Trump transition knew Flynn might register as foreign agent
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn told President Donald Trump’s transition team before the inauguration that Flynn might need to register with the government as a foreign agent, but Trump was not aware of the possible move, the White House said Friday.
The disclosure by White House officials confirms the Trump transition team was aware of the situation involving the president’s pick for a top national security post either before he joined the government or soon afterward.
But the White House’s acknowledgement raised new questions about whether Trump’s transition team, and later, his White House lawyers, fully vetted Flynn after being informed about his possible filing as a foreign agent for his lobbying during the presidential campaign that may have benefited the government of Turkey.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer dismissed questions about whether the information should have given the transition team pause, saying Flynn had “impeccable credentials.”
Trump fired Flynn last month after less than a month on the job saying he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S.
Spicer confirmed that Flynn’s personal lawyer contacted Trump transition attorneys before the inauguration about the possible filing. But he added that Flynn’s representative only asked for guidance and did not provide more details about the lobbying work or Flynn’s business dealings.
Spicer said Flynn’s decision whether to file as a foreign agent was a personal matter that his own attorney would need to handle.
Among those told of Flynn’s lobbying work was Don McGahn, Trump’s campaign lawyer who served in the transition and later became White House counsel, said a person with direct knowledge of the conversations between Flynn’s representatives and the transition team.