Retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn has announced that he will provide "full cooperation" in the special counsel's Russia investigation and is prepared to testify against Donald Trump claiming that Trump directed him to make contact with the Russians, initially as a way to work together to fight ISIS in Syria.
A close confidant told ABC News that Flynn has felt abandoned by Trump in the recent weeks and has told friends about the decision to make a plea deal because he has grown increasingly concerned about potentially crippling legal costs he could face if he continues to contest the charges.
Michael Flynn who was President Trumps favorite general, rapidly vaulted to prominence after his fiery speech in 2016 at the Republican National Convention and then was rewarded by Trump with a job as his top national security aide.
Flynn's plunge from the top was even faster than his rapid rise when he was fired by Trump just one month in the white house and was left to contend with a mounting criminal probe which led to his decision to plead guilty for lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian ambassador.
Flynn is the first person serving under Trump to be charged in a full on investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.