McFarland, who had worked for both the transition team and as deputy national security advisor in the Trump administration, was sometimes described as “Michael Flynn’s brain.” Now she has something in common with her former boss: Both have been caught lying about contacts between the Trump team and the Russian government. In July, McFarland had been questioned in writing by Senator Cory Booker of Connecticut. Booker asked her about her knowledge of communications between Flynn and the then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition. McFarland wrote, “I am not aware of any of the issues or events described above.”



As The New York Times reports, “an email exchange obtained by the New York Times indicates that Ms. McFarland was aware at the time of a crucial Dec. 29 phone call between Mr. Flynn and Mr. Kislyak that was intercepted by American intelligence. During that call, Mr. Flynn urged Moscow to respond cautiously to sanctions just imposed by the Obama administration for Russia’s interference in the presidential election.”

Aside from possibly throwing herself in legal jeapordy, McFarland’s deception raises another interesting question: Why are so many figures in the Trump circle so willing to lie about their relationship with the Russian government? As Congressman Ted Lieu tweeted, McFarland joins a long list of fellow officials: