Critics react to Trump's tweet on firing Flynn

Critics react to Trump's tweet on firing Flynn

President Donald Trump's tweet on Saturday about firing Michael Flynn from his position as national security adviser is garnering a lot of attention from critics -- with some calling it a possible admission of obstruction of justice.

Trump tweeted about Flynn's Friday guilty plea, in which the former national security adviser said he lied to the FBI about conversations he had with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak during the transition and disclosed that he is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller's office.

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"I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI," Trump wrote. "He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!"

The tweet immediately caught the attention of critics, who questioned whether Trump knew Flynn had lied to the FBI when the President asked then-FBI Director James Comey to let the investigation into Flynn go.

California Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted, "If that is true, Mr. President, why did you wait so long to fire Flynn? Why did you fail to act until his lies were publicly exposed? And why did you pressure Director Comey to "let this go?

• "Walter Shaub, a former director of the United States Office of Government Ethics, also responded on Twitter to Trump's tweet, writing: "...just couldn't resist commenting on Flynn. Are you ADMITTING you knew Flynn had lied to the FBI when you asked Comey to back off Flynn? Walter Shaub

✔ @waltshaub

...just couldn't resist commenting on Flynn.

Are you ADMITTING you knew Flynn had lied to the FBI when you asked Comey to back off Flynn??????????????????????????????????????????? https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/

Tell us, @realDonaldTrump, did you know Flynn had lied to the FBI when Counsel to the President Don McGahn snubbed Yates as she tried to warn the White House Flynn had been compromised?

Did you know Flynn had lied to the FBI when you fired Yates days after her whistleblowing?

California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu also reacted to Trump's tweet.

"THIS IS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE," Lieu tweeted. "@POTUS now admits he KNEW Michael Flynn lied to the FBI. Yet Trump tried to influence or stop the FBI investigation on #Flynn."     

   Ted Lieu

✔ @tedlieu   

THIS IS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE. @POTUS now admits he KNEW Michael Flynn lied to the FBI. Yet Trump tried to influence or stop the FBI investigation on #Flynn. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/937007006526959618 … 

Former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, Dan Pfeiffer‏, tweeted, "If Trump keeps admitting to obstructing justice, Ty Cobb might be right that the Mueller investigation may wrap up sooner than we think."