One of the most talked about political issues over the weekend was whether or not National Security Advisor, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, spoke to Russian officials about sanctions while he was a private citizen. The White House has been limited in what they have said on the matter, which continued during a recent interview with Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway.
Conway on Flynn
After President Donald Trump pulled off the upset in a win over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton last November, it was only a matter of time before he named who would surround him in the White House.
One name that generated controversy was Gen. Michael Flynn, who is known as a hard-line conservative, and war hawk who is not shy about his feelings when it comes to radical Islam. Since he was named as National Security Advisor, reports have circulated that Flynn attempted to negotiate a deal with Russia involving rolling back recent sanctions put on the country by then President Barack Obama. The offical line from the administration was that no wrong doing took place, but the issue was part of a heated decision during a February 13 segment on MSNBC with Kellyanne Conway.
Joining MSNBC host Steve Kornacki was former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. As Kornacki pressed Conway on Flynn's status, she didn't appear willing to give up much information.
Conway went on to repeat herself in saying Flynn enjoys the "full confidence of the president." but didn't seem pleased with Kornacki's line of questioning. Reports have suggested that Flynn had upset Vice President Mike Pence, though the administration refused to elaborate, with the exception of confirming that the two had a discussion.
Kellyanne Conway: Flynn Has 'Full Confidence of the President' https://t.co/46OVKzltPa (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/zo7PVfLpKj
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) February 13, 2017
Kornacki continued to attempt to get additional information out of Conway, who became visibly frustrated. "Those are two different questions," she said, before adding, "You asked me, and I'll repeat the answer, Does he have the full confidence of the president?
Yes he does." Not stopping there, Conway continued, "Then you are asking me what did he talk about with people when I wasn't on the phone. So the only way for me to answer that is to tell you what he said, which was he can't recall."
Moving forward
In addition to the controversy surrounding Michael Flynn, Kellyanne Conway and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer have also been under fire, clashing with various members of the administration. It's only been three weeks since Donald Trump was sworn into office, but it appears that there is a growing tension with some key members of the team and that isn't a positive sign for the former host of "The Apprentice."