Flynn told business pal that sanctions were dead?
THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, texted a former business associate on Inauguration Day to say that Obama-era sanctions against Russia would be “ripped up” and that a lucrative proposal to build nuclear reactors with Russian partners in the Middle East was “good to go,” a witness has told Congress.
Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, made a letter public Wednesday that described the unidentified person’s account.
Cummings said he had spoken to the witness and called the account a “credible” allegation that Flynn “sought to manipulate the course of international nuclear policy for the financial gain of his former business partners.”
Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about his discussions with the Russian ambassador about sanctions during the transition. It’s unclear if the new claim puts him in additional legal jeopardy.
The retired three-star Army general is cooperating with prosecutors as part of his plea agreement with Robert Mueller, who is heading the probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian meddling in the election.
Flynn’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment on the latest claims.
Flynn had worked as a consultant for ACU Strategic Partners, the group pushing the proposed nuclear deal, in 2015 and 2016. He didn’t divulge the relationship until the third version of his financial-disclosure report, required of White House employees, which he filed in August.
The new details suggest Flynn sought to help the nuclear deal proceed after he joined the White House. He was ousted as national security adviser after only 24 days on the job. The administration has not lifted sanctions on Russia.
Alex Copson, the managing partner of ACU Strategic Partners, received texts from Flynn during Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20 saying the deal was “good to go,” according to Cummings.