Flynn probe
U.S. Democrat reveals damaging documents on foreign payments
WASHINGTON — The investigations into President Donald Trump’s ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn intensified Thursday as the Pentagon’s watchdog joined lawmakers in scrutinizing the legality of payments he accepted from foreign sources including a Russian state-sponsored television network.
Also, new documents released by the ranking Democrat on a House oversight committee showed Flynn was warned by authorities when he retired from the military in 2014 not to take foreign government-sourced money without “advance approval” from the Pentagon.
Flynn, a former army lieutenant-general and Defense Intelligence Agency chief, later accepted tens of thousands of dollars for his work on behalf of foreign interests, including RT, the state-supported Russian television network, and a Turkish-owned company linked to Turkey’s government.
The Pentagon’s acting inspector general’s office confirmed Thursday he has launched an inquiry into whether those payments qualify as coming from foreign governments and whether Flynn properly informed military authorities about them.
Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings, who released the documents on Flynn, said during a news conference that Flynn was clearly informed that he needed to get permission to receive foreign payments and there’s no evidence he did so.
“The Pentagon’s warning to General Flynn was bold, italicized and could not have been clearer,” Cummings said.
Both Cummings and Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz, the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, have previously said they planned to ask the army to rule on whether Flynn properly informed and asked permission for the payments from Russian and Turkish entities.
A key document released Thursday by Cummings showed that Flynn was warned by a Defense Intelligence Agency official in October 2014 that he would need clearance from the army before he could accept any earnings linked to foreign governments. Flynn was told in the document that the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments provision prohibits any monetary payments or gifts “from a foreign government unless congressional consent is first obtained.” The letter explained that such “advance approval” would need to come “from the relevant service secretary.”
Flynn received at least $33,750 for his appearance in 2015 for RT’s anniversary celebration, a gala where Flynn sat next to President Vladimir Putin. Flynn has previously disclosed that he received between $50,000 and $100,000 as part of his personal stake in $530,000 his company, Flynn Intel Group, received for consulting work performed last year for a Turkish businessman.