Kislyak ‘compromised’ Flynn

Ex-acting AG warned that sacked NSA may be blackmailed by Russia

Washington, May 9: Former acting US Attorney General Sally Yates said on Monday she warned the White House in January that thennational security adviser Michael Flynn had been compromised and could have been vulnerable to blackmail by Russia.

Ms Yates testified at a senate judiciary subcommittee hearing that focused primarily on Mr Flynn, and did not shed much light on other aspects of investigations of allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 US election and whether there was collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Moscow.

After the hearing, Mr Trump took to Twitter to bash the media and deny any collusion.

“Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows — there is ‘no evidence’ of collusion w/ Russia and Trump,” he said. And in another tweet, the President denounced the hearings.

“The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?” he asked. Ms Yates told the hearing she had been concerned that “the national security adviser essentially could be blackmailed by the Russians.”

“Logic would tell you that you don’t want the national security adviser to be in a position where the Russians have leverage over him,” she said.

Former director of national intelligence James Clapper, in separate testimony, called Russia’s interference in last year’s election “a clarion call for vigilance and action against a threat to the very foundations of our democratic political system.” “I believe they’re now emboldened to continue such activities in the future, both here and around the world, and to do so even more intensely,” he said.