Michael Flynn did nothing wrong by discussing US sanctions with the Russian ambassador before the inauguration, President Donald Trump told a combative press conference just three days after he fired his national security adviser.
In a long, theatrical news conference that included off-the-cuff remarks about whether he should “shoot” a Russian spy ship off the US coast, Mr Trump said he fired Mr Flynn because he had misled Mike Pence, the vice-president, about his conversations with the Russian envoy rather than because the retired general had taken actions that may have been illegal.
Under the 1799 Logan Act, private citizens are barred from conducting foreign policy without the consent of the government of the day.