Schumer: Withdraw Flynn’s security clearance

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is calling on the Trump administration to revoke National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s security clearance and launch an investigation into whether he broke the law. 

“We have asked for and demand an independent investigation of what Flynn’s discussions were with the Russian ambassador and all others,” Schumer told reporters at a press conference.

Schumer — the Senate’s top Democrat — added that “his security clearance ought to be withdrawn until that independent investigation is completed.”

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said earlier Monday that Flynn should be fired immediately. 

{mosads}Schumer stopped short of that demand, but said President Trump should be ready to dismiss Flynn.

“If he has violated any law or ethical precept he ought to be fired,” he said.  

Reports surfaced late last week that Flynn talked about sanctions against Russia with the country’s ambassador before Trump was sworn in.

The reports contradict earlier  comments from Flynn that sanctions didn’t come up during his phone calls ahead of the inauguration with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

The White House appeared to send mixed messages about Flynn’s future on Monday. Shortly after top advisor Kellyanne Conway told MSNBC that Flynn has “the full confidence of the president,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump is “evaluating the situation.”  

“He is speaking to Vice President Pence relative to the conversation the vice president had with Gen. Flynn and also speaking to various other people about what he considers the single most important subject there is: our national security,” he told reporters.

Pence told CBS in January that Flynn never spoke about sanctions during his calls to Russia.

Senate Democrats pounced on the report late last week to argue that it only magnified already existing concerns about the Trump administration’s warmer tone toward Russia. They’ve also called for the White House to release the details of Flynn’s calls and asked for a closed-door briefing. 

CNN reported on Monday that Flynn isn’t expecting to be fired and doesn’t plan to resign.