Former Trump adviser pleads guilty to lying to FBI

Michael Flynn, a key former adviser to Doanld Trump, is to plead guilty today to making false statements to the FBI, becoming the fourth person charged in a wide-ranging investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors.

Former General Mike Flynn.

Court documents show Flynn, an early and vocal supporter on the campaign trail of the President, will admit to lying to the FBI about his conversations during the transition period with Russia’s ambassador to the United States.

Flynn, who was interviewed by the FBI just days after Trump’s inauguration, was forced to resign in February after White House officials said he had misled them about whether he had discussed sanctions with the ambassador, Sergey Kislyak.

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

Signs of Flynn cooperating with Mueller’s team 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 testimony regarding Flynn was also postponed.

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn is scheduled to plead guilty to making false statements to the FBI.

A plea hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EST. The Justice Department announced Friday that the hearing will take place before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras at a D.C. federal courthouse.

Court documents released Friday show Flynn has been charged with a single count of “willfully and knowingly” making false statements to the FBI on Jan. 24. Prosecutors with the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller say Flynn falsely stated to the FBI that he had not discussed sanctions with the then-Russian ambassador to the United States.

Flynn is the fourth person charged in connection with Mueller’s investigation.