Flynn says he is cooperating with Russia probe in best interest of US

Former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn said in a statement on Friday that his decision to plead guilty to lying to the FBI and to cooperate with an investigation into possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump's administration was "made in the best interests of my family and of our country".

In the statement, which was issued by the law firm representing him, Flynn also said it was "painful to endure" the "false accusations of 'treason' and other outrageous acts" over the past several months but that he recognized "that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong."

(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Washington, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)