Michael Flynn has resigned as US national security adviser after intelligence leaks suggested he discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador and then attempted to conceal the conversations. The resignation, announced late Monday, marks the most significant upheaval yet in President Donald Trump's fledgling administration, which is only four weeks old.
Flynn admitted to misleading Vice-President Mike Pence and other officials about the nature of his December phone calls with Russian ambassador Sergei Kisilyak. The White House initially said the calls only involved Christmas greetings and logistics for a Trump-Putin call, but subsequent leaks indicated they addressed sanctions imposed by the Obama administration for alleged Russian interference in the election.
In his resignation letter, Flynn apologised, stating that 'because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the vice president elect and others with incomplete information.' Retired General Keith Kellogg has been named acting national security adviser, while former CIA director David Petraeus is reportedly a candidate for the permanent role, despite his own legal issues for sharing classified information.
Flynn's departure does little to quell concerns about the Trump team's pre-election contacts with Russia. The former Defense Intelligence Agency chief is also under investigation for accepting money from a Russian organisation, potentially breaching military rules. Russian politicians, including Konstantin Kosachev, criticised the resignation as 'paranoia', while Alexei Pushkov claimed the move targeted US-Russia relations.
