Fox News host Shep Smith harshly criticized President Donald Trump for hanging on to National Security Adviser Michael Flynn long after he became aware that Flynn had lied to Vice President Mike Pence.

Flynn tendered his resignation late Monday night, hours after the Washington Post reported that the former acting Attorney General Sally Yates said Flynn was a security risk due to blackmail concerns.

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Addressing the fall-out, Smith told guest Andrew Napolitano that Trump appeared to dismiss the concerns until the media dug into the story and busted Flynn.

“They want this to be about trust, ” Smith explained. “When you find out he lied to the president of the United States, that’s where rubber meets the road. It does not meet the road when the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal all make it a front page story above the fold.

“Because, in this case, that’s what it took,” Smith continued. “It did not take the president, it took the headlines.”

Watch the video below via Fox News: