Flynn flew past several red flags
WARNINGS IGNORED Trump kept the NSA on despite being notified about his Russia connections
WASHINGTON: Among the first set ofadvicesPresident-electDonald Trump received from Barack Obama was to not appoint Gen (retired) Michael Flynn, said aidesoftheformerpresident,but Trump chose to ignore it.
Flynn became Trump’s first appointmentashisnationalsecurity adviser. He remained on the job,overseeingseveralkeydevelopments,despitespecificandofficial warnings from the justice department about his contacts with Russia.
“We wanted to tell the White House as quickly as possible,” then acting attorney general Sally Q Yates, an Obama-appointee said at a Senate hearing onMonday.“Youdon’twantyour national security adviser compromised with the Russians.”
Thesewarnings,shetoldSenators, were conveyed over two days—January26and27—tothe WhiteHousecounsel.ButTrump keptFlynnonforanother18days.
Yates’testimonybroughtfresh attentiontothisadministration’s Russia problem.
Trump tried to shift blame, tweeting: “General Flynn was given the highest security clearance by the Obama Administra- tion - but the Fake News seldom likes talking about that.”
Out of patience with Trump’s unceasingattacksonObama,the formerPresident’saideshitback, tellingmediaoutletsthatObama toldthepresident-electtonothire Flynn during their first one-onone meeting on November 10, which had lasted 90 minutes.
Back on the defensive, the WhiteHousepushedback.“PresidentObamamadeitknownthat he wasn’t exactly a fan of Gen Flynn’s,”WhiteHousepresssecretary Sean Spicer said.