FBI interviewed ex-US national security adviser Flynn – report

WASHINGTON DC, USA – The US Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed ex-senior White House aide Michael Flynn on his phone calls with the Russian ambassador days into his job, The New York Times reported Tuesday, February 14.

The contents of the interview were unknown. But the Times said that if Flynn, who resigned from his position as President Donald Trump’s top national security aide late Monday, February 13, had not been truthful with the agents about those conversations, he could face charges.  

Citing current and former government officials, the Times said that after the FBI interviewed Flynn on January 26, the justice department’s top official at the time, acting attorney general Sally Yates, reported to the White House that there were significant differences between what intelligence officials knew of the calls and what Pence had said publicly.

Yates reportedly told the White House that the discrepancies left Flynn potentially vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians.

Trump asked Flynn to resign on Monday after the retired army general admitted having misled Vice President Mike Pence on whether his discussions in December with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak involved US sanctions on Moscow.

Pence insisted in television interviews in mid-January that Flynn hadn’t spoken about sanctions with Kislyak. But last week, it came to light that transcripts of those calls show the topic was broached.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday that Flynn had lost Trump’s confidence.

“The level of trust between the president and General Flynn had eroded to the point where he felt he had to make a change,” Spicer told journalists. – Rappler.com