Inquiry into Trump aide’s Russian links
UNITED STATES: US intelligence agents have investigated President Trump’s national security adviser over ‘‘repeated contacts’’ with Russia’s ambassador to Washington.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the inquiry included a number of calls made by Michael Flynn to Sergey Kislyak on December 29, when President Barack Obama announced that 35 Russian diplomats would be expelled in response to alleged hacking of the election campaign by the Kremlin.
Flynn, 58, is the first person in Trump’s team whose communications are known to have been examined as part of an investigation by the FBI, CIA, National Security Agency and Treasury department into possible links between the Russian government and the Trump team.
The retired army general is understood to have spoken to Kislyak five times on December 29.
He does not deny making the calls, which were initially revealed by The Washington Post. Flynn took office last week . If he gave any assurances to Russia after the sanctions were announced it could be a violation of the Logan Act, which bars unauthorised US citizens from negotiating with foreign governments with which the US has disputes.
Trump’s transition team said that Flynn and the ambassador did not discuss the sanctions and that the calls concerned the logistics of arranging a conversation between Trump and President Vladimir Putin. They said that the conversations came after Kislyak texted Flynn, former director of the Defence Intelligence Agency, on December 28.
Officials are also understood to have examined earlier conversations between Flynn and Russian figures.
The White House said that it had no knowledge of the investigation.
It is not clear when it began, whether it has ended or if it established any wrongdoing.
In December, 2015, Flynn gave an interview at a gala in the Russian capital for RT, the statecontrolled television channel, and sat next to Putin.
He was paid for the appearance through a public speakers’ agency. American law enforcement and intelligence agencies were examining intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a broad investigation into possible links between Russian officials and Trump’s associates, TheNew York Times reported last week.
A Senate committee has launched an investigation into Russian attempts to meddle in the US election, in part by hacking into embarrassing Democrat emails. It said that it would issue subpoenas if necessary to force members of Trump’s team to testify. - The Times