Michael Flynn Misled Pentagon About His Russia Ties, Letter Says -
By MARK MAZZETTI and MATTHEW ROSENBERGMAY 22, 2017
WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, misled Pentagon investigators about his income from companies in Russia
and contacts with officials there when he applied for a renewal of his top-secret security clearance last year, according to a letter released Monday by the top Democrat on the House oversight committee.
“In refusing our requests for a subpoena, you have made the same argument as President Trump —
that you believe the White House bears no responsibility for vetting General Flynn for the position of national security adviser because he received his latest security clearance renewal under the Obama administration in early 2016,” Mr. Cummings wrote to Mr. Chaffetz.
Lawmakers had previously asserted that Mr. Flynn had failed to disclose the income he had received for the Moscow trip to obtain security clearance to work in the White House,
but the letter released on Monday shows he had misled investigators during a previous attempt to renew his clearance, months before Mr. Trump won election.
The House committee has asked the White House to turn over all documents used by Mr. Trump’s transition team to vet Mr. Flynn before naming
him national security adviser, as well as any communications among Mr. Trump’s top aides about Mr. Flynn’s contacts with foreign officials.
Mr. Flynn, who resigned 24 days into the Trump administration, told investigators in February 2016
that he had received no income from foreign companies and had only “insubstantial contact” with foreign nationals, according to the letter.
It now appears that Mr. Flynn was not forthcoming about foreign payments during two separate reviews of his security clearance: the standard five-year renewal
that took place early last year after he was already retired, and a more recent and more thorough review that took place after he was named national security adviser, a role in which he had access to almost all American intelligence.
