Sally Yates told the White House that Gen. Flynn could be blackmailed by the Russians weeks before he was ousted

Sally Yates.
(Image credit: Screenshot/ABC News via Twitter)

Testifying Monday on Russian interference in the 2016 election before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates said she had told the White House that ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had misled administration officials about his pre-inaugural discussions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak because, "to state the obvious, you don't want your national security adviser compromised by the Russians."

In her testimony, Yates said she told the White House on Jan. 26 that Flynn had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his relations with the Russians and that he could be compromised. Flynn was not ultimately ousted by the administration until Feb. 13. Yates added that the Russians knew Flynn had lied and "that created a situation ... where the national security adviser could be blackmailed."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.