An ex-Skadden Arps lawyer has peaded guilty to making a false statement in the probe of Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election. The lawyer, Alex van der Zwaan, worked in London for US law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom but has since left the firm. He was accused of making false statements regarding communications he had with Rick Gates, a former Trump campaign aide. He was also charged with deleting emails to an unnamed 'Person A' that he did not hand over to the investigators. Mr van der Zwaan entered the plea in Federal District Court in Washington. In a statement, Skadden Arps said: 'The firm terminated its employment of Alex van der Zwaan in 2017 and has been cooperating with authorities in connection with this matter.'