2/14/2017

CABINET/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “The  White House sought Tuesday to quickly contain the fallout from the ouster of national security advisor Michael Flynn, but President Trump and top aides found themselves mired in further disarray as more details emerged that undermined their portrayal of the matter. 
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer contradicted assertions that he and other senior aides had made a day earlier about internal deliberations over Flynn’s contact with a Russian diplomat. Taken together, the various accounts suggested that Trump knew three weeks ago that Flynn had misrepresented the interactions but moved to dismiss Flynn only once they became public.
On Capitol Hill, momentum grew for a more far-reaching investigation of Russia’s attempts to influence U.S. government at its highest levels.
The White House would not say whether Flynn had misled the president but blamed Flynn’s misrepresentations to Vice President Mike Pence and others for his downfall.”

 – Michael A. Memoli and Del Quentin Wilber, “White House says Trump knew three weeks ago that Flynn misled on contacts with Russia,” The Los Angeles Times online, Feb. 14, 2017