WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Donald Trump did not direct his National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to discuss sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a briefing on Tuesday.
"No, absolutely not," Spicer stated when asked whether Trump instructed Flynn to speak with Kislyak about sanctions. "I think the president had no problem with the fact that he [Flynn] acted in accord with what his job was."
White House Counsel probed the situation involving Flynn and found no legal violations.
"He asked the White House Counsel to review the situation. We had to review whether there was a legal issue, which the White House Counsel concluded that there was not," Spicer stated. "There is nothing that the General did that was a violation of any sort."
Spicer added that the resignation of Flynn was "a matter of trust."
Flynn’s phone talks with Kislyak have raised questions about whether the he broke a law forbidding private US citizens from engaging with foreign nations about diplomatic disputes. Retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr. has been named acting US national security adviser following Flynn's resignation.
