Obama White House was so wary of Flynn's contact with Russia it intentionally withheld info

In addition to the information published by The Washington Post Friday about Ret. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the Associated Press is also reporting tonight that President Barack Obama's administration was so concerned about the connections the Trump campaign had to Russia it delayed critical information.

In late, Dec. 2016, the Obama administration was prepared to introduce sanctions and kick out Russians living in the U.S. for the hacks on the election. According to the AP, the Obama administration didn't brief the Trump transition team until "shortly before" it was announced publicly. NBC News also learned that it wasn't just "shortly" it was mere hours prior to the public announcement.

The AP continued that the reason for the short notice was due to fears the transition team might tell Moscow ahead of time. Officials in the Obama White House were concerned about the "frequency of [Flynn's] discussions" with Russian officials.

Despite the anxiety about Flynn, Obama officials say that they did not withhold any information.