Senate Judiciary Committee's Grassley, Feinstein request briefing on Flynn's resignation

Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

published 16 February 2017

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the committee's ranking Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, are asking for a briefing from top White House officials about the resignation of Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser.

After Flynn denied ever discussing Russian sanctions with the country's ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, The Washington Post reported on Monday night that Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general, had told White House officials in January about intercepted calls that proved Flynn had in fact discussed sanctions and could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail. In addition to asking for a briefing the week of Feb. 27, when Congress is back from recess, Grassley and Feinstein are requesting transcripts of the intercepted calls and the FBI's report summarizing them.

"According to media reports, both the FBI and the Justice Department were involved," the senators wrote in a letter sent to FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Jeff Sessions released Wednesday evening. "These reports raise substantial questions about the content and context of Mr. Flynn's discussions with Russian officials, the conclusions reached by the Justice Department and the actions it took in response, as well as possible leaks of classified information by current and former government employees."