“Either Director Pompeo had no idea what people in the C.I.A. reportedly knew about Michael Flynn, or he knew about the Justice Department’s concerns and continued to discuss America’s secrets with a man vulnerable to blackmail. I believe Director Pompeo owes the public an explanation.” Senator Ron Wyden — Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee

By January 2017, Senior officials across the government became convinced that the incoming national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, had become vulnerable to Russian blackmail. And yet, Flynn was allowed to listen to the President Daily Briefs (PDB) almost every day for the next three weeks. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

While the CIA knew about the concerns about Mike Flynn, CIA Director Mike Pompeo continued to deliver briefings on U.S. secrets with Flynn present.

Time and again, the Trump administration looked the other way in the face of warning signs about Mr. Flynn. Mr. Trump entrusted him with the nation’s secrets despite knowing that he faced a Justice Department investigation over his undisclosed foreign lobbying. Even a personal warning from President Barack Obama did not dissuade him. Mr. Pompeo sidestepped questions from senators last month about his handling of the information about Mr. Flynn, declining to say whether he knew about his own agency’s concerns. “I can’t answer yes or no,” he said. “I regret that I’m unable to do so.” His words frustrated Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

After Mr. Pompeo’s Senate testimony, The New York Times asked officials at several agencies whether Mr. Pompeo had raised concerns about Mr. Flynn to the president and, if so, whether the president had ignored him.

One administration official responded on the condition of anonymity that Mr. Pompeo, whether he knew of the concerns or not, had not told the president about them.

A C.I.A. spokesman declined to discuss any interactions between the president and Mr. Pompeo.

“Whether the C.I.A. director briefed the president on a specific intelligence issue during a specific time frame is not something we publicly comment on, and we’re not about to start today,” said the spokesman, Dean Boyd.

Mr. Trump waited 18 days from that warning before firing Mr. Flynn, a period in which Mr. Pompeo continued to brief Mr. Flynn and the president. The President’s Daily Brief is a rundown of what America’s spies consider the most pressing issues facing the United States.

Mike Pompeo Still Briefed Mike Flynn On Secrets As CIA Knew Concerns

REFERENCES

Despite Concerns About Blackmail, Flynn Heard C.I.A. Secrets — NYT

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Flynngate — Senator Ron Wyden: ” CIA Director Pompeo owes the public an explanation.”