February 9, 2017
By Greg Miller, Adam Entous and Ellen Nakashima
National security adviser Michael Flynn (click here) privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States during the month before President Trump took office, contrary to public assertions by Trump officials, current and former U.S. officials said.
Flynn’s communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak were interpreted by some senior U.S. officials as an inappropriate and potentially illegal signal to the Kremlin that it could expect a reprieve from sanctions that were being imposed by the Obama administration in late December to punish Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 election.
Flynn on Wednesday denied that he had discussed sanctions with Kislyak. Asked in an interview whether he had ever done so, he twice said, “No.”
On Thursday, Flynn, through his spokesman, backed away from the denial. The spokesman said Flynn “indicated that while he had no recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldn’t be certain that the topic never came up.”...
February 14, 2017
By Michael A. Memoli nad Del Quentin Wilbur
Washington — President Donald Trump (click here) knew for three weeks that former national security adviser Michael Flynn misrepresented his contacts with a Russian diplomat before firing him under pressure, the White House acknowledged Tuesday in offering an account of Flynn’s downfall that differed strikingly from what it said a day earlier.
After days of questions about whether Flynn had spoken with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. in December about new sanctions implemented by the Obama administration, White House officials said Monday that Trump was “evaluating” the situation. Trump’s review appeared to come to a swift conclusion with the announcement that he had accepted Flynn’s resignation Monday night.
But on Tuesday, the White House said Flynn’s actions had been under internal review for three weeks. And while the White House concluded that Flynn hadn’t acted illegally in phone calls and text messages with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, a “trust issue” arose that ultimately led the president to conclude that “he had to make a change,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said....
