Speaking specifically about the Russian contacts, since I haven't read up on the Turkey stuff.. Flynn was a member of Trump's transition team, and it's understa

Speaking specifically about the Russian contacts, since I haven't read up on the Turkey stuff.. Flynn was a member of Trump's transition team, and it's understandable that foreign officials would be looking to meet with him and get a sense of how policy will change after Obama leaves office. For example, Obama had imposed sanctions on Russia two weeks before Trump's inauguration. Russia was wondering if Trump planned to double down on this course of action or reverse course, so they sent their ambassador to meet with Flynn. It's arguable that Flynn violated the Logan Act, which criminalizes private citizens negotiating with foreign governments. However, that act (which dates back to John Adams) has not been invoked in court since 1852 and has never been applied to an incoming administration official going through an entirely predictable "get to know you" phase with foreign officials. It's telling that Flynn was indicted for the lying and not the Logan Act violation. I honestly have no idea why he lied, but if he'd just told the FBI to go away, that probably would have been the end of it.