Donald Trump's trust in Michael Flynn had been 'eroding'

The White House says that President Donald Trump asked his national security adviser to tender his resignation because of a trust issue, not a legal issue.

A day after Flynn's resignation, Mr Spicer told reporters today that Mr Trump had been concerned retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn had misled Vice President Mike Pence over his contacts with Russian officials before Trump took office.

Trump had been reviewing Mr Flynn's situation for a few weeks, he said.

Amid congressional calls for an investigation into the extent to which Flynn discussed the possibility of lifting US sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to Washington, Mr Spicer said the White House legal counsel had reviewed the situation and believed Flynn's case was viewed "not as a legal issue but a trust issue".

Mr Spicer said Mr Trump was informed of Mr Flynn's conversations with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak and asked counsel to review the case.

"The erosion of that trust, frankly, was the issue," Mr Spicer said.

He said Mr Trump had not told Mr Flynn to discuss US sanctions on Russia with the Russian diplomat.

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