National security adviser Michael Flynn abruptly resigned late Monday after acknowledging "he had become a lightning rod" over his dealings with Russia, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday.
Flynn's departure comes after he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other senior White House officials about information he shared with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
"In the end, it was misleading the vice president that made the situation unsustainable," Conway told TODAY's Matt Lauer.
"The incomplete information or the inability to completely recall what did or did not happen as reflected in his debriefing of particular phone calls — that really is what happened here," she said.
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Flynn's departure comes less than a month into the job and follows revelations about information he shared with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak over American sanctions against Russia in late December, weeks before Trump took office.
"He knew he had become a lightening rod and he made that decision," Conway said.