(2017-02-12) National Security Adviser Flynn Discussed Sanctions With Russian Ambassador Despite Denials Officials Say

National security adviser Michael Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador, despite denials, officials say. National security adviser Michael Flynn privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States during the month before President Donald Trump took office, contrary to public assertions by Trump officials, current and former U.S. officials said.

On Thursday, Flynn, through his spokesman, backed away from the denial.

The talks were part of a series of contacts between Flynn and Sergey Kislyak that began before the Nov. 8 election and continued during the transition, officials said

Prominent Americans in and out of government are so frequently in communication with foreign officials that singling out one individual — particularly one poised for a top White House job — would invite charges of political persecution

Official concern about Flynn’s interactions with Kislyak was heightened when Vladmir Putin declared on Dec. 30 that Moscow would not retaliate after the Barack Obama administration announced a day earlier the expulsion of 35 suspected Russian spies and the forced closure of Russian-owned compounds in Maryland and New York

Putin’s muted response — which took White House officials by surprise — raised some officials’ suspicions that Moscow may have been promised a reprieve, and triggered a search by U.S. spy agencies for clues.