Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to FBI; says Trump team asked him to contact Russians

As part of a plea deal, former national security adviser Michael Flynn has admitted that a senior member of the Trump transition team directed him to make contact with Russian officials in December 2016. Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to making false statements to the FBI, becoming the first official who worked in the Trump White House to make a guilty plea so far in a wide-ranging investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. The government did not reveal the identity of the senior transition official. [caption id=“attachment_4237855” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Former NSA Michael Flynn arrives in court on Dec 1/ AP[/caption] A federal judge says former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn is cooperating with the government in the wide-ranging investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras said during Flynn’s plea hearing that the government will decide how effectively Flynn is cooperating as part of a plea agreement. Flynn didn’t speak in court, other than to say he would plead guilty. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is examining possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. Flynn has been under investigation for a wide range of allegations, including his lobbying work on behalf of Turkey, but the fact that he was charged only with a single count of making false statements suggests he is cooperating with Mueller’s investigation in exchange for leniency.