VP Mike Pence 'disappointed' Flynn misled him on Russia

The vice president cited a "close working relationship" with Trump.

ByABC News
February 20, 2017, 3:51 PM

— -- Vice President Mike Pence today said he was "disappointed" that now former national security adviser Michael Flynn misled him about the nature of his conversations with Russian officials during the presidential transition period.

"I was disappointed to learn that the facts that had been conveyed to me by Gen. Flynn were inaccurate," Pence told reporters at a joint news conference with the head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels. "I fully support the president's decision to ask for his resignation."

It was Pence's first time speaking about President Trump's asking Flynn to resign.

"I'm very grateful for the close working relationship I have with the president of the United States," Pence said. "It was the proper decision. It was handled properly and in a timely way. And I have great confidence in the national security team of this administration, going forward."

Trump asked for Flynn's resignation after learning he did have communications in December with the Russian ambassador to the United States about pending sanctions by the Obama administration, after initially believing there was no such discussion.

In late-January, the Justice Department informed the White House that Flynn may have misled the vice president and other senior White House officials about his call with the Russian ambassador. It wasn't until two weeks later that Pence learned he may have been misled, according to a timeline provided by a spokesman for Pence.

"What I would tell you is that the vice president became aware of incomplete information that he had received on February 9th last Thursday night based on media accounts,” Pence's press secretary, Marc Lotter, said last week. “He did an inquiry based on those media accounts."

In his resignation letter, Flynn said he "inadvertently" gave "incomplete information" about multiple calls with the Russian ambassador. He previously said he did not speak with Russian officials about the pending sanctions.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer cited the "eroding relationship" between Trump and Flynn as the reason Trump asked for his resignation.

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