Former top US lawyer: White House warned over Flynn

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates warned the White House that President Donald Trump's since ousted National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was "essentially" compromised by Russia, she said Monday.

Yates said that over the course of three discussions that began on Jan. 26 she told White House Counsel Don McGahn the Justice Department knew that Vice President Mike Pence and other high-ranking officials had made "a number" of public statements based on untrue information provided by Flynn.

He had misled senior officials, including Pence, about his contacts with Russia's envoy to Washington, Sergey Kislyak.

“The Russians also knew about what Gen. Flynn had done, and the Russians also knew that Gen. Flynn had misled the vice president and others,” Yates told a Senate Judiciary subcommittee panel. "That created a compromise situation – a situation where the national security advisor essentially could be blackmailed by the Russians."

“To state the obvious, you don't want your national security advisor compromised with the Russians," she added.

Yates served as Trump's acting attorney general for just 10 days before he dismissed her over her refusal to enforce a travel ban that many, including a series of American judges, have criticized as being an unconstitutional Muslim ban.

She testified on Monday alongside former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper before a Senate panel that is investigating Russia's alleged interference in last year's presidential election.

Clapper said Russia "exceeded their wildest expectations with a minimal expenditure of resources" during what American intelligence officials have termed a Russian "influence campaign" aimed at manipulating the outcome of the Nov. 8 polls.

"I believe they are now emboldened to continue such activities in the future both here and around the world, and to do so even more intensely," he added.

Their testimony came hours after a series of media reports that cited former Obama administration officials which said President Barack Obama had personally warned Trump about hiring Flynn.

Apparently seeking to distance himself from one of his past closest advisors, Trump tweeted early Monday that it was the Obama administration who gave Flynn his security clearance.

"General Flynn was given the highest security clearance by the Obama Administration," Trump wrote on the micro-blogging site.

Obama fired the retired army general in 2014.