Trump-Flynn-Russia Timeline

"What did the president know and when did he know it?" 

February 15, 2017
Mike Victor

To help keep track of who must have known what when, I put together a timeline (starting with a few online already such as NBC News and The Hill and the Washington Post) of what is known so far about the most salient and relevant events in this developing Trump-Flynn-Russia conspiracy/scandal.
I intend to flesh this out and fill in more details as they become known, but it's amazing how clear patterns become once things are laid out in chronological order...
A note on dates:  I use the format YYMMDD (year-month-day) since this allows easier sorting and date calculations.  

  Example: 151210 = 12/10/15 (American) or 10.12.15 (European) or 10 Dec 2015 (military).   
If the date isn't known, only the year and month are given.

  Example:  1404 = April 2014.

1404  Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is fired as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, claiming it stemmed from his criticism of President Obama

Flynn will leave the position that summer and later allege that the firing stemmed from his criticism of then-president Barack Obama’s efforts to fight radical Islamic terrorism.

151210  Flynn participates in a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Russia Today, the Russian-state-backed television network.

He is part of a panel discussion in Moscow, for which he receives compensation.

160226  Reuters reports that Flynn is advising Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

He would later tell The Washington Post that he was advising at least two campaigns.

160718  Flynn gives a speech endorsing Trump at the Republican National Convention.

The New York Times editorial board later calls it “grotesque” for Flynn’s embrace of the convention crowd’s “lock her up” chant.

160722 Friday before the Democratic National Convention begins, WikiLeaks releases emails stolen from the DNC by Russian state actors.

161007 WikiLeaks begins publishing Russian-hacked emails from John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman

161108 - before:  Flynn contacts Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak

It’s not clear how often the two communicated or what was discussed.

161108   Trump is elected president.

161117 Trump names Flynn his national security adviser.

The position does not require Senate approval.

161225 Flynn texts Kislyak to wish him a merry Christmas and to express condolences for a plane crash.

per Vice President Pence

161228 White House press secretary Sean Spicer indicates that Flynn and Kislyak spoke Dec. 28, but later corrects the date.

161229 Obama announces measures meant to punish Russia for its interference in the 2016 election.

161229 Flynn places five phone calls on unsecured lines to Kislyak.

Calls were monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies.

170111  Trump acknowledges that Russia was most likely behind the hacking at the DNC

During his first news conference since the convention; although he says that “we also get hacked by other countries and other people.”

170112 Washington Post reveals the conversations between Flynn and Kislyak.

“What did Flynn say,” columnist David Ignatius wonders, “and did it undercut the U.S. sanctions?”

Logan Act bars unauthorized citizens from contacting foreign governments “with an intent to influence its measures or conduct in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States.”

If Flynn discussed sanctions with Kislyak before being sworn in as national security adviser, that could be a violation of the act.

170113 Spicer tells reporters that there was one call between Kislyak and Flynn, during which the pair “exchanged logistical information” on setting up a call between Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

170115 Pence appears on CBS’s Face the Nation and is asked about the Flynn conversations, which he characterizes as “a conversation.”

“It was strictly coincidental that they had a conversation,” Pence says. “They did not discuss anything having to do with the United States’ decision to expel diplomats or impose censure against Russia.”

He later adds:

“General Flynn has been in touch with diplomatic leaders, security leaders in some 30 countries. That’s exactly what the incoming national security adviser should do. But what I can confirm, having spoken to him about it, is that those conversations that happened to occur around the time that the United States took action to expel diplomats had nothing whatsoever to do with those sanctions.”

170126 Acting Attorney General Sally Yates informs White House counsel Don McGahn that Flynn was lying about the nature of his calls with Kislyak and that this made him vulnerable to blackmail by Russia.

It’s not clear that the White House took any action, as

Flynn continued in his position. WP:  The Justice Department, then headed by acting attorney general Sally Yates (whom Trump would later dismiss for not defending his travel ban), informs White House counsel Don McGahn of Flynn's misleading statements. It also warns that they were so egregious that he could open himself up to Russian blackmail, given Russia knew he had mischaracterized the call to his superiors, according to Washington Post reporting. Spicer confirmed the specific date on Tuesday. “The first day that the Department of Justice … sought to notify White House counsel was January 26,” Spicer said. “The president was immediately informed of the situation.” Spicer said the White House didn't believe Flynn had violated the law. None of this was disclosed publicly at the time.

170201 Flynn makes an unusual appearance at the daily news briefing, declaring that the administration was putting Iran “on notice” for hostile actions.

170208 Flynn tells reporters from The Post that he didn’t discuss sanctions in his conversations with Kislyak. Asked repeatedly, he twice says “no” to the question.

170209 Flynn’s spokesman:  Flynn “indicated that while he had no recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldn’t be certain that the topic never came up."

This was in response to a Washington Post article that contradicted Flynn's denial.

170210 Trump tells reporters that he’s unfamiliar with the reports that Flynn now admits he may have discussed sanctions in the December calls.

Says that he will "look into it"

170213 5p Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway tells MSNBC that Trump maintains full confidence in Flynn.

170213 8p The Post reports on the Yates warning to the White House.

170213 11p Flynn resigns

170214 Tuesday morning: Conway says Flynn resigned voluntarily.

170214 Tuesday afternoon: Spicer, again contradicting Conway, says Trump requested the resignation:

“Whether or not he actually misled the vice president was the issue, and that was ultimately what led to the president asking for and accepting the resignation of General Flynn. That's it. Pure and simple, it was a matter of trust.”