Pentagon opens probe of Michael Flynn, fired national security adviser
WASHINGTON — Michael Flynn, who was fired as President Trump’s national security adviser, is now under investigation by the Pentagon Inspector General and had failed to inform Defense Department officials about seeking payments from foreign governments, according to the Defense Department and documents released Thursday.
The inspector general is looking into whether Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, accepted payments from a foreign government without seeking prior approval as required.
"On April 4, the (Pentagon Inspector General) initiated an investigation to determine if Lt. Gen. (Retired) Flynn accepted payments in violation of the Emoluments Clause, implementing laws, or Department of Defense regulations,” Bruce Anderson, a spokesman for the Inspector General, said in an email on Thursday.
In February, Flynn registered retroactively as a foreign agent. He disclosed that he had earned $530,000 from a Dutch firm with ties to Turkey’s government. Documents released by Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Maryland Democrat and ranking member of the Oversight Committee, also show that Flynn took more than $33,000 from the Kremlin-backed RT television network for a 2015 speech in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin also attended the event.
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Former Trump advisor received over $33,000 from Russian TV
Also on Thursday, Flynn's troubles deepened when Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, called on the Army to determine if Flynn had violated the law and should be required to repay the government. Flynn, "by all appearances," violated federal law by accepting payments from foreign governments without obtaining prior approval.
The letter notes that in addition to the payments, Flynn accepted airfare, accommodations and entertainment for him and his son on the trip to Russia. Flynn briefed officials at the Defense Intelligence Agency about the trip and speech, but there is no evidence that he told them about the money he received or that he sought permission to accept it, Chaffetz wrote to the Acting Army Secretary Robert Speer.
If Flynn did violate the law, the Army can dock his pension, Chaffetz wrote.
Democrats on Cummings’ committee released several documents related to Flynn from the Defense Intelligence Agency, where Flynn was fired in 2014 as director — his last post in the military. The documents show that the Flynn was warned about seeking payments from foreign governments without permission.
“The American people need to hear from Flynn,” Cummings tweeted Thursday morning. “The American people want answers.”
Flynn's lawyer rejected Cummings' contention, saying that Flynn had been forthcoming about his visit to Russia and the payments he received. The letter released by Cummings contains a blacked-out section that shows Flynn informed the Defense Intelligence Agency before and after his speech in Moscow, attorney Robert Kelner said in a statement.
"The Department was fully aware of the trip," Kelner said. "We urge DIA and the committee to release the full, un-redacted letter, along with the documents that General Flynn provided to DIA during the briefings and details concerning the in-person briefings provided by General Flynn to DIA."
House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters that it's unclear whether Flynn broke the law.
“I don’t know whether he did or did not that’s why we have an investigation,” Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters Thursday. “We’ll just find the answer through an investigation.”
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said it was appropriate for the inspector general to investigate Flynn's case. But he also sought to shift the blame for Flynn's clearance to view classified information to the Obama administration.
Spicer said Flynn was a “career military officer who maintained a high-level security clearance” — including a five-year renewal in 2016 after his Moscow visit. “Why would you rerun a background check on someone who was the head of the defense intelligence agency and who had and maintained a high-level security clearance?”
Spicer declined to say whether the president would have taken action against Flynn based on the investigation if he was still employed.
“I think the president made the right call at the right time, and it's clearly paid off,” he said. “He continues to stand by it.”
Contributing: Eliza Collins, Gregory Korte
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Turkish client paid $530,000 to Michael Flynn's consulting firm