begin quote from:
Suspicions over ties with Russia threaten to bog down the Trump administration
Flynn's resignation doesn't end controversy surrounding White House
Story highlights
- Flynn resignation is an embarrassment for Trump
- His departure sent shockwaves around the world
Washington (CNN)Michael
Flynn's resignation as national security adviser removes an immediate
political headache for the White House but will do little to dispel
suspicions about his ties with Russia that now threaten to envelop
President Donald Trump's nascent administration.
Flynn quit late Monday as
controversy raged over revelations that he misled Vice President Mike
Pence -- who then defended him on television -- over whether he
discussed US sanctions with Moscow's ambassador to the US before the
inauguration. Such a move could be a breach of the law.
On
a night of stunning, fast-moving drama, extraordinary even by this
White House's elevated standards, Flynn's fate took on a sense of
inevitability despite Trump's instinct to retain a loyal aide. By Monday
evening, White House press secretary Sean Spicer issued a statement
saying Trump was "evaluating the situation." His departure was confirmed
hours later.
The
former general's resignation -- at the start of only the fourth week of
the new administration -- is an embarrassment for Trump and a blow to a
White House already embroiled in internal political dramas. It deprives
Trump, who has no foreign policy experience and a barely formed
national security team, of his most important White House adviser
charged with keeping Americans safe from foreign threats.
His
departure sent shockwaves around the world, raising questions about the
administration's readiness to confront any sudden national security
crisis. And since Trump frequently boasted that he would install a
governing team of the highest caliber, Flynn's fall from grace is
certain to raise questions about the judgment of the President himself.
Potential ramifications
The potential ramifications of the Flynn saga deepened as Monday night wore on. It emerged that the Justice Department warned the White House last
month that Flynn had not been truthful about the calls with the Russian
envoy and could be susceptible to Russian blackmail.
That
information, disclosed to CNN by sources familiar to the matter,
exposed the White House itself to questions about what officials did
with the Justice Department warning and whether Trump himself was told.
Also
unknown is whether Trump was aware that Flynn spoke to the Russian
ambassador to the US about American sanctions imposed on Moscow late in
the Obama administration to punish the Kremlin's alleged intervention in
the presidential election.
"What
did the President know and when did he know it?" senior CNN political
analyst David Axelrod said, using a phrase made famous by the Watergate
scandal.
That unanswered question
will fuel bipartisan congressional concerns about the administration's
relationship with Russia and conduct in the Flynn affair.
Before
Flynn's resignation, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio told CNN's Manu Raju
that his contacts with the Russian embassy should form part of a Senate
Intelligence Committee investigation into alleged Russian meddling in
the presidential election.
Adam
Schiff, the ranking Democratic member of the House Intelligence
Committee, said Flynn's departure had become inevitable, but also warned
that the controversy was far from over.
"Flynn's
departure does not end questions over his contacts with the Russians,
which have been alleged to have begun well before December 29," Schiff
said in a statement. "These alleged contacts and any others the Trump
campaign may have had with the Kremlin are the subject of the House
Intelligence Committee's ongoing investigation."
He
went on: "Moreover, the Trump Administration has yet to be forthcoming
about who was aware of Flynn's conversations with the Ambassador and
whether he was acting on the instructions of the President or any other
officials, or with their knowledge."
Personal aspects
Apart from the national security and even legal ramifications of Flynn's conduct, there is also a personal aspect for Trump.
The
former general was picked for the role of national security adviser
despite his controversial past. He was fired from the Obama
administration from his post as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency
over claims he was a poor manager. Conservatives, however, complained
that the real reason for his clash with the previous administration was
over differences on Islamic terrorism.
Flynn
emerged as a loyal and outspoken supporter of Trump, warning
graphically on the campaign trail about the dangers America faces from
terrorism. Administration officials indicated Trump did not fire Flynn.
In
the end, after the revelations about Flynn and the fact that the
national security adviser had embarrassed the vice president, he had
little choice but to step down. Had he remained in the administration,
Pence's credibility would have been seriously eroded.
Flynn
said in his letter of resignation that he had apologized to both the
Pence and the Trump and that his apology had been accepted.
"Unfortunately,
because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the Vice
President-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my
phone calls with the Russian Ambassador," Flynn said in his letter of
resignation.
Trump must now move
quickly to find a new national security adviser both to steady his
reeling administration and the morale of his NSC and to send a signal of
foreign policy continuity to US allies and enemies.
Trump
on Monday named Gen. Keith Kellogg, who is already serving as NSC Chief
of Staff as the interim national security adviser. A senior
administration official said Kellogg, retired Gen. David Petraeus and former Vice Admiral Bob Harward are possible replacements for Flynn. A senior official told CNN Tuesday that Harward is considered the top contender for the job.
Petraeus
presents an intriguing dilemma for Trump, since he is widely respected
in Washington over his stewardship of the Iraq war surge, is a
consummate political player, a former CIA director and would confer
immediate gravitas and credibility on a rudimentary White House foreign
policy shop.
But Petraeus fell from
grace over the mishandling of classified information and remains on
probation. Though he would not require Senate confirmation, his
appointment would open Trump to claims of inconsistency given that he
lambasted his Democratic foe Hillary Clinton over her private email
server during the election campaign to make the case that she was
careless with the nation's top secrets.
Flynn's
departure from the administration also adds new uncertainty about the
direction of its foreign policy, particularly towards Russia.
The
former general was seen as an advocate of Trump's plans to seek to ease
the estrangement in relations with Moscow -- a stance that has
mystified both Republican and Democratic foreign policy experts in
Washington.
But the President has
in recent days reversed some of his most searing rhetoric -- embracing
the so-called one-China policy that governs US relations with Taiwan
after earlier warning that it was on the table in trade talks with
Beijing.
He also offered a red
carpet welcome to Japan's Prime Minster Shinzo Abe -- and apparently did
not follow up on his demand for Tokyo to pay more for US security
protection.
So a reversal on his position on Russia should not be ruled out if a new national security adviser takes a different approach.
Politically,
meanwhile, Trump's decision to let Flynn go will fuel new speculation
about how he will handle other feuds that are rocking his
administration. It may be too early to rule out other departures.
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