Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn told the FBI in an interview last month that he did not speak to Russia's ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, about sanctions, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
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Michael Flynn reportedly told the FBI that he never discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador
Trump said former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was "just doing his job" when he discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador to the US in December.
U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters accompanied by now-former National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn (2nd L) after delivering remarks during a visit in Langley, Virginia U.S., January 21, 2017.
That may put Flynn in legal jeopardy because he has said that he couldn't recall exactly what he and discussed during their calls in December, but the issue of US sanctions on Russia may have been touched upon after all.
The Post's account of Flynn's interview with the FBI appeared to conflict with CNN's reporting, however, which said that the bureau's interviewers
Even if the FBI recommended charging Flynn with perjury, it is unclear whether a Justice Department led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions would move forward with those charges.
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The FBI interviewed Flynn about the calls, which were intercepted by US intelligence agents, two days before
The Post reported
President Donald Trump said in a press conference on Thursday that Flynn was "just doing his job" when he called in December.
"I don't think he did anything wrong — if anything, he was doing something right," Trump said. "He didn't just call Russia, he called and spoke to both ways, I think, 30-odd countries. He was just doing his job."
The PostThe New York Times, together citing nearly a dozen current and former US officials,
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Trump on Thursday criticized the press for publishing "classified" information, though The Post's and The Times' reports did not specify whether the sources came from within the intelligence community.
Trump insisted on Thursday, however, that the only reason he asked for Flynn's resignation was because Flynn "didn't tell our vice president properly, and then he said he didn't remember, so either way, it wasn't very satisfactory to me."
Vice President Mike Pence was "incensed" at Flynn for misleading him about the calls, The Times reported on Monday. Pence had defended Flynn in an interview with CBS on January 15, saying Flynn "did not discuss anything having to do with the United States' decision to expel diplomats or impose censure against Russia."
Pence wasn't informed about the investigation into Flynn's communication with the ambassador until February 9, according to The Post — weeks after Yates first briefed
"For the vice president, I feel terrible," Flynn told The Daily Caller. "I put him in a position. He's a man of incredible integrity. I think the world of him. ...
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