Demand for probe of Trump security adviser
Democrats are demanding an investigation into whether White House national security adviser Michael Flynn discussed US sanctions with Russia's ambassador while President Barack Obama was still in office.
The White House said President Donald Trump had "full confidence" in Flynn, a show of support coming as the administration scrambled to manage the fallout from reports that Flynn addressed US sanctions against Russia in a phone call in late 2016.
The reports contradict Flynn's previous denials and those by Vice-President Mike Pence in a TV interview.
Democratic senators Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Chris Murphy of Connecticut called for an investigation of Flynn, while other Democrats demanded Trump fire the retired US Army lieutenant-general.
"He lied - repeatedly and egregiously - about his actions," representatives Ruben Gallego and Ted Lieu said on Friday.
Two other Democrats, senators Richard Blumenthal and Jeanne Shaheen, sent a letter to US intelligence officials requesting a review of Flynn's security clearance.
They said the reports of his calls to the Russian ambassador contribute to "questions concerning his suitability for continued access to classified information".
A Trump administration official told the Associated Press that Flynn "can't be certain" sanctions did not come up on the call.
The official said Flynn has "no recollection" of discussing the sanctions but left open the possibility that the issue did come up when he spoke with ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition.
The Kremlin denied on Friday that Flynn and Kislyak discussed the sanctions before Trump took office.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Flynn made explicit references to election-related sanctions imposed by the Obama administration in his conversations with Kislyak.
Flynn's conversations might have broken US law aimed at barring private citizens from conducting diplomacy.
Questions about Trump's friendly posture toward Russia deepened after he dismissed the US intelligence agencies' assertions about Russia's role in the hacking.
In briefing Trump on their findings, intelligence officials also presented him with unsubstantiated claims that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations against him.
