Eliza Collins 
, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jason Chaffetz said Tuesday there is “no data to support the notion that (former national security adviser Michael Flynn) complied with the law” related to payments he had received from Russian-linked entities.
CLICK IMAGE ABOVE for direct link to USA Today story.
The Utah Republican, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, was speaking to reporters alongside ranking member Elijah Cummings, D-Md., following a committee meeting where they viewed classified documents related to Flynn. The retired general was Trump’s national security adviser until he resigned in February over the controversy about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador after the election.
In March, documents showed that Flynn received more than $33,750 from Russian state-owned television network for a 2015 speech.
Chaffetz said that before traveling to Russia for paid speaking engagements, Flynn was supposed to seek and get permission; as of now the Oversight Committee has seen no evidence he did that.
“I’m fairly curious as to how widespread this is. No former military officer is allowed to accept payments” from foreign governments, Chaffetz said.
“There is no evidence anywhere in these documents that he reported the funds he received for his trip. There is also no evidence that he sought permission to obtain these funds from a foreign source,” Cummings said. He also noted that “knowingly falsifying or concealing a material fact is a felony which may result in fines and/or up to five years imprisonment.”
“They are extremely troubling. We have concerns, and I believe these documents should be declassified to the fullest extent possible,” Cummings said, adding that Flynn needed to come in for a hearing.
Cummings also said that the White House had denied a bipartisan request for more information related to Flynn’s time and termination as national security adviser.
“The White House has refused to provide this Committee with a single piece of paper in response to our bipartisan request, and that is unacceptable,” Cummings said.
But both Cummings and Chaffetz stopped short of accusing the White House of obstruction in their denial to share the documents.
“We haven’t gotten certain information that we’ve asked for, I wouldn’t call it obstruction, these things happen,” Cummings said.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the White House is not trying to hide anything, and Flynn himself is responsible for supplying some of the records.
According to Spicer, the committee sent “form letters” to several agencies in the government seeking information on Flynn prior to his short stint in the White House. The Defense Department is the only agency that had anything, and made a submission to Congress.
Other records “would be up for him to turn over,” Spicer said.
The allegations against Flynn involving payments from Russia pre-date his time in the White House, and Spicer declined to comment on them.
“I don’t know what he filled out, or what he did or don’t do,” Spicer said.
An email to Flynn’s lawyer seeking comment was not immediately responded to.
Contributing: David Jackson
USA Today: Chaffetz says Flynn may have broken law with Russian payments added by Peter Lance on
View all posts by Peter Lance →
You must be logged in to post a comment Login