Lawyers for former US national security adviser Michael Flynn have told President Donald Trump's legal team they can no longer communicate with them about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

Key points: The move may be a sign that he will cooperate with Robert Mueller's investigation

The move may be a sign that he will cooperate with Robert Mueller's investigation Mr Flynn was a prominent Trump campaign backer during the 2016 election

Mr Flynn was a prominent Trump campaign backer during the 2016 election He has been a key figure in the probe into Russian meddling



The decision could be a sign that Mr Flynn is moving to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation or negotiate a deal for himself.

Mr Flynn's legal team communicated the decision this week, a person familiar with the move who spoke to The Associated Press said on condition of anonymity.

In large criminal investigations, defence lawyers routinely share information with each other. But it can become unethical to continue such communication if one of the potential targets is looking to negotiate a deal with prosecutors.

Robert Kelner, a lawyer for Mr Flynn, didn't respond to a request for comment. A lawyer for Mr Flynn's son, Michael Flynn Jr, who has also come under investigation from Mr Mueller's team of prosecutors, declined to comment.

The New York Times first reported the decision.

Mr Flynn was forced to resign as national security adviser in February after White House officials concluded that he had misled them about the nature of his contacts during the transition period with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

He was interviewed by the FBI in January about his communications with the ambassador, Sergey Kislyak.

The deputy attorney-general at the time, Sally Yates, soon advised White House officials that their public assertions that Mr Flynn had not discussed sanctions with Mr Kislyak were incorrect and that Mr Flynn was therefore in a compromised position.

Mr Flynn was facing a Justice Department investigation over his foreign business dealings even before Mr Mueller was appointed as special counsel.

Mr Flynn, a prominent Trump backer on the campaign trail, has been a key figure in Mr Mueller's probe and of particular interest to Mr Trump.

Former FBI director James Comey, for instance, said Mr Trump encouraged him to end an FBI investigation into Mr Flynn during a private Oval Office meeting in February.

Mr Mueller announced his first charges in the investigation last month, including the guilty plea of a foreign-policy adviser to the campaign, George Papadopoulos, and the indictments of former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and business associate Rick Gates.

AP