Spicer defends White House's hesitation to oust Flynn

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer backed up President Trump's decision to accept the resignation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, saying the move was "not an issue of law, it was an issue of trust."

Spicer parried questions about why it took three weeks to oust Flynn after the president became aware that Flynn misled Vice President Mike Pence about discussing the possible lifting of sanctions with the Russian ambassador, saying the White House had conducted an "exhaustive review."

"Nothing that the general did was a violation of any sort," Spicer added. "[Flynn] was well within his duties [to discuss the issues]." Instead, "what it came down to, plain and simple, was misleading the vice president and others, and not having a clear recollection of that," Spicer said.

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The press secretary additionally blamed former President Obama's Department of Justice holdovers for not informing the White House quickly enough about Flynn. Jeva Lange