that his son might face. His son was very involved in his business dealings overseas and does business dealings until his subject to this investigation. He was not mentioned in any of the charges today, but there's this question, is Michael Flynn's cooperation? Did he do some of this to protect his son? Very possible, Erin.</s>BURNETT: Certainly. It certainly seems then. His son, of course, tweeting today, nothing is more important than family certainly adding to that implication that the father did it to protect his son. Thank you so much Jim.</s>SCUITTO: Thank you.</s>BURNETT: And now, I want to go to Jim Acosta at the White House. And obviously, Jim, a lot there in the President's state of mind, top of the list.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely.</s>BURNETT: What are you sources telling you?</s>ACOSTA: That's right Erin. We're talking to a lot of sources over here at the White House and they're telling us that this investigation is starting to wear on people over here at the White House. That people inside the West Wing are worried about where this investigation is going to go next. I did talk to a senior White House official this afternoon who said that there is no anxiety inside the White House as to what Michael Flynn might be telling investigators, but at the same time, this official went on to say and I thought this was interesting, that it was not just Jared Kushner who was involved in directing Michael Flynn to talk to the Russian ambassador at the time, Sergey Kislyak, that this was, quote, a fulsome discussion that included the entire group." So it sounds like from what this senior White House official told me earlier today that there were multiple officials involved in that decision to have Michael Flynn talk to the Russian ambassador. At the same time, the senior White House official tried to shift the blame a little bit by saying that the Obama administration had authorized Michael Flynn's conversation with the Russian ambassador. I talked today a number of former Obama administration officials this evening. They are range in responses from laughable to lies and so on. And so, they're pushing back pretty hard on any kind of implication that the Obama administration signed-off on the Trump White House or the Trump transition team sending Michael Flynn to talk to Sergey Kislyak at the same time today as to how the President's mental state is. He is apparently feeling sorry for Michael Flynn tonight. I'm told by one senior White House official and that he's thinking about Michael Flynn and his family tonight, Erin.</s>BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Jim Acosta. And OutFront now former Federal prosecutor, Renato Mariotti, a Democratic candidate for attorney general in Illinois, our Chief Political Correspondent Gloria Borger, and former Nixon White House Counsel, John Dean. John, let me start with you. Flynn pleading guilty, it turns out Jared Kushner was the person who directed him to call the Russian ambassador and other international leaders, trying to lobby them to do the opposite thing at the U.N. Then the Obama administration want them to do while President Obama was president of the United States. What is the bottom line tonight, John?</s>JOHN DEAN, FORMER NIXON WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: Well, this is a big deal. This is a very serious witness with insider knowledge going right to the President of the United States. We don't know if it's just Kushner that obviously is involved. It looks like there are more of a conspiracy here than just isolated incidents. They have not named that in any of the documents but they're -- it's implicit in what's happening. You know, I don't know where this is going to go. We don't know how it's going to unfold. But one point I'd like to make is if you look at Watergate, if you look at Iran-Contra, if you look at Lewinsky affair, a lot of the criminal activity is pure blundering and not necessarily carefully considered or thought out actions.</s>BURNETT: Right. But when you say conspiracy, I just want to understand how you mean the word. Conspiracy amongst people in the Trump campaign --</s>DEAN: Well, a conspiracy is --</s>BURNETT: -- or between people in the Trump campaign and let's say, a foreign government, i.e., Russia.</s>DEAN: I'm thinking you know, it can be a conspiracy to obstruct justice such as two or more people agreeing to give a false story or to not report on their SF-86 forms, all their contacts.</s>DEAN: All these things can't be a coincidence yet they seem to be happening consistently across the board with this White House. So, that suggests a conspiracy.</s>BURNETT: And, of course, we know Jared Kushner did not put the facts on that form of his meetings and he didn't do it when he edited it the first time, he didn't do when he edited it the second time and he ostensibly may be finished when he did it the third time. Renato, sources are confirming to CNN that Mueller's team met with Kushner earlier this month. And they asked about Flynn. Now you've got Flynn cooperating and saying look, Jared Kushner is the one who directed me to do this. It's pretty clear. If Jared Kushner was not 100 percent forthright in those interviews with Bob Mueller's team, this could become the biggest story of all, right?</s>RENATO MARIOTTI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, absolutely. It would certainly be the next step off up the chain. And that's really what federal prosecutors try to do, Erin. You know, they work up the chain. The chain trying to get as close to the top as possible. And that would be the next step. So, you know, Kushner was asked about subjects that would touch on what Flynn you know, had discussed with him and if he was -- like you said, if he was not forthright, he could be facing very similar charges to what Flynn has pled to, which is lying to the FBI and that is a crime. And of course, you know, I think, you know, we heard just, you know, in the intro here from some of the reporters about how, you know, what is in this agreement is about lying to the FBI, but we don't know. And if I was in the White House or one of the lawyers representing the White House, I would be nervous about what isn't in this agreement because I think it's fairly safe to say that Mr. Flynn had to provide quite a bit to Robert Mueller in order to get this good of a deal.</s>GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. I mean, Erin, that's the key here. That's the key here. What is in this, what we are talking about all day today is not all that Bob Mueller and his team know. They know a lot more about Flynn and his interactions. This is what he has pled to. And but they could either be hanging something more over his head or he could have already told them whatever he knows. We don't, you know, we don't know. But what we do know is that there is a lot more to this story. And the -- what we know in the statement of offenses here is that what Flynn has admitted to is with the knowledge or direction of people in the White House. So the tentacles now are starting to spread. I mean, he has told them, I didn't do any of this on my own. We checked in. I checked in. With a very senior administration official or a senior administration official. So, you know, to John's point about conspiracy here, you know, it is expanding. It is expanding. And the question that we don't have answered is why?</s>BURNETT: Right.</s>BORGER: Why?</s>BURNETT: And John, to this point, this investigation at its heart to the American people is about whether Donald Trump or anyone in his inner circle collaborated, coordinated, conspired with the Russian government, right? That is what this is about. The President of the United States has repeatedly and aggressively denied it. Here he is.</s>TRUMP: There is no collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians. The entire thing has been a witch-hunt and there is no collusion between certainly myself and my campaign. But I can always speak for myself and the Russians. Zero. There was no collusion, I can tell you that. Everybody's seen that.</s>BURNETT: Do you feel comfortable with that at this point, John Dean, or no?</s>DEAN: Well, it's hard to accept given their behavior. If there was no collusion, why didn't he say to all of his aides, I want you to march down to the grand jury and tell these people there's no collusion and do it under oath. He's just done the opposite at every turn, for example, he said let's get rid of this investigation everywhere he can go. He doesn't want people testifying. So his actions are the exact opposite of what one who is innocent would do. That's the troubling thing and that's one of the reasons this is a fascinating investigation.</s>BURNETT: All of you are going to stay with me because you're going to be back in just a moment. We have more breaking news. The White House today trying to link Flynn to President Obama. Does anyone really buy that? Plus why is a U.N resolution on Israeli settlements and Jared Kushner's involvement behind the scenes really now becoming central to the Russia probe? Plus more breaking news, senators working against the clock. Last minute changes to the tax bill. A just added sweetener for the super wealthy. And, I mean, the wealthiest, wealthiest billionaires in this country. Massive handout. Sparking outrage tonight.