WASHINGTON — People close to Michael Flynn are describing the emotional pressures he faced this past year as special counsel Robert Mueller closed in on him and also investigated his son.

President Donald Trump's former national security adviser pleaded guilty this month to making false statements to the FBI.

Friends and others close to Flynn say he was weary of the allegations and all the attention that had swirled around him for months.

Also, the single charge he pleaded guilty to was probably the best possible outcome for him. That's because the aggressive nature of Mueller's investigation made some type of criminal prosecution a near-inevitability.

Mueller is investigating possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign in last year's election.