House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called on President Donald Trump to fire his national security adviser Michael Flynn “immediately” over his conversations about sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. before Trump’s inauguration.
“Michael Flynn’s conduct was alarming enough before his secret communications with the Russians were exposed,” Pelosi wrote in a statement Monday. “Now, we have a National Security Advisor who cannot be trusted not to put Putin before America.”
She said that allegations in an explosive 35-page dossier related to Trump “gain credence with each passing day” and accused elected Republicans of being “complicit” in covering up Russian influence over the White House.
“This Administration has exhausted its excuses,” Pelosi said. “National security demands that General Flynn be fired immediately.”
Earlier in February, Pelosi called for an investigation into Trump’s personal and business ties to Russia after he dismissed concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime.
“I want to know what the Russians have on Donald Trump,” she said.
Current and former U.S. officials told several news outlets last week that Flynn spoke about sanctions in a call with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak before Trump took office.
Those reports contradicted public statements made by the Trump team, including Vice President Mike Pence, denying that Flynn spoke about U.S. sanctions with Russian officials before Trump’s inauguration.
On Sunday, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) said it would be “appropriate” to revoke Flynn’s security clearance in response.
White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller ducked questions the same day regarding whether the President still had confidence in Flynn.
“That’s a question that I think you should ask the President, the question you should ask Reince, the chief of staff,” he said. “They did not give me anything to say.”
Good first step, but y’all Congressional Dems had better get out in front of the locomotive. The people are in the streets, leading the resistance, and you guys are in danger of getting left being and rendered even less relevant.
Her demands will be ignored, of course. It’s fun, however, to imagine how the Republicans would react had Hillary appointed Flynn.
Which will no doubt cause Trump to become even more recalcitrant and double down on retaining him.
Look for an incoming tweet within the hour.
Does anyone really think Flynn made these calls without Trump’s direction?