Overnight Defense: VA nominee set for confirmation | Dems pounce on Flynn | Military judge knocks Trump’s ‘disturbing’ Bergdahl comments

THE TOPLINE: Michael Flynn faced mounting questions on Monday about his ability to serve as Trump’s national security adviser in the wake of a report that he communicated with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. about sanctions before the inauguration.

The Hill’s Katie Bo Williams has the story:

Michael Flynn’s position as President Trump’s national security adviser appeared to be in peril on Monday as Democrats stepped up their attacks and the White House remained stonily silent.

President Trump was not asked about Flynn at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a circumstance that seemed orchestrated by the White House.

{mosads}Reports circulated that Flynn was on “thin ice,” according to CNN, while one administration official told The Washington Post that the “knives are out” for the national security adviser. 

Sensing blood on the water, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) called the revelations that Flynn spoke about sanctions with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office — and then allegedly misled Vice President Mike Pence about it — “proof he should not be entrusted with our national security.”

Read the rest here.

For more on Pelosi’s remarks, asking Trump to tell Flynn “you’re fired,” click here.

Forty House Democrats also called on Trump to suspend Flynn. For more on their letter, click here.

Flynn also reportedly apologized to Vice President Mike Pence on Monday, after Pence defended him publicly and said Flynn had not discussed Russian sanctions with the ambassador. For more on that, click here.

TRUMP ‘EVALUATING’ FLYNN’S SITUATION: The White House addressed the controversy late Monday.

President Trump’s top spokesman said the commander-in-chief is “evaluating the situation” surrounding National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. The Hill’s Jordan Fabian has more:

“The president 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,” Sean Spicer told reporters.

The comment came roughly an hour after senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said Flynn has the “full confidence” of the president.

For more on Spicer’s remarks, click here.

For Conway’s comments, click here.

VA NOMINEE POISED FOR CONFIRMATION: David Shulkin is poised be confirmed as the next Veterans Affairs secretary later Monday night.

Shulkin is expected to win easy confirmation, a stark contrast to the bitter confirmation fights over many of President Trump’s other nominees.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on Shulkin after it votes on Treasury Secretary-nominee Steven Mnuchin at 7 p.m.

Shulkin, who has been the VA’s undersecretary of health since 2015, has hit few road bumps in his path to confirmation. Less than five weeks have passed between Trump announcing his selection and the confirmation vote. 

Republicans have praised Shulkin as someone who can bring change to the beleaguered VA, while veterans groups and Democrats were heartened by his pledge not to privatize the system.

The Hill’s Jordain Carney will have more on the vote after it happens at TheHill.com.

NORTH KOREA REACTION: North Korea launched an intermediate range ballistic missile over the weekend, the first test since President Trump took office.

North Korea said Monday the launch was a successful test of a new nuclear-capable, intermediate-range ballistic missile called the Pukguksong-2.

The new missile represents a step forward in Pyongyang’s quest for an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the United States mainland. Tests of another intermediate-range missile, the Musudan, had mixed results.

As North Korea presses ahead with its nuclear ambitions, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) is encouraging Trump to prioritize the country in his foreign policy.

“As you set your foreign policy and national defense agenda, I urge you to prioritize efforts to stop North Korea’s illicit nuclear and ballistic weapons programs, human rights abuses and malicious cyber activities,” Gardner wrote.

Read more about his letter here.

Eyebrows were also raised Monday after it was reported Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the missile test in public Saturday.

From The Hill’s Ben Kamisar:

News of North Korea’s weekend missile test sent President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scrambling during their retreat at Trump’s Florida club, prompting the two world leaders to work on a response while sitting at a public table in the club’s crowded dining room. 

Upon hearing the news, top advisers to both leaders joined in a discussion about how the countries should respond as guests gawked around them, according to a report from CNN.

The network also added that aides used cellphone camera lights to illuminate various documents brought to the tables. If the staffers didn’t use secure phones, the practice could spark national security concerns since cell phones are connected to the internet and could presumably have their cameras hacked.

Read more here.

MILITARY JUDGE CALLS TRUMP’S BERGDAHL COMMENTS ‘DISTURBING’: A military judge called President Trump’s campaign comments about Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl “disturbing” Monday and questioned whether they could give the military justice system a “black eye.”

The comments came during a pre-trial hearing in Fort Bragg, N.C., where Bergdahl’s lawyers are arguing that the case against their client should be tossed out because Trump’s repeated descriptions of Bergdahl as a “traitor” who should be executed compromise his right to a fair trial.

After Bergdahl’s defense team played about 5 minutes of a video showing Trump disparaging Bergdahl on the campaign trail, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, the judge, called the footage “disturbing material,” according to The Associated Press.

Read the rest here.

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW:

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a closed-door briefing at 9:30 a.m. with Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work and James Baker, director of the Office of Net Assessment, the independent organization within the Pentagon that studies long-term threats. http://bit.ly/2lx4wFw

The House Armed Services Committee will hear from outside experts on the threat of terrorism and effective counterterrorism strategies at 10 a.m. at the Rayburn House Office Building, room 2118. http://bit.ly/2lsxKt9

A House Foreign Affairs Committee subpanel will hold a hearing on terrorism in Syria with testimony from outside experts at 2 p.m. at Rayburn 2172. http://bit.ly/2kumisK

A Senate Armed Services subcommittee will hold a hearing on military families at 2:30 p.m. at the Russell Senate Office Building, room 222. http://bit.ly/2lssbeb

ICYMI: 

— The Hill: Mar-a-Lago guest takes picture with nuclear ‘football’ briefcase

— The Hill: GOP senators to Trump: We support ‘maintaining and expanding’ Gitmo

— The Hill: Dem proposes exempting veterans from Trump’s hiring freeze

— The Hill: Senate Dems want details on Trump’s use of personal smartphone

— The Hill: Intel chair on Flynn reports: ‘Nothing there’

— The Hill: GOP senator: Flynn reports ‘inappropriate and troubling’

— The Hill: Dem: Trump should release transcripts of Flynn’s Russia calls

— Associated Press: Trump moves spark Iraqi anger, calls against future alliance

— Navy Times: The Navy is planning fresh challenges to China’s claims in the South China Sea

— The New York Times: Report rebuts Russia’s claims of restraint in Syrian bombing campaign

 

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