Brussels – Vice President Mike Pence said Monday it was right to oust Michael Flynn as national security adviser for misleading him about the adviser’s contacts with Russia.
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“I was disappointed to learn that the facts that have been conveyed to me by General Flynn were inaccurate,” Pence said when asked about Flynn at a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. “I fully support the president’s decision to ask for his resignation. It was the proper decision. It was handled properly and in a timely way.”
Flynn’s resignation came after reports that he had discussed sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, despite previously denying those conversations to Pence and other top officials. Flynn had said for weeks that he had not discussed U.S. sanctions in his conversations with the ambassador but later conceded the topic may have come up.
The matter, coming before Pence’s first overseas trip as vice president, raised questions about Pence’s influence within Trump’s administration and doubts by some European leaders about whether he speaks on behalf of Trump.
Trump spent the weekend at his South Florida resort considering his options for Flynn’s replacement, interviewing candidates for the key national security job.