Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 9 May 2017
Yates: Alarm about Russian blackmail led to warning on Flynn

By ERIC TUCKER respect to the Russians,”
EILEEN SULLIVAN Yates said.
Associated Press “To state the obvious,” she
WASHINGTON (AP) — For- added later, “you don’t
mer acting Attorney Gen- want your national secu-
eral Sally Yates told Con- rity adviser compromised
gress Monday she bluntly with the Russians.” Yates’
warned the Trump White questioning by a Senate
House in January that new panel investigating Russian
National Security Adviser interference in the presi-
Michael Flynn “essentially dential election was just
could be blackmailed” by one portion of a politically
the Russians because he charged day that began
apparently had lied to his with combative tweets
bosses about his contacts from Trump and contin-
with Moscow’s ambassa- ued with disclosures from
dor in Washington. Obama administration
The testimony from Yates, officials about a private
an Obama administration Oval Office conversation
holdover fired soon after between Obama and his
for other reasons, marked successor. Republican sen-
her first public comments ators in the hearing repeat-
about the concerns she edly pressed Yates on an
raised and filled in basic unrelated matter — her re-
details about the chain of Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates is sworn-in on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, fusal to defend the Trump
May 8, 2017, prior to testifying before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
events that led to Flynn’s hearing: “Russian Interference in the 2016 United States Election.” administration’s travel ban
ouster. Her testimony, cou- (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) — and whether she was re-
pled with the revelation sponsible for leaking clas-
hours earlier that President outspoken supporter of his misled the administration reports indicated he had sified information. She said
Barack Obama himself presidential candidacy in about his communications lied about the nature of the she was not.
had warned Trump against the 2016 campaign. with Sergey Kislyak, the Rus- calls. “We felt like it was crit- Trump shouldered into the
hiring Flynn shortly after the Yates, appearing before sian ambassador. ical that we get this infor- conversation early in the
November election, made a Senate panel investigat- White House officials had mation to the White House, morning, tweeting that it
clear that alarms about Fly- ing Russian interference in insisted that Flynn had not in part because the vice was the Obama admin-
nn had reached the high- the election, described dis- discussed U.S.-imposed president was unknowingly istration, not he, that had
est levels of the U.S. gov- cussions with Trump White sanctions with Kislyak dur- making false statements to given Lt. Gen. Flynn “the
ernment months before. House Counsel Don Mc- ing the presidential tran- the public and because highest security clear-
Flynn had been an adviser Gahn in which she warned sition period, but asked we believed that Gen. Fly- ance” when he worked at
to Donald Trump and an that Flynn apparently had Flynn to resign after news nn was compromised with the Pentagon. q

Trump’s comments on Muslims

at center of US travel ban case

By ALANNA RICHER peppered both sides with
Associated Press tough questions but gave
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — few clues as to how they
A challenge to President might rule. The judges did
Donald Trump’s revised not immediately issue a de-
travel ban appears to cision on Monday.
hinge on whether a federal A federal judge in Mary-
appeals court agrees that land who blocked the
the Republican’s past anti- travel ban in March cited
Muslim statements can be Trump’s comments as evi-
used against him. dence that the executive
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court order is a realization of
of Appeals wrestled Mon- Trump’s repeated promise
day with whether the court to bar Muslims from enter-
should look beyond the ing the country.
text of the executive or- The administration argues
der to comments made by that the court shouldn’t
Trump and his aides on the question the president’s
campaign trail and after national security decisions
his election in order to de- based on campaign prom-
termine whether the policy ises. “This is not a Muslim
illegally targets Muslims. ban. Its text doesn’t have
“That’s the most important to anything to do with reli-
issue in the whole case,” gion. Its operation doesn’t
said Judge Robert B. King, have anything to do with
who was appointed to the religion,” Acting Solicitor
court by President Bill Clin- General Jeffrey B. Wall told
ton. The panel of 13 judges the appeals court.q