White House stops defending Flynn, raising questions about his fate
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Donald Trump passed Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, left, and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as he arrived via Air Force One at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. on Feb. 6. A top White House aide sidestepped repeated chances, Sunday, to publicly defend Flynn following reports that he engaged in conversations with a Russian diplomat about U.S. sanctions before Trump’s inauguration.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
White House strategist Steve Bannon, right, and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, left, walked down the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base Sunday.
WASHINGTON >> Embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn’s fate as one of President Donald Trump’s senior aides is uncertain following reports that he discussed U.S. sanctions with a Russian envoy before Trump’s inauguration.
A top White House official sidestepped repeated chances Sunday to publicly defend him. The president, who spent the weekend at his private club in Florida, has yet to comment on Flynn’s status. Nor has Vice President Mike Pence, who previously denied that Flynn had discussed sanctions with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S.
Pence and Flynn spoke twice on Friday, according to an administration official.
Trump has told associates he is troubled by the situation, but he has not said whether he plans to ask Flynn to step down, according to a person who spoke with him recently. Flynn was a loyal Trump supporter during the campaign, but he is viewed skeptically by some in the administration’s national security circles, in part because of his ties to Russia.
The administration official and both people with ties to Trump spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
On Friday, The Washington Post reported that Flynn addressed sanctions against Russia in a call with Kislyak. The report contradicted repeated denials from Trump officials, including Pence, who vouched for Flynn in a televised interview.
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Flynn has since told administration officials that sanctions may have come up in the calls, which coincided with the Obama administration slapping penalties on Russia for election-related hacking.
It’s illegal for private citizens to conduct U.S. diplomacy. Flynn’s conversations also raise questions about Trump’s friendly posture toward Russia after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Moscow hacked Democratic emails during the election.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s top policy adviser, skirted the issue on several Sunday news shows, saying it was not his place to weigh in on the “sensitive matter” or to say whether the president retains confidence in Flynn.
Several other White House officials did not respond Sunday to questions about whether Trump had confidence in his national security adviser. Their silence appeared to reflect some uncertainty about the views of the president, who is known to quickly change his mind.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who led Trump’s transition planning before the election, said Flynn would have to explain his conflicting statements about his conversations with Kislyak to Trump and Pence.
“Gen. Flynn has said up to this point that he had not said anything like that to the Russian ambassador. I think now he’s saying that he doesn’t remember whether he did or not,” Christie said on CNN. “So, that’s a conversation he is going to need to have with the president and the vice president to clear that up, so that the White House can make sure that they are completely accurate about what went on.”
The controversy surrounding Flynn comes as the young administration grapples with a series of national security challenges, including North Korea’s reported ballistic missile launch. The president, who was joined at his Mar-a-Lago estate by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the weekend, voiced solidarity with Japan.
Trump meets today with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and later in the week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The White House is also dealing with fallout from the rocky rollout of Trump’s immigration executive order, which has been blocked by the courts. The order was intended to suspend the nation’s refugee program and bar citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
Advocacy groups contend the government has rounded up large numbers of people as part of stepped-up enforcement. The agency calls the effort no different from enforcement actions carried out in the past.
103 responses to “White House stops defending Flynn, raising questions about his fate”
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I have predicted that Flynn would be the first of Trump’s staff to be kicked out. He is a nut case and none of the other generals Trump has like Mattis and Kelly like him.
You’re right. Flynn really is a nut case. Remember his participation in spreading crazy conspiracy theories like the pizza place child sex ring? It’s pretty apalling that trump appointed him. But then, I guess he’s on a par with steve bannon.
To be fair, believe it was Flynn Jr. who was stoking the pizzagate conspiracy. He’s the real nut case of the family. Then again, the apple usually doesn’t fall too far from the tree.
Yes, the son is a nut, but Flynn Sr spread the “pizza-gate” conspiracy theory.
Be interesting to see if Flynn is the so-called Russian mole in the Situation Room. The problem is Trump has hired so many people with Russian connections including himself it could be anyone.
irt oldiver, hmm, if TheDonald was a Russian mole why would he not back Flynn? I’m drumming up unsubstantiated thoughts as you, lol
@Pocho The only thoughts you’re drumming up are idi0tic ones. The Drumpf did back Flynn…until Flynn admitted they were handing over their manju to the Russians. You can’t be an effective mole if you’ve admitted to being one. Not that someone like you would understand simple & rational logic.
Too funny. All the nutcases here talking about other nut cases. Where is klastri, leader of the pack. Is he home alone?
IRT TempManoa, seems all are Fake News created by the Left. It’s interesting that as all this Fake News discussion are taking place, President Trump, his Administrators, the Republican controlled Congress is just advancing their agenda with minimum obstructions. I’m beginning to agree that all these side shows will result to nothing, and is the strategy of the Republican leadership. Can you identify a decision that was stopped by the Liberal Democrats? None to date.
Black knees
STFU you are fake news.
if it’s Real news it’s real news and I’ll understand Flynn getting the boot. I’m not a Libertard/Democrat who’d be trying to side-step the issue yapping bout something else trying to make a point.
Hello, you do that all the time
pocho, get an education before yapping
Ummm, my eyeballs are kind of spinning…. Let me get this straight. The Republican leadership manufactured a story about Flynn (known as the purveyor of “Flynn Facts”) violating Federal Law before Trump took office as a way to shift attention from stuff like Cabinet confirmation? Isn’t that kind of like “If I bite my tongue really hard, my stubbed toe won’t hurt as much?”
IRT CelloDad, we are still awaiting facts from the White House. What we do have is the Blogs started this story about GEN Flynn talking to the Russian diplomat about sanctions before President Trump took office. Then as the story was spreading among the various Blogs, the Washington Post published the Blog’s story without verification and confirmation of the story. Now, everything is on hold. Thus we wait for the facts. This is the third or forth “Fake New” from the Washington Post. Three has been corrected in their paper.
kuriowaj, how come every time there is a story you don’t agree with, it’s liberal media bias, or unproved theory…but if you agree with it, then it’s definitely liberal democrats’ fault?
IRT Advertiser1, it is a Liberal Left story from the Left blogs and picked up by the Washington Post. How else you going take it?
Kuroiwaj, for what it is, the truth. Flynn isn’t saying boo now, is he?
Kurio, so now that Flynn has basically admitted that sanctions were discussed, where do you want to go from here? Guess those leftists blogs were correct huh?
The hold on Trump’s Executive Order banning immigrants was stopped by the Courts upholding our US Constitution, and also the people who believe in the values and principles embodied in the Constitution, such as Equal Protection under the Law, Due Process, the Separation of Church and State, the Establishment of no religion by the State, the Separation of Powers between the Administration, Legistlative Branch and the Judicial Branch. These are not fake values, ethics or principles. These are the foundation of our democratic Republic, which keeps us free, and protect equality and justice for all.
President Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do. Had a successful meeting today with business women and is very transparent in all his activities. The whining losers just can’t accept an embarrassing defeat. Another great day in America.
agree. He is a dangerous, unstable man. Filled with rage and envy. I am amazed that trump ever chose him for anything at all. He needs to go. Eventually, Trump may make better choices.
has he done anything illegal?
Did you read the story?
“It’s illegal for private citizens to conduct U.S. diplomacy. …..”
A military adviser is not a private citizen as Flynn works at the pleasure of the POTUS. Similarly Rep Gibbard 2 meetings with the Syrian president.
Guys, reading is a really cool thing. You learn all sorts of stuff such as: the violation of federal law of which Flynn is accused took place before Trump was officially the President of the United States.
Cojef: Flynn was a private citizen at the time he was squealing and dealing with the Russians. Tulsi is a US Congressman who has a right and duty to meet with country leaders in her official capacity if that is going to save the US from getting into another BS war for the purpose of regime change.
IRT Pocho…wait for it to be disclosed. Stay tuned. Then again, I’m not sure what it takes for you to believe anything about this guy and his boyz…and girlz.
IRT cojef…he was not the POTUS yet at the time the discussions were held. IIRC.
Flynn is as incompetent as his boss. The level of ignorance in the first month of Trump’s silly and illegitimate presidency is appalling.
President Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do. Had a successful meeting today with business women and is very transparent in all his activities. The whining losers just can’t accept an embarrassing defeat. Another great day in America.
Try to stay on topic.
Now that Trump’s own have been caught in a lie they pretend to act like they didn’t deny the whole thing to begin with. TRUMPettes can’t deny this truth as FAKE news now. So what now, TRUMPettes? Which begs the question, how much is Trump connected to Putin, a man that has been connected to the murder of opposition leaders and journalists?
I would not want to be a part of Trump’s team. They are like cannibals. Waiting for an injured prey, then they pounce and eat them. And their motto is “Every man/woman for him/herself.”
IRT Wahine658, no, it’s the Liberal Left Democrats who are ready to pounce and destroy their own, and it has begun. Did you see and hear Senator Webb discuss the landscape of the Liberal Left Democrats? It was mind opening.
kuroiwag, you really are a scum bag trying to deflect everything that happens to Trump and his corrupt team onto the Democrats and the left. You truly are an apologist for all the lies coming from the Republican Tea Party fanatics
vectum.. You really are a scum bag spreading false news about our newly elected President. Eight years is a long time to keep whining. Tea Party is doing great.
How can he “Not Remember if he discussed sanctions?” First he said he did not discuss sanctions. The change is a polite way to say, “I lied.”
Because the Chumps circus lacks dignity, honor and integrity
But they overflow with arrogance, confusion, malfeasance and stupidity.
What! Didn’t they fire you after last night.
What a f—-ng mess! Just a matter of time before KABOOM!
yup..we have been very lucky that the stability that Obama created has lasted this long. But time is running out for this corrupt, inept administration. The jokes end soon…
The FBI must have given Flynn a hint of the evidence they collected while monitoring his calls to Russia. On Wednesday, he categorically denied discussing sanctions with a Russian agent and on Thursday a spokesman withdrew the denial. It should be noted that Flynn was afraid to face the press in person. Stephen Miller, the liar-of-the-day whom the White House sent to all of the Sunday talk shows, declined to answer questions about Flynn, although Flynn was one of the major news stories of the week. All Miller could say was that the White House had not told him what to say about Flynn. That’s known as a deafening silence. Trump, too, has been noticeably silent. Flynn is a dead man walking — not a good thing for the Trump administration to have a de facto vacancy in the national security director chair at a time when other countries want to test a President with no knowledge of foreign relations.
I found Miller to be a total liar. Really, a berserk liar..
how you feel about Hillary and the Democratic Party?
Zing! Deflection time “Oh yeah? What about Hillary?”
Pooch, try to understand. Hillary is not the question here. She’s gone and won’t be back on the political scene. You really need to come up with better rejoinders.
BS: could you please give me the source of your comments that the FBI has evidence from monitoring Mr. Flynn’s phone calls. I want to dig deeper into this story.
IRT DPK…you might give the FBI a call and see if they are free to disseminate the recording. it might still be sensitive classified stuff. The report was from a “trusted” source. If there is no credibility to the “trusted” source, I don’t think the Trumpies would be mum about anything. Their modus operandi is to label things “fake news”. Usually coming from the Trumpy himself. He han’t done so yet. You find this unusual?
Who invented the pounce? the stupid, fat, old, white republicans. As soon as Obama did one Executive Order, they screamed over reach….why aren’t they screaming now when Drump signs stupid Executive orders? Hypocrites and liars. That is what the public sees…BS.
Just another racist comment. Not pono.
Please stop using the Hawaiian language. According to your favorite president, “this is America, we speak english, not spanish”
What if ALL the news is fake…dun dun dunnnnn…..!
If ALL news is fake, then Donalds NOT president. Ok, I can handle that.
rytsuru, the only thing fake are dim wits like you
That’s pretty messed up and scary that our U.S. National Security Advisor can’t remember if he had the conversation or not.
It’s a Washington affliction. Sec. Clinton invoked it over three dozen times during hearings. Sad, sad disease.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/02/the-many-things-hillary-clinton-couldnt-recall-in-her-fbi-interview/?utm_term=.c7de90971593
Per Flynn, this disease can strike in as little as a MONTH after the incident in question, unlike Clintons which showed signs of the disease YEARS after the incidents…Is Tita saying that Flynn can’t be trusted like Clinton OR Clinton is innocent like Flynn…I can never tell the point of these types of comments…#MAGA
Now it’s Clinton’s fault Wake the f up.
I’m saying it’s an affliction affecting their (selective) memory. Donors,cronies, connections and friends, they have Perfect recall. Comments, conversations, memos,etc.—they can’t recall. MUST be the D.C. air. This affliction affects both sides of the aisle equally.
Hey, Tita…fair enough regarding both sides, but what are your thoughts regarding this instance?
I think if it’s true, he’s in deep kim chee and the honorable thing to do is resign. (I say ‘if true’ because so far, everyone is speaking anonymously. We don’t have transcripts and Comey hasn’t issued a statement.) Maybe he can use that old standard of wanting to spend more time with family.
tita, thank you for responding.
Release the trascripts
Release the taxes too.
If one does not remember discussing a crucial issue as sanctions to the press, then it begs the question, should the POTUS accept his input?????
But trump loves people like himself–people with short, convenient memories.
Flynn knew what the law was when he made the call, and it’s just not plausible that he’s forgotten whether or not he broke the law. Clearly, after his most recent emphatic denial last Wednesday, he got a hint of what the FBI learned when they were monitoring his calls, and on Thursday, he conveniently “forgot” what he and the Russian ambassador spoke about. Put him under oath to see whether, at risk of committing perjury, he still “forgets.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/02/the-many-things-hillary-clinton-couldnt-recall-in-her-fbi-interview/?utm_term=.50c061a8f876
Just like Hillary, Flynn needs to go..
Touche! Great suggestion. Then the recording can be played for all to hear! Got to e-mail barrage the reps and senators on both sides!
AP news feed. Regardless of your political persuasion, when the details are vetted out and the dust, what needs to be done will be done. 🙂
we all know how the FBI and DOJ acted with Hillary email’s so… . I’d expect a Conservative to get punished taking it like a champ, Libertards and Democrats are another story
Keep writing about Mrs. Clinton. Changing the subject always works well for you.
Flynn set up Pence to lie for him.
the general will provide deniability for the president but he was surely acting on trump’s behalf. creepy on so many levels.
Trump claims that he is going to be very tough on national security issues, but if his “working dinner” with Prime Minister Abe is any indication we’re in trouble. The dinner was held in a members dining room at Mar-A-Lago where Trump, Abe and their aides were surrounded by wealthy club members who photographed the proceedings and listened in. Trump’s non-secure cellphone was in the middle of the table. The lighting was so dim that aides had to hold up the lights on their cellphones so that Trump and Abe could read the documents that were presented to them. A pianist played and sang, and waiters and others club staff members hovered over the “working dinner” (remember that Trump had applied to bring in foreign workers to fill positions at Mar-A-Lago). When the dinner ended, there were brief statements to the press by both leaders, but Trump left the copy of the remarks that had been prepared for him on the podium and ad-libbed instead, notably leaving out any mention of the Korean missile test. I guess he didn’t want to draw attention to his earlier statement when North Korea announced the proposed missile test — “It won’t happen.”
During the campaign Trump frequently stated that he would be too busy as President to think about leaving the White House or playing golf. Now that he has decided to frequently retreat to his winter palace and play a lot of golf, he has created a blizzard of ethical issues, conflicts of interest, and, now, security issues.
News of the North Korean Millie launch was delivered to Trump and Abe as they sat at the “working dinner” with wealthy club members seated nearby. One club member even posted a picture online with this caption: “The President receiving the news about the Missile incident from North Korea on Japan with the Prime Minister sitting next to him.” Did Trump and Abe leaving the dining room to go to a more secure room to discuss this International incident? No, they turned the public dining room into an al fresco situation room with aides lighting up the meeting with their cellphones! Later, that club members posted more pictures of the Trump/Abe meeting that seemed to have been taken from only a few feet away.
Trump’s incompetence is even more spectacular than anyone imagined. Total disaster for the United States.
Nuke em. End of story. Don’t mess with our new President and the United States. The losing wimps keep whining. Eight long years for dems.
A computer scientist told NPR, “Donald Trump for the longest time has been using an insecure Android phone that by all reports is so easy to compromise, it would not meet the security requirements of a teenager…we must assume that his phone has actively been compromised for a while, and an actively compromised phone is literally a listening device.”
The same man who posted pictures of Trump and Abe as they learned of an international incident also posted a photo of himself posing with the soldier carrying the nuclear “football”!
traitor?
This is the first of Trump’s incredibly bad choices to be thrown overboard. Trump seems to have scraped below the bottom of the barrel to find every liar, incompetent and conspiracy theorist for his cabinet.
Good riddance to General Flynn.
Privat citizens not suppose to “talk” with Russians??? Yea, and 90% of all business and political deals are not make on the golf course too. LOL LOL LOL
Flynn violated the Logan Act (1 Stat. 613, 18 U.S.C. § 953, enacted January 30, 1799 ) that is a United States federal law that forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments having a dispute with the U.S. It was intended to prevent the undermining of the government’s position.
Sad…
Thanks to Pocho and Kuriowaj for being the only trump supporters to even post on this, since the others seem conspicuously absent.
And, Pocho actually agreed that if the reports are real, then Flynn should get the boot. So, if you get beyond their, this is all media bs…it’s quite refreshing to hear an admission of a bad Trump choice for once. Of course, that is after they blame the media and all of us libtards…
Even after Flynn gets the boot (if Trump surprises everyone and does the right thing), the White House will still be infested with Putin sympathizers. If the investigation of Russian contact by Trump staff members continues in the direction that it seems to be headed, people will be asking the question that Republican leaders hear in their nightmares — “What did the President know and when did he know it?”
So we have a wall the Mexicans are supposed to pay for but now we have to pay, a ban that was shot down by three judges- two of them appointed by Bush, a National Security Advisor with a sudden loss of memory, an advisor unethically pushing for Ivanka’s products using the White House as a marketing stage, a low approval rating for the president, a claim of voter fraud with no evidence, a president who insults the courts which his own SC nominee called disheartening and demoralizing, a terse call to one of our staunchest allies the Australian PM, a souring of US-Iraqi relations which hurts the battle versus ISIS and the list goes on and on. Are we great yet?
Yup, it is scary. One shill, Ann Coulter actually ventured to say that Mexico will pay for the wall because the US will with hold the aide we give to Mexico to pay for the wall. I’m thinking if we giving the money then we take it back and use it for something else. How is it that they are paying for it? The guy interviewing her didn’t want to ask the question.
In the end the US will pay for the wall and some people won’t even know it.
I know things get hectic in the course of a busy day. I’ve had some when people were standing around me asking questions and expecting instant answers at the same time that the phone was ringing. Somehow though, I really think I would remember speaking with the Russian Ambassador in a manner and about a subject that I knew was in violation of Federal Statute.
Trump can do the right thing and dump Flynn.
Less then a month, and it’s falling apart like predicted. Bankrupt America Again.
Bye bye General Flynn….time for you to go…..
Is he an enemy agent?
Trump must stand by Flynn. He did not do anything wrong by discussing the issue of sanctions with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the US.
It was just a casual and exploratory discussion and neither party had any authority to make any kind of promises or decisions regarding the sanctions.
The drive by media is still trying to make the case that Trump was aided by the Russians and Putin in the presidential elections for which there is no
evidence. The drive by media will continue to attack any and all of Trump’s supporters and staff and the attacks will only intensify if Trump fires Flynn
or asks him to resign. Flynn did nothing wrong.
If your position is correct, then why doesn’t the administration come out and say so? Governor Christie even said Flynn has to explain himself…
They have said all they are going to say. End of story.
As far as Christie, he is another one like Priebus, Ryan, and McConnel who cannot be trusted.
So, anyone who disagrees with the administration cannot be trusted?
And, no why should it be the end of story? Especially now that Flynn has admitted to discussing sanctions?
Flynn DID do something wrong by discussing sanctions. He violated the Logan Act (1 Stat. 613, 18 U.S.C. § 953 ) that is a United States federal law that forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments having a dispute with the U.S. It was intended to prevent the undermining of the government’s position. The call was illegal specifically BECAUSE he did not have any authority to make any kind of promises or decisions regarding sanctions.
My concern has nothing to do with Gen Flynn, or the wall, or the EO to stop immigration, and all the other thing that POTUS has done since he has been effectively in office for only 3 weeks. The concern I have is in regards to all the naysayers, crybabies, cynics, and overall poor losers. POTUS has become the captain of the ship USS America, and he is getting his sea legs under him. He is learning to command and maneuver the ship through stormy waters (created by loser protesters, who most don’t know what they are protesting for to begin with). The LL has also made it a point to not allow CAPTAIN POTUS to sail the ship and achieve a firm hand in controlling its course. In others much more simpler terms why don’t you all just leave him alone to steer the ship and to achieve the goal for all of us which is to Make America Great Again!!!!! All the name calling and finger pointing serves no good purpose but to allow you to exhale for the time being. Love you all!!!
IRT cojef….the call was on the same day as the imposition of the sanctions. BO executed the sanctions so Trump was in no position/not president yet, to allow Flynn to act or represent the USA.