Ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was subjected to FBI questioning about his conversations with the Russian ambassador shortly after President Trump took office, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
While it is not clear what Flynn said in the interviews, he could face a felony charge if he was dishonest with FBI investigators.
Flynn resigned on Monday amid revelations that he discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador in the month before Trump’s inauguration. Administration officials, including Vice President Mike, previously denied that Flynn had done so.
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Flynn reportedly apologized to Pence for briefing him and other White House officials with “incomplete information,” and blamed it on “the fast pace of events.”
The Justice Department notified the White House on Jan. 26 that Flynn may be vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians, because of discrepancies between his account of the phone calls and what intelligence officials found.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said during his daily briefing on Tuesday that Trump was aware that Flynn misled administration officials for “weeks,” before eventually asking for his resignation on Monday.
“We’ve been reviewing and evaluating this issue with respect to General Flynn on a daily basis for a few weeks, trying to ascertain the truth,” he said.