Donald Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn resigns over links to Russia
The President must now fill a vital national security post following the resignation of embattled
DONALD Trump's administration has been dealt a significant blow after not even a month in office.
The President must now fill a vital national security post following the resignation of embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Flynn stepped down late yesterday, ending days of speculation about his fate following reports that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia.
The military veteran accepted that discussions of sanctions may have come up during several calls with the Russian ambassador during the transition period leading up to Trump's inauguration.
He acknowledged that he gave "incomplete information" about those discussions to Pence who, apparently relying on information from the national security adviser, initially said Flynn had not discussed sanctions with the Russian envoy.
The New York Times has also claimed that Flynn accepted money from Moscow during a trip in 2015.
It is alleged he was paid to attend a celebration of the Russia Today TV station where he sat next to Vladimir Putin.
He said in a statement: "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."
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Trump named retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg as the acting national security adviser and a senior administration official said he was one of three candidates the president was considering as a permanent replacement.
Trump is also considering former CIA Director David Petraeus and Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a U.S. Navy SEAL, for the post, according to a senior administration official.
The new person in the job will head up the National Security Council during a hectic time fro the fledgling administration.
It is already grappling with a series of national security challenges, including North Korea's reported ballistic missile launch.
The president, who was joined at his Mar-a-Lago estate by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the weekend, voiced solidarity with Japan.
The White House is also dealing with fallout from the rocky rollout of Trump's immigration executive order, which has been blocked by the courts.
The order was intended to suspend the nation's refugee program and bar citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
Michael Flynn's Resignation Letter
Full text of the former national security adviser released by the White House:
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
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