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Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI

Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI about his contact with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak last December.

Read more: Here’s what Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about

The plea deal, which occurred during a hearing in federal court at 10:30 a.m. Friday, is a sign that Flynn is now cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Trump officials’ contact with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.

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It’s not clear what Flynn’s deal entails, but according to a bombshell report from ABC News’ Brian Ross, Flynn is prepared to testify he was directed to make contact with the Russians by President Trump.

In a statement, Flynn confirmed he is cooperating with Mueller’s investigation, saying, “My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the Special Counsel’s Office reflect a decision I made in the best interest of my family and our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions.”

Flynn will be the fourth person indicted as part of Mueller’s probe, and the second to plead guilty. Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, and his junior partner Rick Gates were indicted in October, on charges of money laundering, failing to register as foreign agents, and making false statements. They have both pleaded not guilty and are currently on house arrest. And ex-Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos pled guilty to lying to the FBI in October about his contact with officials close to the Russian government while he was still an employee of the campaign.

Earlier this week, lawyers for Flynn notified President Trump’s legal team that they would no longer be sharing information related to the probe, a sign that Flynn was cooperating with investigators or negotiating a plea deal, the New York Times reported.

Read the charging docs here.

This is story breaking and will be updated.