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Flynn probably broke the law by failing to disclose foreign payments, House Oversight leaders say
Flynn was double-dipping and violating his security clearance at a minimum. The White House has apparently been unhelpful in the investigative process.
By Karoun Demirjian April 25, 2017
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Carolyn Kaster/AP
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn probably broke the law by failing to disclose foreign income he earned from Russia and Turkey, the heads of the House Oversight Committee said Tuesday. [Flynn did not initially reveal income from Russia-related entities in financial disclosure] Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and the panel’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), said they believe Flynn neither received permission nor fully disclosed income he earned for a speaking engagement in Russia and lobbying activities on behalf of Turkey when he applied to reinstate his security clearance. They reached this conclusion after viewing two classified memos and a financial disclosure form in a private briefing Tuesday morning. “Personally I see no evidence or no data to support the notion that General Flynn complied with the law,” Chaffetz told reporters after the briefing. Said Cummings: “He was supposed to get permission, he was supposed to report it, and he didn’t. This is a major problem.”
The Oversight Committee asked the White House in March for documents pertaining to Flynn’s security-clearance applications, the vetting that occurred before he was named national security adviser, and all of his contacts with foreign agents, including any payments received. In particular, the committee heads requested to see a disclosure form known as the SF86, on which Flynn was obligated to declare any foreign income. On April 19, the White House sent the committee a reply, stating that any documents related to Flynn from before Jan. 20 — the day Trump took office — were not in its possession and that any documents from after that date did not seem relevant to the committee’s investigation. “The White House has refused to provide this committee with a single piece of paper in response to our bipartisan request,” Cummings said.
Flynn was double-dipping and violating his security clearance at a minimum. The White House has apparently been unhelpful in the investigative process.
