Even when officials with the FBI, CIA, Department of Justice, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence were convinced in January that Michael Flynn, President Trump's national security adviser, was vulnerable to Russian blackmail, CIA Director Mike Pompeo briefed Trump on the most sensitive intelligence and issues facing the United States, with Flynn listening next to him, The New York Times reports.
When asked last month by senators if he knew about the CIA's concerns surrounding Flynn, Pompeo declined to answer; an administration official told the Times he never discussed Flynn with Trump. Three days after Pompeo was sworn in on Jan. 23, then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates warned the White House that Flynn, who had been talking with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., had been "compromised" and could be subject to blackmail.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
-
Marine Le Pen's fake jobs trialThe Explainer The far-right French leader could face a fine, jail time, and a five-year ban from public office if found guilty of embezzlement
-
How to earn extra cash for ChristmasThe Explainer The holiday season can be expensive but there are ways to bolster your festive finances
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor planSpeed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimesSpeed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminderSpeed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 yearsSpeed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market gunsSpeed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraudSpeed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking caseSpeed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
-
'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black menSpeed Read The former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty last year
