Sally Yates reportedly warned White House that Flynn was ripe for Russian blackmail

WASHINGTON — The Washington Post reported Monday evening that before she was fired, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates told President Donald Trump that one of his closest White House consultants was ripe for blackmail:

"The acting attorney general informed the Trump White House late last month that she believed Michael Flynn had misled senior administration officials about the nature of his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, and warned that the national security adviser was potentially vulnerable to Russian blackmail, current and former U.S. officials said.

"The message, delivered by Sally Q. Yates and a senior career national security official to the White House counsel, was prompted by concerns that ­Flynn, when asked about his calls and texts with the Russian diplomat, had told Vice ­President-elect Mike Pence and others that he had not discussed the Obama administration sanctions on Russia for its interference in the 2016 election, the officials said. It is unclear what the White House counsel, Donald McGahn, did with the information."

Trump fired Yates last month after she ordered Justice Department lawyers to stop defending the president's controversial travel ban.

Flynn resigned his post late Monday, acknowledging that he briefed Pence and others with “incomplete information” regarding his phone calls with the Russian ambassador.

“I have sincerely apologized to the President and the Vice President, and they have accepted my apology,” he wrote.

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Lt. Gen. Joseph Keith Kellogg, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1967 to 2003, has been named acting national security adviser.

– The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group