President Trump fumed at former national security adviser Michael Flynn over a delayed return call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, say two people familiar with the call.

Trump’s displeasure with Flynn was revealed late Thursday in memos written by former FBI Director James Comey detailing his conversations with Trump. The identity of the foreign leader, with whom Trump spoke on Jan. 28, 2017, was blacked out in the copies of the memos sent to Capitol Hill on Thursday and obtained by the AP.

Comey recounts how Trump at a private White House dinner pointed his fingers at his head and complained that Flynn “has serious judgment issues” over failing to promptly alert him to Putin’s call shortly after his inauguration.

Early Friday morning, Trump posted a tweet defending Flynn.

“So General Michael Flynn’s life can be totally destroyed while Shadey (sic) James Comey can Leak and Lie and make lots of money from a third rate book (that should never have been written),” Trump wrote.

He goes on to ask: “Is that really the way life in America is supposed to work? I don’t think so!”

The 15 pages of documents contain new details about a series of interactions with Trump that Comey said he found so unnerving that he chose to document them in writing.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.