The most surprising thing about the Flynn scandal may be how he got caught

pulse

February 14, 2017 8:47 PM

Flynn had to know that calls with the Russian ambassador are monitored.

Donald Trump Michael Flynn Steve Bannon Reince Priebus

The most surprising thing about the scandal and resignation of Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, may be how he was caught.

On February 9, The New York Times published an article in which current and former US officials said Flynn had "unambiguous and highly inappropriate" conversations with the Russian ambassador about potentially easing the US's sanctions on Russia once Trump took office.

But considering his career as an Army intelligence officer who should have been well aware of how the US carries out foreign intelligence, Flynn had to know that agents monitor calls with the Russian ambassador.

In a December phone call with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, Flynn reportedly urged him to not overreact to the latest round of sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama, indicating that the next administration might be more inclined to roll them back.

Officials told The Times that they were surprised the former Defense Intelligence Agency chief had made those comments — and even more surprised when Trump administration officials denied the claims that Flynn had talked about sanctions.

Vice President Mike Pence defended Flynn in an interview with CBS in January, saying Flynn "did not discuss anything having to do with the United States' decision to expel diplomats or impose censure against Russia."

In his resignation letter on Monday, Flynn blamed the "fast pace of events" for his not giving Pence the full story.

Trump senior counselor Kellyanne Conway said on the "Today" show on Tuesday that it was Flynn's inability to properly communicate with Pence that ended his relationship with the White House, not his collusion with Russia.

"In the end, it was misleading the vice president that made the situation unsustainable," Conway said.

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