Michael Flynn Steps Down As National Security Adviser Following His Secret Russia Calls. Not Good.

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has resigned following reports that he had misled Vice-President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russia.

Reports last week raised questions as to weather the national security adviser has contacts with Russian officials before Trump was sworn in as President.

Weeks of speculation over Mike Flynn’s links with Russia have now led to his resignation.In his letter of resignation (PDF), Flynn said he had “inadvertently briefed the vice-president-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador” late last year.

According to Flynn,

In the course of my duties as the incoming National Security Advisor, I held numerous phone calls with foreign counterparts, ministers, and ambassadors. These calls were to facilitate a smooth transition and begin to build the necessary relationships between the President, his advisors and foreign leaders, Such calls are standard practice in any transition Of this magnitude.

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. I have sincerely apologized to the President and the Vice President, and they have accepted my apology.

Throughout my over thirty three years Of honorable military service, and my tenure as the National Security Advisor, I have always performed my duties with the utmost of integrity and honesty to those I have served, to include the President of the United States.

I am tendering my resignation, honored to have served our nation and the American people in such a distinguished way. I am also extremely honored to have served President Trump, who in just three weeks. has reoriented American foreign policy in fundamental ways to restore America’s leadership position in the world.

As I step away once again from serving my nation in this Current capacity, I wish to thank President Trump for his personal loyalty, the friendship of those who I worked with throughout the hard fought campaign, the challenging period of transition, and during the early days of his presidency.

I know with the strong leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and the superb team they are assembling, this team will go down in history as one of the greatest presidencies in U.S. history, and I firmly believe the American people will be well served as they all work together to help Make America Great Again.

Michael T. Flynn, LTG (Ret) Assistant to the President National Security Advisor

Flynn was in fact a loyal Trump supporter during the campaign. However he is viewed skeptically by some in the administration’s national security circles, in part because of his ties to Russia.

Retired Lt Gen Joseph Keith Kellogg has been appointed acting national security adviser, and is far from a newcomer to the world stage. He brings more than 30 years experience in the army, and served in Vietnam, Cambodia, Panama and the Gulf. He also has helped manage the coalition authority in Iraq during the war in 2003.

Trump is also considering former CIA Director David Petraeus and Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a US Navy SEAL, for the post on a full time basis.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “This is the internal affair of the Americans, the internal affair of the Trump administration. It’s nothing to do with us,”.

However other Russian lawmakers have spoken out in defense of Flynn, with Senator Alexei Pushkov tweeting that he had been “forced to resign not because of his mistake but because of a full-fledged aggressive campaign”

(Source: Telegraph)