Top House Intel Dem questions why White House didn’t act on Flynn sooner

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday questioned why the White House did not take action on embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn sooner, despite knowing the details of his conversations with the Russian ambassador for weeks.

“Here’s what’s bothering me: Flynn’s lie about Russia didn’t bring him down. Exposure of lie did. WH knew weeks ago & did nothing. Why?” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) tweeted.

Here’s what’s bothering me:
Flynn’s lie about Russia didn’t bring him down. Exposure of lie did. WH knew weeks ago & did nothing. Why?

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 14, 2017

Schiff’s comment came a day after Flynn resigned amid revelations that he discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, before President Trump had been sworn in.

{mosads}Schiff quickly denounced Flynn, calling on Friday for the senior Trump aide to step down if he talked about relieving Russia from sanctions.

“If he did so, and then he and other Administration officials misled the American people, his conduct would be all the more pernicious, and he should no longer serve in this Administration or any other,” Schiff said in a statement.

Vice President Pence and other administration officials fervently denied that Flynn had ever discussed sanctions in his communications with Kislyak. Pence was reportedly angered that Flynn misled him, and the national security adviser apologized to the vice president.

But the Justice Department reportedly sent a message to White House counsel Donald McGahn shortly after Trump’s inauguration, warning that Flynn could be vulnerable to blackmail by the Kremlin. It’s unclear what McGahn did with that message.

Flynn, a longtime aide to Trump, spoke with Kislyak numerous times in the months before Trump took office, including on Dec. 29, when former President Obama imposed fresh sanctions against Russia for the country’s efforts to interfere in the U.S. presidential election.