Transcripts For BBCNEWS 100 Days 20170214 : vimarsana.com

So who really does speak for the president . And the israeli Prime Minister arriving in washington to start a new relationship with the white house. Iran, hezbollah, syria and settlements. There is plenty to discuss. This story begins at the end of december. President obama had just imposed new sanctions on russia in retaliation for moscow hacking the election. Donald trumps senior Foreign Policy advisor, general mike flynn, hopped on the phone with russias ambassador to discuss the penalty. Now us law bars any private citizen from conducting Foreign Policy. But the greater mistake was to mislead the Vice President. The National Security advisor told mike pence that sanctions never came up in his calls with the Russian Ambassador. Not true. The conversation had been bugged by us intelligence, disproving the generals account. In his resignation letter, flynn sai, unfortu nately, 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. Not telling the truth exposed the president s highest Security Advisor to potential blackmail by the russians. And Thejustice Department said they warned the white house about flynns problem back in january. Well, in the last few minutes, the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has been taking questions. Do the president instructed to talk about sanctions . Absolutely not. The president had no problem with him attracting acting in accordance with his job. As has been noted, that is what the National Security adviser does, they begin the process of preparing their incoming job by talking to Cou Nterpa Rts incoming job by talking to counterparts and the blue previously held thejob. If counterparts and the blue previously held the job. If he counterparts and the blue previously held thejob. If he had not done that, there would be questions as to its proper preparation on day one. The issue is not what he discussed, there has been a legal review of that and there is no issue. The issue isnt whether or not he failed to properly inform the Vice President or not be honest with him or not remember it. That is the issue. When he lost trust with the president , that is where he asked for and received his resignation. Well, there is definitely a lot of Damage Control taking place at the white house today. Yes, but the Administration May be better off without General Flynn hes been a Lightning Rod for a while now. Ive been taking a look at the road leading up to this resignation. A25in a 25 in the First Casualty of a Trump White House scandal. Michael flynn, a retired Us Army Three star general is no stranger to controversy. In 2040, president obama fired him because of its extreme views on islam. Flynn said it is rationalfor extreme views on islam. Flynn said it is rational for americans to fear muslims and called the islamic world and epic failure. Before the election, the general made his views clear to me. Radical islamism is like communism or nazism. We are facing it right now, it is for real and we have seen it expand around the globe. He was one of the first and only senior National Security figures to endorse donald trump. It earned him a lot of loyalty. Former director of the Defence Intelligence agency, Michael Flynn. The Republican National convention, flynn gave one of the most red blooded speeches, criticising hillary clinton. Yes, that is right. Walk her off. If i did a tenth of what she did, i would be injail today. He hosted Conspiracy Theories On Social Media and compared clinton to be alqaeda militants in iraq and afghanistan. But what finally pushed him out what is too cosy relationship with russia. General flynn lied about his pre inauguration discussions with the Russian Ambassador. And then he put the Vice President in the awkward position of also lying on national television. Never a great way to protect your job. National television. Never a great way to protect yourjob. The story of Michael Flynn suggests confusion in the white house. Over the weekend, the president said he knew nothing about it. His Top Policy Adviser declined to say the boss still backed flynn and then hours before he was kicked out, trump councillor Kellyanne Conway said this. He does it enjoyed a full confidence of this president s curious relationship with russia and what it means for america. Our north america editor jon sopel is here. It is about personnel i want General Flynn said to the Vice President. The story of loyalty from the president himself. Do you agree it isa president himself. Do you agree it is a style america was matter relationship with russia and the white house relationship with russia . One of the most striking things for me, is not what happened to mike flynn, it is the attempt to recast what Donald Trumps stance is toward russia. Sean spicer says no one has been tougher toward russia. We have been tougher toward russia. We have been really tough and yes, we want to have better relations below what we have done. Maybe ive not been paying attention and sometimes in classes, as a school boy i was guilty of that, but i cant Help Thinking of what . Sorry . Really . Have i missed all of this . And i think there was a recognition of so much of what trump is doing is playing well with his pace, mexico, the border, the travel ban, all going down grey. But cosying up to russia . I suddenly being appalled. The we do not know relationship. We do not know behind the scenes what has been going on between donald trump and the russians. But let me ask you about the Personnel Issue and the question ofjudgment. About the Personnel Issue and the question of judgment. Michael about the Personnel Issue and the question ofjudgment. Michael flynn, and ive heard this on countless members of the National Security advisers, had extreme views about islam, was too friendly with the russians are not very competent either. Was it a good idea for President Trump to bring him in and then keep him on the three weeks after the justice then keep him on the three weeks after Thejustice Department then keep him on the three weeks after the justice Department Said then keep him on the three weeks after Thejustice Department said he could be blackmail by the russians . Like you, i remember going to reception and there were a whole group of Foreign Policy experts and they were all saying flynn . Really . Are you kidding me . Do they know his views and that is a Conspiracy Theorist . How will you temper that . But he had been as you said, the first senior National Security person who backed him. There was loyalty. They thought alike and were ideological soul mates and trump probably thought he gave him heft. But he was an insurgent, rescued from the outset and ultimately proved deeply damaging and therefore the decision. The other interesting thing was this morning it was being said that donald trump. That he resigned of his own volition, but its become clear donald trump said you can go quietly oi donald trump said you can go quietly Ori Donald Trump said you can go quietly or i push up. He donald trump said you can go quietly ori push up. He was donald trump said you can go quietly or i push up. He was fired. Donald trump said you can go quietly ori push up. He was fired. He donald trump said you can go quietly or i push up. He was fired. He was fired. The other issue is that the illustration you for 17 days and we now hear that the transcripts were brought to the white House Counsel with all the consequences are risks that it it entailed for flynn. Yet when the president was asked about it, this was his answer. What you make about the General Flynn conversations with russians about sanctions . I dont know about it. What report is that . I dont know anything about it. I havent seen that. I will look at that. He doesnt offer any and so on the most important part of that question. He says hes talking about the Washington Post article. That was a piece of elegance footwork by sean spicer in the news conference. No, no, president truman knew about the issue because weve just said weve been looking at it since it was brought to our attention adding acted in a general three weeks ago. But trump was saying he wasnt aware of the article and his answer was solely related to the Washington Post article. They are difficult questions. He does look as though he was the lie that has cost mike flynn and hisjob, was the lie that has cost mike flynn and his job, it was the lie that has cost mike flynn and hisjob, it is being found out. It is the 11th Commandment that moses carried down on the stone ta blets, moses carried down on the stone tablets, thou shalt not get caught. There are so many angles we need to get to. Lets bring in olga ivshina from the bbcs Russian Service. Yesterday, the spokesman for President Putin denied that Michael Flynn and the Russian Ambassador had spoken about sanctions. And now we have Michael Flynns resignation because he has spoken about sanctions. So the russians were not telling the whole truth . Welcome to the club. They have quite a long record of that. One of the most famous examples is back in 2014 when the russian president first said there is no Russian Service personnel in crimea and then he said, yes, of course there were. They were helping conduct the referendum. I guess that moscows lesson is that if you are lying, remember what you are lying about exactly remember what you are lying about exa ctly a nd remember what you are lying about exactly and keep going. He refused to comment today and said it was an exclusively internal matter for the United States refused to comment. But he is still there, doing his business. It is interesting to note that the Russian Foreign ministry has not commented. Some russian officials and mps ahead of the Foreign Committee on the Upper Chamber commented and used the cold war language, saying it is a witchhunt, is russian anti russian sentiment. Witchhunt, is russian antirussian sentiment. Sean spicer just said he was the problem about the discussion about sanctions, but the discussion about sanctions, but the lack of trust. If sanctions had been imposed on november, would they have retaliated . Been imposed on november, would they have retaliated . Did been imposed on november, would they have retaliated . Did they retaliate in the past when sanctions were introduced and why not this time . M isa introduced and why not this time . M is a good question. We dont know the answer. From mr putins points of view, it was quite unexpected, because he usually follows a hard core policy. Because he usually follows a ha rd core policy. This because he usually follows a hard core policy. This time, yes, he said no, we are not retaliating or sending out diplomats. We dont know what made him think so. Maybe on the other hand he is known for interesting steps and he does like to get trump cards out of his sleeve. Well, now, he is probably waiting for signs from the Trump Administration, because at the moment, the signals which moscow has received were conflicting. Thank you. I would love to know whether the russians agree with the idea that this administration has been tough on moscow. We will return to that. Lets go to capitol hill now and speak to congressman adam kinzinger, a republican from illinois who sits on the Foreign Affairs committee and is an iraq war vet. How seriously are you taking all of this from a National Security Point Of View . It is serious. I think the question of what conversations did he have is important to answer, but i think General Flynn and the president today did the right thing by saying you have become a distraction than it is time to resign. And that is where we are at. I think having discussions is an incoming ministration with the future could you going to be working with is not improper in itself. Weather was an proprietor is in try to talk about our ministration under barack obama to talk about our ministration under ba rack obama that to talk about our ministration under barack obama that will implement sanctions, let us talk about what looks like and the next administration. I think when he lied to Vice President spends about it, he went out on sunday shows and defended him and became a major distraction and he did the right thing and the president did so in asking for his resignation. You served to macro terms in the iraq war as an American Military service member. Users in the iraq war as an American Military service member. Users on the Foreign Affairs committee and im agitator relationship with russia very seriously. Will you and your fellow republicans push for an investigation into what happened with Michael Flynn and more generally, into the trump teams relationships with moscow . Theres the Oversight Committee who are investigating the idea of what do moscow do in the campaign. To the extent there is relationships in the administration we even knew this. Many are saying we need to call for a massive investigation. The reality is, what he did was wrong. It was arguably illegal, based on this logan act which has not been enforced yet and then he resigned and he is done. The question from 110w and he is done. The question from now is, the broader issue is what is this administration doing about nato and russia . This administration doing about nato and russia . What we have seen us been solid. Mike pence will be in germany this week reassuring nato allies and challenging them to me that 2 commitment to gdp. Nikki haley said we will not really sanctions until you get out of crimea. Directions have been solid. Some will say we need to investigate every infraction, i think that is a bridge too far. The president has also said that america is no more guilty than President Putin when it comes to the issue of murder. It is not true What Sean Spicerjust said in the white house, that the president has been tough on russia. Right. Well, look. Ithink the administration is being tougher now. Ive been critical of the somehow moral equality between the us and russia. We will be critical when those comments come out and i think they are damaging. But on the broader scale of reassuring nato and the European Initiative and in terms of calling for Liberation Of Crimea and a return to the ukrainian people, this has been very much a departure for the last administration. Where there is involvement we will find out, but in terms of saying we need to launch major investigations every time someone resigns as it will paralyse this administration from going on and doing what we need to do to restore the wests role in the world. Part of a problem yesterday using one story from kelly and conway Kellyanne Conway and then another story from sean spicer and then at the end of the day, we get then at the end of the day, we get the resignation. It looks chaotic. Like they are always on the back foot. Yes, it does. And with conflicting messages, it is very bad. But there is there something in mind. This is a new administration. If you look at the Obama Administration and the Bush Administration and the Bush Administration and t