Donald Trump's impeachment could be sooner than he thought, with a new report from Politico claiming the president was caught offguard by the conviction of his former national security adviser and now feels the walls closing in around him.

On Friday, reports indicated that Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to the FBI about his contact with Russia just after Trump's election victory last year. It reportedly took the White House by complete surprise, with Politico reporting that Donald Trump expressed as recently as this week that he was not worried about the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller and had called for it to end soon.

Though there had been speculation that Michael Flynn was a target of the Russia investigation, there were no leaks from within Mueller's team about what charges he could face. With his conviction, the noose could now be tightening around Trump as it is believed Flynn only agreed to plead guilty in exchange for his cooperation against bigger targets --- with Donald Trump being the biggest.

Trump's impeachment odds on the rise

While no developments have connected Donald Trump to any of the improper meetings with Russia, Flynn's conviction has increased chatter that Trump is feeling the heat. Politico cited some of Trump's "closest confidants" who said that there is a growing sense of dread throughout the White House that the Russia investigation could ensnare not only Trump but other top officials, including his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

As a result, websites that allow people to place bets on the odds of political events have seen a surge in bets placed on Trump's impeachment, with political pundits also noting that Trump's impeachment now seems more likely than ever before.

Impeachment would still need more support

Impeaching Donald Trump would still not be easy, experts note.

While top officials like Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort --- both charged by Mueller --- had very public signs that they were under the microscope, there are no public indications that Trump is in the crosshairs of the Russia investigation.

Even if Donald Trump were to be indicted, that does not guarantee his impeachment. It would take a majority of Congress to pass impeachment articles, meaning Democrats would likely have to take control of the lower house of Congress in 2018, or convince a large number of Republicans to join them in voting Trump out of office.