Republican congressman tells Flynn to resign if he 'purposely misled the president'

It was not a good Monday for President Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn — the lowlights include White House officials giving conflicting statements on his standing with Trump, the release of a report saying he's viewed as being potentially vulnerable to Russian blackmail, and finally, a Republican congressman calling on him to resign if it comes out he misled the administration.

In a statement, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said that in Flynn's role as national security adviser, he is "responsible to the president, vice president, and the American people. It is his duty to be fully transparent and forthright in his actions — anything less is unacceptable. If in fact he purposely misled the president, he should step down immediately."

The Washington Post reported Monday night that Flynn's pre-inauguration communications with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. included talk of sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administration. Flynn reportedly misled Vice President Mike Pence and several other administration officials by telling them he never discussed the sanctions with the ambassador; Pence and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer went on to publicly support Flynn and backed up his version of events regarding the phone conversations.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up