Nevertheless, by mid-December, senior officials in the Obama White House began to hear about Flynn’s contacts with Kislyak, both from intelligence reports and other sources. That’s when White House officials learned that the FBI was investigating the Flynn-Kislyak calls. The piece revealed Flynn’s calls with Kislyak and called for an explanation from the White House on whether the two men had discussed sanctions. That removed the basis for Comey’s earlier objection to notifying the White House, current and former officials said. White House lawyers quickly concluded that no laws had been broken, according to Spicer.

Source: Washington Post February 15, 2017 01:41 UTC