John McCain says Flynn resignation is a sign of 'troubling' national security dysfunction

Arizona Sen. John McCain has been tough on the Trump administration since day one. On Tuesday, Feb. 14, McCain commented on Gen. Michael Flynn's Monday night resignation from his position as national security advisor, noting that it raises concerns about President Donald Trump's national security plans, as well as his ties to Russia.

McCain called Flynn's resignation a "troubling indication of the dysfunction of the current national security apparatus." He also noted that Flynn's resignation, "raises further questions about the Trump administration's intentions toward Vladimir Putin's Russia, including statements by the President suggesting moral equivalence between the United States and Russia."

Flynn formally resigned on Monday night after it was revealed that he had passed on misleading information to Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials regarding a phone conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak, which took place before Trump's inauguration.

In his letter, Flynn admitted to providing "incomplete information" about the December phone call, after previously denying that he had ever had any conversations of substance with the Russian ambassador. Pence repeated the same in TV interviews earlier this month.

Before Flynn resigned on Monday evening, McCain told the Arizona Republic in an interview "Obviously, it was a mistake for the vice president to categorically deny that. That's not good for anybody's credibility."

McCain wrote in his statement, "it is imperative that the President select a new national security adviser who is empowered by clear lines of authority and responsibility and possesses the skills and experience necessary to organize the national security system across our government."