Gen. Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser in the early days of the Trump White House, pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that he lied to the FBI regarding two conversations he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak last year.
In a statement in court, Flynn said he was prepared to fully cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Flynn faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the Washington Post, people close to the negotiations for Flynn’s plea deal said that he agreed to cooperate with the expectation that there be no charges filed against his son, Michael G. Flynn, who worked with him in his private consulting business.
Flynn, who lasted just 24 days in the White House before being fired over questions surrounding his Russia ties, has long been a focus of the special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller.
The charges — which are relatively tame — are the same as those brought against Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, who also pleaded guilty back in October in exchange for his cooperation with the special counsel.
Flynn, once one of Donald Trump’s key military advisers, was long known for staking out a pro-Russian foreign policy and routinely defended the dictator to the national media. In addition, Flynn also worked as a paid lobbyist of the Turkish government, while working with the Trump campaign.
For the record: A previous version of this story included reporting by ABC News’ Brian Ross about Flynn’s possible testimony that has since been retracted.