“You can talk all you want about Russia, which was all a, you know, fake news, fabricated deal…It’s all fake news. It’s all fake news… ” US President Donald Trump just said to the press during a news conference at the White House on Thursday. 

“Mike Flynn is a fine person…I was not happy with the way that information was given,”the US president said. “He didn’t have to do that, because what he did wasn’t wrong — what he did in terms of the information he saw.” 

The ouster of Michael Flynn as Trump’s national security advisor has become another major crisis for the Trump administration. Flynn’s communications with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the US, deepens questions about the relationship between Trump’s administration and Moscow. In the meantime, Flynn was accused of misleading US Vice President Mike Pence and other senior Trump aides. Flynn’s resignation shows how problematic it is for Trump to manage the White House and his inner circle. 

It is reported that Flynn’s post-election conversations with the senior Russian diplomat touched on US sanctions against Russia for backing separatists in eastern Ukraine. Most US officials and congressmen view Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 as aggressive and unacceptable. But a number of key figures within the Trump administration have contacts with Moscow. In 2015, Flynn made a paid speech at the event celebrating the 10th anniversary of Russia Today, the global cable network that has close ties with the Kremlin. Moreover, Flynn insisted that there are common interests between theUSandRussiaon counterterrorism, and he even promoted US-Russia cooperation on intelligence when he served as the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency years ago. 

However, Russia’s alleged interference with the US presidential campaign in 2016 makes it more difficult to realize US-Russia rapprochement. Trump has exhibited unusual warmth toward  Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump’s electoral victory was applauded by the Kremlin. Some secret reports made by the US intelligence community concluded that the Russian government had worked to help Trump win the election. Top congress members, including Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), called for a further investigation into Russia’s influence in the US’s political system for “getting the bottom of it.” However, Flynn’s resignation is sure to raise rather than decrease pressure on the Trump administration. There must be much more vigorous oversight upon its diplomatic actions vis-à-vis Russia. 

In the face of Flynn’s forced departure, core members of President Trump’s national security team may reaffirm their tough stance toward Russia. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claimed the US sanctions against Russia would remain in place. Before, as ExxonMobil CEO, Tillerson was invited to attend the St. Petersburg Economic Forum and made big energy deals with Russia. He has also been called a “friend of Putin”. In 2012, Putin bestowedRussia’s Order of Friendship on Tillerson. On his trip to attending the NATO defense minister meeting in Brussels, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that Flynn’s departure “has no impact” on his job at the Pentagon. Mattis also reassured NATO allies that the alliance remains the fundamental bedrock of transatlantic security. In fact, NATO has deployed more troops and held parallel drills to deter Russia in recent years. 

Besides darkening the future of the US-Russia relations, Flynn’s forced resignation could worsen turmoil in the White House. Steve Bannon, who serves as one of the most influential advisors for Trump, is under fire for his racist and “fascist” comments, as well as his controversial role on the National Security Council. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is receiving a storm of harsh criticism for the travel ban as well. 

President Trump also announced his new nominee for labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, during the news conference on Thursday. The demise of Andrew Puzder’s nomination for labor secretary magnifies the tension between the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. 

To some extent, the Flynn scandal could drive the incumbent administration on the road to another Watergate, which led to the disgraceful end of the Nixon Presidency in the 1970’s. 

(Dr. Zhao Minghao is a Research Fellow at the China Center for Contemporary World Studies and a member of the China National Committee, Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP). The article reflects the author's opinion, not necessarily the view of CGTN.)