Vice President Mike Pence had been told by Michael Flynn that his conversation with the Russian ambassador had not touched on sanctions. | Getty Pence learned Flynn had misled him after Washington Post story

Vice President Mike Pence only learned he had been misled by national security adviser Michael Flynn after the Washington Post reported on Feb. 9 that Flynn had discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador, a Pence staffer confirmed Tuesday.

President Donald Trump was briefed on Flynn’s conversations with the Russian ambassador on Jan. 26, Sean Spicer told reporters earlier Tuesday, and ordered a review to see if Flynn had broken the law. The White House's office of legal counsel concluded he had not, Spicer said.


Pence had been told by Flynn that his late December conversation with the ambassador had not touched on the sanctions. And Pence repeated that assertion in a televised interview in mid-January, only to learn he had been given “incomplete information” on Feb. 9, his press secretary Marc Lotter said on Tuesday.

Pence aides privately expressed frustration that the vice president had been placed in such a spot, and it was that loss of trust that was a major factor in Flynn’s ouster. Flynn resigned Monday night. He said in a statement that he had apologized to Trump and Pence and that they had accepted his apology.

A source in the administration speculated that the president had not been told directly that Pence was misled. The same source also found it curious that Pence was not given the same information that Trump was, particularly since Pence had made a public statement about Flynn.

"It will be uncomfortable for the ones responsible for the mishap," the administration source said.

