Former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Pleads Guilty to Lying to the FBI

Former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn plead guilty on Dec. 1 to one count of making "false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements" to the FBI. Flynn is the first member of Trump's administration but the fourth person in Trump's orbit to have been charged as a result of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between members of Trump's campaign team and the Russian government.

Court documents show that the single charge against Flynn stems from a Jan. 24 interview with the FBI in which he lied about having conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak about Russian sanctions and a UN Security Council resolution concerning Israel. Due to the extent of his involvement in overseas dealings, questions have already begun to swirl as to whether Flynn accepted a lesser charge in return for providing testimony about the Trump campaign. As a result of the plea, Flynn is facing up to five years in federal prison.

President Donald Trump has distanced himself from the three men who have previously faced charges in Mueller's investigation, claiming little to no interaction with each of them. Flynn, however, was a member of Trump's administration — if only for 24 days before tendering his resignation — and was part of his inner circle throughout the election campaign, so he was privy to much of what unfolded in the years and months leading up to the 2016 election.

And lest we forget, Flynn was at the heart of the firing of former FBI Director James Comey earlier this year. "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go," Trump told Comey, according to memos obtained by The New York Times. "He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go."