The Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee said he was “extremely troubled” by what he saw in classified records related to Gen. Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former National Security Advisor.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) briefed reporters on Tuesday shortly after reviewing financial disclosures Flynn made when applying for his security clearance. The procedure required Flynn to reveal all income from foreign sources.
Flynn had received tens of thousands of dollars in 2015 from various Russian firms, including the state-run news channel, RT. Those appearance fee payments, however, were not disclosed in Flynn’s security clearance forms (known as an SF-86), according to Cummings.
Falsifying or concealing information on security clearance forms is a felony offense.
The Republican Chairman of the oversight committee, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who attended the briefing alongside Cummings, wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Flynn broke the law.
“He was supposed to seek permission and receive permission, “ Chaffetz said about Flynn’s 2015 trip to Moscow and his appearance at an RT gala. “I see no evidence that he actually did that.”
The US Constitution’s emoluments clause forbids former military officers from receiving gifts from foreign governments. Chaffetz suggested that the Pentagon could go about confiscating the payments Flynn received.
The retired general already had to amend his annual financial disclosures in March to account for the Russia-linked payments. His original filing in February made no reference to the income.
The committee also wants to know what the Trump White House and transition team knew about Flynn’s financial dealings while he was being vetted to be National Security Adviser. The administration, however, has declined to turn over the records.
“In short, the White House has refused to provide this committee with a single piece of paper in response to our bipartisan request,” Cummings said.
The Hill reported that the White House claimed the requested documents are related to Flynn’s dealings prior to the President’s inauguration, and that other documents contain sensitive information.
Cummings called on the committee to bring Flynn in for further questioning.
Flynn’s attorneys stated last month that their client would appear before Congress related to ongoing probes about Russian interference in the US election, but only if he was given immunity in exchange for his testimony.
Flynn was forced to resign in February after he allegedly misrepresented communications he had with the Russian ambassador to Vice President Mike Pence.
