Additional Trump transition official identified who knew about Flynn’s Russia contact: report

A second Trump transition official has been identified who knew about former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s contact with Moscow.

K.T. McFarland, the former White House deputy national security adviser, is identified in court documents as a “senior transition” official who discussed with Flynn in 2016 the U.S. sanctions against Russia and potential retaliation from Moscow, according to an Associated Press report.

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Multiple media outlets earlier on Friday reported that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner was another “very senior transition official” referenced in the documents, who reportedly directed Flynn to lobby the Russian government over a United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution condemning Israeli settlements.

Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the month before Trump took office.

According to the court documents, Flynn lied when he told investigators that he did not ask Kislyak to refrain from retaliating against U.S. sanctions imposed by the Obama administration in response to the Russian meddling in the presidential election.

Flynn discussed those sanctions and Moscow’s potential response with McFarland, who was serving on Trump’s transition team at the time, according to the AP. 

Court documents show that Flynn discussed what he would say to Kislyak in regard to the sanctions with McFarland on Dec. 29.

McFarland left the White House in April, two months after Flynn resigned amid revelations that Flynn misled Vice President Pence about his contacts with Kislyak. 

McFarland is currently awaiting Senate confirmation to be the U.S. ambassador to Singapore.

-Updated 6:40 p.m.