The Washington Post reports that President Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, privately spoke with Russia’s ambassador about U.S. sanctions against Russia in the month before President Trump took office. The call was on December 29—the same day President Obama imposed sanctions against Russia and expelled diplomats, in retaliation for the alleged Russian hacking of the U.S. election. The Post report directly contradicts repeated claims by the Trump administration that such discussions took place—and appears to run afoul of U.S. law. A spokesperson for Flynn backed away from past denials, saying that “while [Flynn] had no recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldn’t be certain that the topic never came up.”