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Michael Flynn Under Defense Dept. Investigation Over Foreign Payment Michael Flynn Under Defense Dept. Investigation Over Foreign Payment
(about 1 hour later)
WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s first national security adviser, is under investigation by the Defense Department’s inspector general to determine whether he failed to get permission to receive payment from a foreign government, according to a letter released on Thursday by the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s first national security adviser, is under investigation by the Defense Department’s inspector general to determine whether he failed to get permission to receive payment from a foreign government, as he was explicitly told to do, according to documents released on Thursday by the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
The committee also released a letter that said Mr. Flynn had been warned in 2014 not to accept payment from a foreign country without prior approval. Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland also released a letter showing Mr. Flynn had been warned not to accept compensation from foreign governments without prior approval.
Mr. Flynn, an unconventional and often controversial former three-star Army general, has become an increasingly problematic figure for the White House as revelations about his ties abroad continue to mount. He served in the administration for less than a month before being forced out for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his contact with the Russian ambassador. That letter, sent to Mr. Flynn when he left his earlier post as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was dated October 2014 — more than a year before Mr. Flynn received a $45,000 speaking fee from RT, the Kremlin-backed news network.
On Tuesday, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Oversight Committee announced it was likely that Mr. Flynn violated federal law by failing to fully disclose his business dealings with Russia, an assertion they made after viewing classified documents that included a form seeking to renew his security clearance in January 2016. Mr. Cummings slammed White House officials for declining to release to the committee internal documents related to Mr. Flynn after requests from both Republicans and Democrats. White House officials argued they did not have all the documents and that those that they did have were too sensitive, and irrelevant to congressional investigators.
Those dealings included $45,000 from RT, the Kremlin-backed news network, for a 2015 speech he gave in Moscow. Lawmakers said Mr. Flynn did not include that payment on the form. He was photographed on that trip seated beside President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia at a gala. “I honestly don’t understand why the White House is covering up for Michael Flynn,” Mr. Cummings told reporters.
He added that if White House officials do not provide the documents, they would need to be subpoenaed — a move Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, the committee’s Republican chairman, on Tuesday said he believed was unnecessary.
Mr. Cummings also said Thursday that he disagreed with Mr. Chaffetz’s decision not to call Mr. Flynn before their committee, and to defer to the investigation conducted by the House intelligence committee.
Democrats decided to release the documents Thursday without Mr. Chaffetz’s approval, according to a Republican committee aide. Mr. Chaffetz announced late Wednesday that he would be away for a few weeks recovering from a medical emergency.
Jennifer Werner, Mr. Cummings’ spokeswoman, said both parties had worked together and with the Pentagon to prepare unclassified documents to release to the public. She said they informed Mr. Chaffetz of the pending release Thursday morning.
Mr. Flynn, an unconventional and often contentious former three-star Army general, has become an increasingly problematic figure for the White House as revelations about his ties abroad continue to mount. He served in the administration for less than a month before being forced out for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his contact with the Russian ambassador.
On Tuesday, Mr. Chaffetz and Mr. Cummings announced it was likely that Mr. Flynn violated federal law by failing to fully disclose his business dealings with Russia, an assertion they made after viewing classified documents that included a form seeking to renew his security clearance in January 2016.
Mr. Cummings also distributed an unclassified version of a document that prompted their Tuesday announcement, a letter from the Defense Intelligence Agency informing lawmakers Mr. Flynn neither sought approval nor reported income from a foreign source. This letter, he said, contradicts the assertion from Mr. Flynn’s lawyer that he consulted with the agency about his trip to Moscow.
Mr. Flynn’s dealings in question included the $45,000 from RT for his 2015 speech, which lawmakers said he did not include on the form. He was photographed on that trip seated beside President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia at a gala.
After being forced out of the Trump administration, Mr. Flynn belatedly filed paperwork as a foreign agent for his work lobbying on behalf of Turkey’s interests in the United States. He had been hired by a firm owned by a Turkish-American businessman with ties to the Turkish government. The firm paid him more than $500,000.After being forced out of the Trump administration, Mr. Flynn belatedly filed paperwork as a foreign agent for his work lobbying on behalf of Turkey’s interests in the United States. He had been hired by a firm owned by a Turkish-American businessman with ties to the Turkish government. The firm paid him more than $500,000.
Mr. Flynn has proposed being interviewed by congressional investigators examining Russian interference in the 2016 election in exchange for immunity, an offer lawmakers have not yet chosen to accept.Mr. Flynn has proposed being interviewed by congressional investigators examining Russian interference in the 2016 election in exchange for immunity, an offer lawmakers have not yet chosen to accept.