Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates laid out a convincing case in Senate testimony Monday that the Trump administration knew weeks in advance that a top White House adviser had been compromised and that his continued service posed a national security risk. Instead of firing National Security Adviser Michael Flynn immediately, Trump waited 18 days behind a public wall of denial and deflection.

The White House's behavior suggests an overarching goal of avoiding embarrassment as scandal loomed so soon after the inauguration. The failure to act raises serious questions of priorities and judgment. Does President Donald Trump truly have the nation's best interests in mind, or is he acting first and foremost to protect his own image?

The administration knew five days after Trump took office that Flynn was not being truthful about discussions he'd had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Yates advised the White House counsel, Donald McGahn II, that Flynn had lied to Vice President Mike Pence when asked about those contacts. The lies were repeated by White House spokesman Sean Spicer.

Many Americans, especially Trump supporters, seem not to grasp why this matters. It represents a serious breach when the Russians compromise a senior national security official with a direct reporting line to the president.

The Russians knew that Flynn had lied, specifically about the sensitive topic of whether the administration would modify sanctions put in place by President Barack Obama to punish Russian hacking and meddling ahead of the Nov. 8 elections. Once compromised, Flynn was vulnerable to blackmail.

Trump did not act and, worse, continued to let Flynn sit in on sensitive meetings, including a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Obama had previously warned Trump directly after the election that Flynn was too risky to be trusted, yet Trump appointed Flynn anyway.

The president's ego, and the desire of his White House to avert embarrassment, seem to have taken precedence over the need to protect national security.

Trump fired Flynn only after his lies were reported by the news media. Even then, Trump defended Flynn, telling reporters the day after his firing, "Michael Flynn is a wonderful man. I think he's been treated very unfairly by the media." The White House also tried to impugn Yates' integrity.

The president's judgment should, by now, be a major concern for all Americans, whether they voted for him or not. Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that his desire to appear successful and burnish his own image are what matters most.

Consider his numerous business conflicts of interest that continually intersect with his meetings for foreign leaders. Consider his public discussion of sensitive information with Japan's prime minister at his Mar-a-Lago restaurant while guests looked on.

For this president, the nation's best interests seem to come as an afterthought.

REPRINTED FROM THE ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH