Former US&nbsp;National Security Adviser Michael Flynn admitted on Friday that he asked Russia to delay a UN&nbsp;vote seen as damaging to Israel, but diplomats said it was not the only country he and presidential adviser Jared Kushner lobbied.&nbsp;

In the hours before the vote by the 15-member United Nations Security Council on December 23, Flynn also phoned the UN&nbsp;missions of Uruguay and Malaysia, and Kushner spoke with Kim Darroch, the British ambassador to the United States, according to diplomats familiar with the conversations, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The lobbying took place before Republican President Donald Trump, who was known for his pro-Israel campaign rhetoric, took office on January 20. It failed, with the Security Council adopting a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building on land Palestinians want for an independent state. The vote was 14 in favour and one abstention by the United States.&nbsp;

The efforts made on Israel&#39;s behalf capped several days of unusual diplomacy. In a surprise December 21 move, Egypt had called for a vote the next day on the draft resolution, prompting both Trump and Israel to urge Washington to veto the text.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ex-trump-aide-flynn-pleads-guilty-to-lying-about-russia-links-25647">Ex-Trump aide Flynn pleads guilty to lying about Russia links</a>

A senior Israeli official told Reuters that Israeli officials contacted Trump&#39;s transition team at a &quot;high level&quot; to ask for help after failing to persuade Democratic President Barack Obama&#39;s administration to veto the draft UN&nbsp;resolution.&nbsp;

According to court documents made public on Friday, a member of Trump&#39;s presidential transition team, later identified by sources as Trump&#39;s son-in-law Kushner, told Flynn on December 22 to contact officials from foreign governments, including Russia, to convince them to delay the vote or veto the resolution.&nbsp;

Flynn spoke with then-Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak that day, and again the following day, according to the court documents.

Also on December 22, Trump discussed the resolution with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt withdrew the text from a council vote the same day.&nbsp;

The 1799 Logan Act bars unauthorised private US&nbsp;citizens, which Trump, Flynn, and Kushner all were at the time, from negotiating with foreign governments. However, only two Americans have ever been indicted for allegedly violating it &ndash; in 1802 and 1852 &ndash; and neither was convicted.

Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Kushner, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Friday about Israel or other issues.

A second go-round

After Egypt withdrew the resolution, its co-sponsors, New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela, and Senegal, put it forward again for a December 23 vote.

In Washington, Kushner was in contact with Britain&#39;s Darroch, and Flynn spoke with Kislyak - lobbying to delay the vote or veto the resolution.

A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the council&#39;s five permanent members - China, Britain, France, Russia, and the United States - to be adopted.

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who died in February, signalled to colleagues behind closed doors on Dec. 23 that he was unhappy with the haste with which the draft resolution was being put to a vote, but he did not ask for the vote to be delayed, diplomats said.

Flynn also tried to speak to Malaysian UN&nbsp;Ambassador Ramlan Bin Ibrahim, but Ibrahim did not take the call. He also called the Uruguayan UN&nbsp;mission, eventually getting through to Deputy Ambassador Luis Bermudez &ndash; who was the charge d&#39;affaires - minutes before the vote.

A member of Trump's presidential transition team, later identified by sources as Trump's son-in-law Kushner, told Flynn on December 22 to contact officials from foreign governments, including Russia, to convince them to delay the vote or veto the resolution

Former US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn admitted on Friday that he asked Russia to delay a UN vote seen as damaging to Israel, but diplomats said it was not the only country he and presidential adviser Jared Kushner lobbied. In the hours before the vote by the 15-member United Nations Security Council on December 23, Flynn also phoned the UN missions of Uruguay and Malaysia, and Kushner spoke with Kim Darroch, the British ambassador to the United States, according to diplomats familiar with the conversations, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The lobbying took place before Republican President Donald Trump, who was known for his pro-Israel campaign rhetoric, took office on January 20. It failed, with the Security Council adopting a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building on land Palestinians want for an independent state. The vote was 14 in favour and one abstention by the United States. The efforts made on Israel's behalf capped several days of unusual diplomacy. In a surprise December 21 move, Egypt had called for a vote the next day on the draft resolution, prompting both Trump and Israel to urge Washington to veto the text. Also read: Ex-Trump aide Flynn pleads guilty to lying about Russia links A senior Israeli official told Reuters that Israeli officials contacted Trump's transition team at a "high level" to ask for help after failing to persuade Democratic President Barack Obama's administration to veto the draft UN resolution. According to court documents made public on Friday, a member of Trump's presidential transition team, later identified by sources as Trump's son-in-law Kushner, told Flynn on December 22 to contact officials from foreign governments, including Russia, to convince them to delay the vote or veto the resolution. Flynn spoke with then-Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak that day, and again the following day, according to the court documents. Also on December 22, Trump discussed the resolution with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt withdrew the text from a council vote the same day. The 1799 Logan Act bars unauthorised private US citizens, which Trump, Flynn, and Kushner all were at the time, from negotiating with foreign governments. However, only two Americans have ever been indicted for allegedly violating it – in 1802 and 1852 – and neither was convicted. Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Kushner, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Friday about Israel or other issues. A second go-round After Egypt withdrew the resolution, its co-sponsors, New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela, and Senegal, put it forward again for a December 23 vote. In Washington, Kushner was in contact with Britain's Darroch, and Flynn spoke with Kislyak - lobbying to delay the vote or veto the resolution. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the council's five permanent members - China, Britain, France, Russia, and the United States - to be adopted. Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who died in February, signalled to colleagues behind closed doors on Dec. 23 that he was unhappy with the haste with which the draft resolution was being put to a vote, but he did not ask for the vote to be delayed, diplomats said. Flynn also tried to speak to Malaysian UN Ambassador Ramlan Bin Ibrahim, but Ibrahim did not take the call. He also called the Uruguayan UN mission, eventually getting through to Deputy Ambassador Luis Bermudez – who was the charge d'affaires - minutes before the vote.

Flynn, Kushner targeted several states in failed UN lobbying: Diplomats

Donald Trump&#39;s former top advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI over his contacts with Russia, in a dramatic escalation of the probe into possible collusion between the president&#39;s campaign team and Moscow.

The 58-year-old Flynn, a retired three-star Army general, is the most senior figure indicted in special prosecutor Robert Mueller&#39;s sprawling investigation into Russian interference in last year&#39;s election.

Flynn&#39;s admission that he had secret discussions in December 2016 with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, with direction from top officials in Trump&#39;s presidential transition team, set Washington abuzz with speculation as to who in the Republican leader&#39;s inner circle might next be in Mueller&#39;s sights.

The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed sources, that one of the &quot;very senior&quot; officials advising Flynn to contact the Russian envoy was Trump&#39;s son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner.

Flynn&#39;s guilty plea, on one federal charge of making false statements to investigators, came with a pledge to cooperate with Mueller, whose focus goes beyond possible collusion with Russia to shady business dealings and whether Trump himself tried to thwart the investigation.

The White House rejected the idea that Flynn could implicate &quot;anyone&quot; else, as ABC News reported that Flynn would testify that Trump ordered him to reach out to Moscow, news that sent Wall Street shares tumbling.

&quot;I recognise that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong,&quot; Flynn said in a statement after a brief appearance in federal court in the US capital.

&quot;My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the special counsel&#39;s office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions.&quot;

The charge normally carries up to five years in prison, but under the terms of the plea deal, Mueller says he has recommended a lighter sentence of only up to six months in jail, court filings show.

Flynn lied over Russia contacts&nbsp;

Flynn admitted he lied to FBI investigators about his private discussions at the end of December 2016 with Kislyak about US sanctions imposed on Moscow by the administration of then President Barack Obama.

At the time, Flynn was a campaign and transition advisor with no official US government role, but he was clearly a top candidate to become Trump&#39;s White House national security advisor.

Flynn eventually was given that post but was forced to resign in February, just weeks after the president took office, due to public concerns over his contacts with Russia.

According to court documents released by prosecutors, on December 28 last year, Flynn asked Kislyak to moderate Russia&#39;s response to new sanctions and the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, announced by Obama in retaliation for Moscow&#39;s interference in the 2016 election.

The documents say he took that action based on discussions with &quot;a senior official of the Presidential Transition Team.&quot;&nbsp;

After the December 29 announcement, the Obama administration was openly puzzled by Moscow&#39;s decision not to retaliate and began investigating possible interference by Flynn and the Trump campaign.

A week earlier, under the instruction of &quot;a very senior member&quot; of the transition team, Flynn also secretly asked Kislyak to defeat or delay a looming UN Security Council resolution to condemn Israel&#39;s settlements in Palestinian territory, according to court filings.

While the two interactions do not clearly suggest collusion, they raise questions about the Trump team&#39;s dealings with Moscow before taking office and whether they actively worked to undermine Obama&#39;s policies.

The White House, which has long denied any wrongdoing in relation to Moscow, said Flynn&#39;s admitted lies about those meetings &quot;mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation.&quot;

&quot;Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr Flynn,&quot; said White House attorney Ty Cobb.

Trump still denies Russian interference&nbsp;

Since the first allegations of Russian interference last year, and despite reports from top US intelligence officials concluding it happened, Trump has dismissed the notion as &quot;fake news&quot; and an excuse for Democratic rival Hillary Clinton&#39;s loss at the polls.

&quot;Since the first day I took office, all you hear is the phoney Democrat excuse for losing the election, Russia, Russia, Russia.&nbsp;Despite this I have the economy booming and have possibly done more than any 10 month President. Make America great again!&quot;.

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Since the first day I took office, all you hear is the phony Democrat excuse for losing the election, Russia, Russia,Russia. Despite this I have the economy booming and have possibly done more than any 10 month President. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/934896989539586054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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But Friday&#39;s news made clear that Trump&#39;s inner circle could increasingly come under the microscope.

For Trump, the focus is on whether he has tried to stifle the investigation, including by firing FBI chief James Comey in May, which could draw obstruction of justice charges, the same charges that forced President Richard Nixon from office in 1974.

On social media: Comey posted a biblical verse: &quot;But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.&quot;

&quot;The one individual that still seems to deny that this is a major issue is Donald Trump. And I just kind of wonder why&quot; Democratic Senator Mark Warner told CNN.

Fourth person charged by Mueller&nbsp;

Three others have been charged in the Mueller probe.

In October, Trump&#39;s one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates were arrested on money laundering and tax-related charges.

George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign foreign policy advisor, pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to investigators in a deal that made clear he was cooperating with investigators.

The 58-year-old Flynn, a retired three-star Army general, is the most senior figure indicted in special prosecutor Robert Mueller's sprawling investigation into Russian interference in last year's election.

Donald Trump's former top advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI over his contacts with Russia, in a dramatic escalation of the probe into possible collusion between the president's campaign team and Moscow. The 58-year-old Flynn, a retired three-star Army general, is the most senior figure indicted in special prosecutor Robert Mueller's sprawling investigation into Russian interference in last year's election. Flynn's admission that he had secret discussions in December 2016 with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, with direction from top officials in Trump's presidential transition team, set Washington abuzz with speculation as to who in the Republican leader's inner circle might next be in Mueller's sights. The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed sources, that one of the "very senior" officials advising Flynn to contact the Russian envoy was Trump's son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner. Flynn's guilty plea, on one federal charge of making false statements to investigators, came with a pledge to cooperate with Mueller, whose focus goes beyond possible collusion with Russia to shady business dealings and whether Trump himself tried to thwart the investigation. The White House rejected the idea that Flynn could implicate "anyone" else, as ABC News reported that Flynn would testify that Trump ordered him to reach out to Moscow, news that sent Wall Street shares tumbling. "I recognise that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong," Flynn said in a statement after a brief appearance in federal court in the US capital. "My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the special counsel's office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions." The charge normally carries up to five years in prison, but under the terms of the plea deal, Mueller says he has recommended a lighter sentence of only up to six months in jail, court filings show. Flynn lied over Russia contacts Flynn admitted he lied to FBI investigators about his private discussions at the end of December 2016 with Kislyak about US sanctions imposed on Moscow by the administration of then President Barack Obama. At the time, Flynn was a campaign and transition advisor with no official US government role, but he was clearly a top candidate to become Trump's White House national security advisor. Flynn eventually was given that post but was forced to resign in February, just weeks after the president took office, due to public concerns over his contacts with Russia. According to court documents released by prosecutors, on December 28 last year, Flynn asked Kislyak to moderate Russia's response to new sanctions and the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, announced by Obama in retaliation for Moscow's interference in the 2016 election. The documents say he took that action based on discussions with "a senior official of the Presidential Transition Team." After the December 29 announcement, the Obama administration was openly puzzled by Moscow's decision not to retaliate and began investigating possible interference by Flynn and the Trump campaign. A week earlier, under the instruction of "a very senior member" of the transition team, Flynn also secretly asked Kislyak to defeat or delay a looming UN Security Council resolution to condemn Israel's settlements in Palestinian territory, according to court filings. While the two interactions do not clearly suggest collusion, they raise questions about the Trump team's dealings with Moscow before taking office and whether they actively worked to undermine Obama's policies. The White House, which has long denied any wrongdoing in relation to Moscow, said Flynn's admitted lies about those meetings "mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation." "Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr Flynn," said White House attorney Ty Cobb. Trump still denies Russian interference Since the first allegations of Russian interference last year, and despite reports from top US intelligence officials concluding it happened, Trump has dismissed the notion as "fake news" and an excuse for Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's loss at the polls. "Since the first day I took office, all you hear is the phoney Democrat excuse for losing the election, Russia, Russia, Russia. Despite this I have the economy booming and have possibly done more than any 10 month President. Make America great again!". Since the first day I took office, all you hear is the phony Democrat excuse for losing the election, Russia, Russia,Russia. Despite this I have the economy booming and have possibly done more than any 10 month President. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2017 × But Friday's news made clear that Trump's inner circle could increasingly come under the microscope. For Trump, the focus is on whether he has tried to stifle the investigation, including by firing FBI chief James Comey in May, which could draw obstruction of justice charges, the same charges that forced President Richard Nixon from office in 1974. On social media: Comey posted a biblical verse: "But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." "The one individual that still seems to deny that this is a major issue is Donald Trump. And I just kind of wonder why" Democratic Senator Mark Warner told CNN. Fourth person charged by Mueller Three others have been charged in the Mueller probe. In October, Trump's one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates were arrested on money laundering and tax-related charges. George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign foreign policy advisor, pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to investigators in a deal that made clear he was cooperating with investigators.

Ex-Trump aide Flynn pleads guilty to lying about Russia links

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Flynn, Kushner targeted several states in failed UN lobbying: Diplomats

Ex-Trump aide Flynn pleads guilty to lying about Russia links