Sacked Trump's National Security Adviser Faces Probe Over Cash For Partying With Putin
A Pentagon inspector general is launching its own investigation into whether President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn took payments from foreign entities without approval, according to a letter released by House Democrats on Thursday.
The inspector general of the Department of Defense is probing whether Flynn had 'failed to obtain required approval prior to receiving any emolument from a foreign government.'
Documents released by the IG reveal that when he left the Army, Flynn received a 'post-government
employment' letter that advised him explicitly of the 'legal restrictions concerning foreign compensation and instructed to report any potential receipt of compensation in advance to the Department of the Army.'
Flynn had been the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, retiring in 2014.
Nevertheless, the DIA 'did not locate any records' of Flynn 'seeking permission or approval for the receipt of money from a foreign source.'
According to a statement from Cummings's office: 'The new DIA letter counters the suggestion by Flynn’s attorney on Tuesday that Flynn followed appropriate procedures for accepting foreign funds for his trip to Moscow in December 2015 when he dined with Russian President Vladimir Putin.'
If no other documents turn up, that would mean Flynn did not get advance permission to accept $45,000 from Kremlin-backed Russia Today for a 2015 appearance in Moscow where he was seated next to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the DIA, the Army wrote that it 'had located no records pertaining to a possible violation of the Emoluments Clause' by Flynn.
The White House had distanced itself on Tuesday from allegations of illegal conduct against Flynn.
Senior members of Congress on the House Oversight Committee say classified military documents show Flynn did not ask permission for or inform the U.S. government about payments he received for appearances before Russian organizations in 2015 and for lobbying that helped Turkey's government.
Flynn's failure to obtain permission from military authorities for the payments raises concern whether the retired general violated a constitutional ban on foreign payments to retired military officers.
According to a statement from Cummings's office: 'The new DIA letter counters the suggestion by Flynn’s attorney on Tuesday that Flynn followed appropriate procedures for accepting foreign funds for his trip to Moscow in December 2015 when he dined with Russian President Vladimir Putin.'
If no other documents turn up, that would mean Flynn did not get advance permission to accept $45,000 from Kremlin-backed Russia Today for a 2015 appearance in Moscow where he was seated next to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump has said he fired Flynn because of misleading comments he made to the vice president about his discussions with the Russian ambassador during the transition.
Flynn is among the Trump associates being investigated by Congress and the FBI for possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
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