“I haven’t been fighting back because I’m not that kind of guy. I’m behind the scenes. I’ve always been behind the scenes," Michael Flynn said. | AP Photo Flynn said he had Trump's 'confidence' just hours before his resignation

Embattled former national security adviser Michael Flynn told the Daily Caller just hours before his ouster that he had President Donald Trump’s “confidence” and that his conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak "crossed no lines."

Flynn, who resigned Monday night amid reports he had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with the ambassador in the month before Trump took office, rebuked the leaked information during a phone interview conducted prior to his ouster. The article was published on Tuesday afternoon and added to the intrigue around Flynn's departure.


“You call them leaks. It’s a criminal act. This is a crime. It’s not just a wink and a nod,” Flynn told the outlet from his White House office Monday. “In some of these cases, you’re talking about stuff that’s taken off of a classified system and given to a reporter. That’s a crime."

Flynn went on to speculate on the origin of the leaks. “One has to wonder, ‘Are they coming out of people in the National Security Council? Are they coming out of people in the intel community? Or State? Or Defense?'” he asked.

The president cast the controversy in a similar light earlier Tuesday, tweeting: “The real story here is why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington? Will these leaks be happening as I deal on N.Korea etc?”

White House press secretary Sean Spicer doubled down on the president's assessment during his Tuesday press briefing.

“If you think about it, all of this information was leaked," he said. " I mean, again, I know we’ve got this me lecturing you about what the story should be. I think there’s a real story here.”

Spicer also said it was Trump who demanded Flynn’s resignation, an account that contradicts comments from White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, who said on Tuesday morning that Flynn’s resignation was his own choice.

In his interview with the Daily Caller on Monday, Flynn presented himself as someone under scrutiny but also eager to rehab his image. He said Trump was still behind him.

“He expressed confidence,” Flynn said. “That’s when he told me that we need to go out and talk more. So I’m going to do that.”

He added, “I haven’t been fighting back because I’m not that kind of guy. I’m behind the scenes. I’ve always been behind the scenes. But this is ridiculous. It’s so out of control. I’ve become an international celebrity for all the wrong reasons.”

Flynn’s account appears to match up with comments from Conway on Monday afternoon, who said that Trump had “full confidence” in Flynn. However, Spicer delivered a statement roughly an hour later that cast doubt on Flynn’s future.

Since the announcement of Flynn’s resignation Monday night, numerous lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have called for an investigation into Flynn's communications with Russian officials. But a defiant Flynn Monday continued to denounce any notions of wrongdoing on his part.

“If I did, believe me, the FBI would be down my throat, my clearances would be pulled. There were no lines crossed.”

The national security adviser, who previously denied discussions Russian sanctions with Kislyak in conversations with Vice President Mike Pence, expressed regret over his handling of the situation internally.

“For the vice president, I feel terrible. I put him in a position. He’s a man of incredible integrity. I think the world of him. He is so good for our country,” he said. “I should have said, ‘I don’t know. I can’t recall,’ which is the truth. Looking back, that’s what I should have done.”

