Former Donald Trump adviser Michael Flynn pleads guilty over Russia allegations

The former aide is expected to agree to a plea bargain
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Martin Coulter1 December 2017

Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has pleaded guilty to making false statements with regards to meetings with Russian officials.

Mr Flynn had been charged with making a false statement to the FBI in January. He resigned in February after misleading the White House over a meeting with a Russian ambassador.

The charges were brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

In what has been called by some "the biggest development yet" in the Trump-Russia scandal, Mr Flynn is expected to agree a plea deal with prosecutors in exchange for information.

Donald Trump and Michael Flynn.
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He is the most senior member of the Trump administration to have been indicted by the Mueller investigation so far.

Mr Flynn stands accused of asking the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergei Kislyak, to "refrain from escalating the situation" after the US imposed sanctions on Russia.

Mr Mueller's team announced charges last month against three other Trump campaign officials, former chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates, and former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos.

A number of the president's assistants are under investigation
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Signs of Flynn co-operating with Mr Mueller surfaced in the past week as his lawyers told the legal team they could no longer discuss information about the case with them. Scheduled grand jury evidence regarding Mr Flynn was also postponed.

White House lawyer Ty Cobb sought to distance the plea from Mr Trump himself, saying: "Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn."

Mr Flynn, the longtime soldier, stood quietly during his plea hearing except to answer brief questions from the judge. He accepted responsibility for his actions in a written statement, though he said he had also been subjected to false accusations.

He said, "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."

The Russia investigation has persistently followed Mr Trump the first year of his presidency, angering the president and repeatedly distracting from his agenda.

Early on in his administration, Mr Trump had taken a particular interest in the status of the Flynn investigation.

Former FBI Director James Comey, whose firing in May precipitated the appointment of Mueller as special counsel, has said Mr Trump asked him in a private Oval Office meeting to consider ending the investigation into Flynn. Comey has said he found the encounter so shocking that he prepared an internal memo about it.

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