President Trump was not informed of a recommendation given during the transition that former national security adviser Mike Flynn should register as a foreign agent due to his past advocacy for Turkish interests, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Friday.
“It was up to him, the burden is on the individual to seek the legal advice … to decide what they have to file or not,” Spicer said of Flynn. “They consulted a lawyer … that lawyer consulted the transition lawyer.”
Spicer argued that the transition team did not have the authority to dictate whether Flynn should have registered with the Justice Department as a foreign lobbyist.
“It is not up to, nor is it appropriate, nor is it legal,” for the government to tell private citizens how to handle their own affairs.
“You can’t forget about the legalisms,” Spicer said. “That’s not the job of a transition attorney.”
Spicer: Trump didn't know of recommendation that Flynn should register as foreign agent https://t.co/C0KXheYuB4 pic.twitter.com/KRyEjSmcJI— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 10, 2017
Flynn stepped down from his position in February after reports suggested he had discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador during the transition despite telling Vice President Mike Pence and other senior administration officials that no such discussion took place.
Spicer said the president was not informed that Flynn had been advised to register as a foreign agent before taking the position of national security adviser.
