United States President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States, the special counsel's office charged in a court filing on Friday (1 December).
The Office of the Special Counsel is currently investigating the alleged meddling by Russia in the 2016 Presidential Elections and the potential collusion by Trump's campaign.
A retired Army general, Flynn was fired from his White House post in February after revelations that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, is a central figure in the federal investigation.
Flynn lief to FBI officials that he did not ask Russia's ambassador to the United States to refrain from escalating the situation after Washington had imposed sanctions on Moscow by outgoing President Barack Obama.
Flynn plead guilty, reports the Wall Street Journal. He is now the senior-most official in the Trump administration to face serious criminal charges.
Flynn now face a minimum of five years in prison and has agreed to testify that his actions were on instructed to him by then President-elect Trump, reports Reuters.