Russia probe: Trump's former NSA Michael Flynn charged with making false statements to FBI

US President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn has been charged by Special Counsel Robert Mueller with "willfully and knowingly" making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the FBI regarding conversations with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

Flynn is due to appear in court later Friday morning, a court spokesperson said. 

Mueller had been investigating whether Flynn knowingly made false statements to the government about his foreign travels, income, and contacts on his security clearance form.

A retired Army general, Flynn is a central figure in a federal investigation led by Mueller into whether Trump aides colluded with alleged Russian efforts to boost his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump had fired Flynn on February 13, after disclosures that Flynn had discussed US sanctions on Russia with then Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak in December, the month before Trump took office, and later misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.

Flynn also has come under scrutiny for work on behalf of Russian clients, and over whether his work for a businessman with ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was lawful.