White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday that President Donald Trump asked National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to resign 18 days after he was informed that Flynn had, in fact, discussed sanctions in a December phone call with the Russian ambassador —despite Flynn’s earlier denials.
Below are some other key events in the timeline leading to Flynn’s ouster:
Summer 2015 — Flynn first meets Trump, according to an interview he gave to the Washington Post.
Dec. 2015 — Flynn took a paid trip to Russia and appeared at a gala for RT, the state-run TV station, where he dined with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
June 2016 — Russian hackers are identified as the culprits behind hacking of Democratic institutions and figures; U.S. officials will later say Putin was involved and the goal was to meddle with the electoral process.
Nov. 18, 2016 — President-Elect Trump names Flynn his national security adviser.
Dec. 29, 2016 — Obama administration unveils sanctions against Russia for election-related hacking, expelling diplomats and shutting down two compounds. The same day, Flynn speaks to Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak by phone.
Dec. 30, 2016 — Putin says he won’t retaliate for the sanctions and invites children from the U.S. embassy to a Christmas party. Trump then praises Putin in a tweet.
Feb. 13 — Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway tells NBC News that Flynn has the full confidence of the president. Moments later, Spicer says Trump is evaluating the situation. Hours after that, Flynn resigns, saying he “inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador.”
Feb. 14 — At a press briefing, Spicer says Trump asked Flynn to resign because of a erosion of trust — not because any laws were broken.
With inputs from NBC News.