The White House on Tuesday would not say whether President Trump knew Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about conversations with Russia when Trump fired Flynn from his position as national security adviser.

"The president knew that [Flynn] lied to the vice president. That was the reason for his firing," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at her daily press briefing.

ADVERTISEMENT

When asked again to clarify the timeline of events, Sanders declined to say when exactly Trump learned Flynn lied to the FBI.

The comments added confusion to the president's weekend tweet, in which he said Flynn was fired for lying to the FBI as well as Pence.

"I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!" Trump tweeted.