Jessica Estepa

USA TODAY

One thing we know about Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross: The man's got jokes.

Headlines on Tuesday were focused on whether former national security adviser Michael Flynn broke the law when receiving payments from Russia.

So why not ask the person charged with trade and the economy about it?

At Tuesday's White House briefing, Ross didn't appear amused when a reporter asked whether whether the recent focus on lumber "might get Michael Flynn's name off the front pages." (Ross announced late Monday that the U.S. would impose a tariff on lumber shipments from Canada and was speaking at the podium about it.)

Ross waited a moment before answering and then deadpanned, "Is Michael Flynn now a trade issue? I wasn't aware that he was."

Point for Ross.