House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said President Trump made the right move in ousting his national security adviser this week, but said he’s not going to prejudge any of the other details about the story.
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn resigned late Monday night after admitting he misled the vice president on his conversations with the Russian ambassador during the transition.
Mr. Ryan said it was a sign of proper handling that Mr. Trump ousted Mr. Flynn, who had been a major supporter during the presidential campaign.
“As soon as this person lost the president’s trust the president asked for his resignation and that was the right thing to do,” Mr. Ryan said.
He declined to answer questions about other parts of the saga, including reports that the Justice Department informed the White House several weeks ago that the conversations might compromise Mr. Flynn’s position.
He said the House intelligence committee is already investigating Russia’s activities and said he would wait for more information before judging the rest of the administration’s handling of the incident.
Mr. Flynn, who was the national security adviser in waiting during the transition, reportedly talked with Russia’s ambassador about U.S. sanctions during the period between the election and Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
It is illegal for private citizens to conduct diplomacy, though Mr. Flynn said the conversations he had with foreign ministers, ambassadors and foreign security advisers were routine for a transition.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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