Emails suggest Trump transition team knew of Flynn's call with Kislyak

Emails among top officials in President Trump's transition suggest that Michael Flynn was in contact with top members of the transition team before and after he had a phone call with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak discussing sanctions, the New York Times reports, citing emails "provided or described" to the paper.

Why it matters: Flynn has been portrayed "as a renegade who had acted independently in his discussions" with Kislyak, the Times says. But the emails suggest that after President Obama applied sanctions to Russia, the Trump team was strategizing a way "to reassure Russia." They believed retaliation between the U.S. and Russia would overshadow Trump's victory, per the Times.