Watch CBS News

Obama Said To Have Warned Trump About Flynn

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama warned Donald Trump against hiring Michael Flynn as national security adviser in the days after the 2016 election.

That's according to three former Obama administration officials.

The warning came during an Oval Office meeting between Obama and Trump after the Republican's victory. Flynn had been fired by the Obama administration as the head of the military's intelligence branch.

Trump ultimately tapped Flynn as national security adviser, but fired him after less than a month. The White House says Flynn was fired for misleading top officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

Trump has both defended Flynn and blamed the Obama administration for giving him security clearance.

The officials requested anonymity in order to disclose the private conversation.

President Donald Trump is distancing himself from Michael Flynn's troubles, tweeting that it was the Obama administration that gave Flynn the "highest security clearance."

Flynn was dismissed under President Barack Obama as defense intelligence chief before becoming an ardent supporter of Trump and eventually Trump's national security adviser.

Sally Yates, former deputy attorney general, is expected to testify Monday that she had warned the White House about contacts between Flynn and Russia before being fired by Trump.

Trump tweeted Monday that Flynn was "given the highest security clearance by the Obama Administration - but the Fake News seldom likes talking about that."

In a second tweet, Trump said Yates should be asked under oath "if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers" soon after she raised concerns about Flynn.

An Obama official who warned the White House about contacts between President Donald Trump's first national security adviser and Russia is set to speak publicly about her worries.

Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates is testifying Monday before a Senate subcommittee investigating Russian interference in the election. Former National Intelligence Director James Clapper also is testifying.

Yates is expected to illuminate what led to the ouster of Michael Flynn. His resignation followed reports that Flynn discussed Russia sanctions with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, contrary to White House statements.

A person familiar with Yates' plans says she is likely to testify she expressed alarm about discrepancies between the statements and what occurred. Trump officials have said Yates merely gave a "heads-up."

The person was not authorized to discuss the testimony on the record.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.