White House Press Secretary Says Trump Fired Flynn As National Security Adviser

By Jessica Taylor
White House Press secretary Sean Spicer takes questions from the media on Tuesday. He said it was President Trump’s decision to have national security adviser Michael Flynn resign.
White House Press secretary Sean Spicer takes questions from the media on Tuesday. He said it was President Trump's decision to have national security adviser Michael Flynn resign. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
White House Press secretary Sean Spicer takes questions from the media on Tuesday. He said it was President Trump’s decision to have national security adviser Michael Flynn resign.
White House Press secretary Sean Spicer takes questions from the media on Tuesday. He said it was President Trump's decision to have national security adviser Michael Flynn resign. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

White House Press Secretary Says Trump Fired Flynn As National Security Adviser

By Jessica Taylor
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White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday that President Trump asked for Michael Flynn’s resignation on Monday night, citing an “evolving and eroding level of trust” with his national security adviser.

The account differs from the impression the White House gave initially, framing it as Flynn’s decision to step down amid questions about whether he inappropriately talked about U.S. sanctions with a Russian official and then subsequently misled then-Vice President-elect Pence about those conversations.

“The president was very concerned that Gen. Flynn had misled the vice president and others,” Spicer said.

Spicer underscored that it was not a “legal issue, but a trust issue” that led to Flynn’s dismissal.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday morning on NBC’s Today Show that Flynn realized “he had become a lightning rod,” leading to his resignation, and that “it was misleading the vice president that made the situation unsustainable.”

This is an ongoing story and we will continue to update.

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