diff --git a/crypto/asn1/tasn_new.c b/crypto/asn1/tasn_new.c
index 540ed8f..346887b 100644
--- a/crypto/asn1/tasn_new.c
+++ b/crypto/asn1/tasn_new.c
@@ -271,7 +271,6 @@
 static int ASN1_primitive_new(ASN1_VALUE **pval, const ASN1_ITEM *it)
 {
     ASN1_TYPE *typ;
-    ASN1_STRING *str;
     int utype;
 
     if (!it)
@@ -308,10 +307,7 @@
         break;
 
     default:
-        str = ASN1_STRING_type_new(utype);
-        if (it->itype == ASN1_ITYPE_MSTRING && str)
-            str->flags |= ASN1_STRING_FLAG_MSTRING;
-        *pval = (ASN1_VALUE *)str;
+        *pval = (ASN1_VALUE *)ASN1_STRING_type_new(utype);
         break;
     }
     if (*pval)
diff --git a/crypto/x509/x509_vfy.c b/crypto/x509/x509_vfy.c
index 6aee451..3d55990 100644
--- a/crypto/x509/x509_vfy.c
+++ b/crypto/x509/x509_vfy.c
@@ -1991,17 +1991,12 @@
 {
     time_t t = 0;
 
-    if (in_tm)
+    if (in_tm) {
         t = *in_tm;
-    else
+    } else {
         time(&t);
-
-    if (s && !(s->flags & ASN1_STRING_FLAG_MSTRING)) {
-        if (s->type == V_ASN1_UTCTIME)
-            return ASN1_UTCTIME_adj(s, t, offset_day, offset_sec);
-        if (s->type == V_ASN1_GENERALIZEDTIME)
-            return ASN1_GENERALIZEDTIME_adj(s, t, offset_day, offset_sec);
     }
+
     return ASN1_TIME_adj(s, t, offset_day, offset_sec);
 }
 
diff --git a/include/openssl/asn1.h b/include/openssl/asn1.h
index 42f24c8..5f9c413 100644
--- a/include/openssl/asn1.h
+++ b/include/openssl/asn1.h
@@ -232,14 +232,6 @@
 // treated as padding. This behavior is deprecated and should not be used.
 #define ASN1_STRING_FLAG_BITS_LEFT 0x08
 
-// ASN1_STRING_FLAG_MSTRING indicates that the |ASN1_STRING| is an MSTRING type,
-// which is how this library refers to a CHOICE type of several string types.
-// For example, DirectoryString as defined in RFC5280.
-//
-// TODO(davidben): This is only used in one place within the library and is easy
-// to accidentally drop. Can it be removed?
-#define ASN1_STRING_FLAG_MSTRING 0x040
-
 // ASN1_STRING_type_new returns a newly-allocated empty |ASN1_STRING| object of
 // type |type|, or NULL on error.
 OPENSSL_EXPORT ASN1_STRING *ASN1_STRING_type_new(int type);
diff --git a/include/openssl/x509.h b/include/openssl/x509.h
index 8c5e471..751117e 100644
--- a/include/openssl/x509.h
+++ b/include/openssl/x509.h
@@ -878,13 +878,6 @@
 
 // X509_time_adj_ex behaves like |ASN1_TIME_adj|, but adds an offset to |*t|. If
 // |t| is NULL, it uses the current time instead of |*t|.
-//
-// TODO(davidben): This isn't quite right. If |s| is non-NULL and lacks the
-// |ASN1_STRING_FLAG_MSTRING| flag, it tries to preserve |s|'s current time
-// (UTCTime or GeneralizedTime), rather than implementing the RFC5280 CHOICE
-// type. Remove this behavior and then the flag. Whether |s| has the flag is
-// mostly an accident of it was constructed. Meanwhile, callers should use
-// |ASN1_TIME_adj|, which does the same thing without this quirk.
 OPENSSL_EXPORT ASN1_TIME *X509_time_adj_ex(ASN1_TIME *s, int offset_day,
                                            long offset_sec, time_t *t);