Rep. Cummings Releases New Documents On Lt. General Michael Flynn

News of the letter, which was released by House Oversight ranking member Elijah Cummings Thursday, comes as Chaffetz is asking the Pentagon to consider making Flynn forfeit hundreds of thousands of dollars to make up for payments from entities linked to the governments of Russian Federation and Turkey. Flynn was told in the document that the U.S. Constitution's emoluments provision prohibits any monetary payments or gifts "from a foreign government unless congressional consent is first obtained".

According to CNN, he was warned about accepting payments from foreign governments when he retired in 2014.

"It is unclear how such documents would be relevant to the stated objective of the committee's review, which according to your letter is to examine Lt. Gen. Flynn's disclosure of payments related to activities that occurred in 2015 and 2016, prior to his service in the White House", Short wrote in a letter dated April 19 that was sent to committee leaders.

During a press conference Thursday morning, Democratic Represenative Elijah Cummings said the warning to Flynn was explicit.

"My only point is when Gen. Flynn came into the White House, he had an active security clearance that was issued during the Obama administration with all the information that's being discussed that occurred in 2015", White House press secretary Sean Spicer said at a regular news briefing. Army spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith Thursday also said "we have found no records of LTG (R) Flynn requesting permission from the Army for foreign employment".

Flynn was sacked from his position as national security adviser to President Donald Trump in February after revelations he misled the White House, including Vice President Mike Pence, about his pre-inauguration contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.

"I honestly do not understand why the White House is covering up for Michael Flynn", he said.

Flynn faces scrutiny over payments of hundreds of thousands of dollar's from state-run Russia Today TV network after retiring from the army in 2014.

Spicer, in defense of the way Flynn was vetted, stood behind the fact that his clearances were approved under the Obama administration, not acknowledging that Trump was the one who made a decision to bring him into the administration.

The letter was addressed to Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

In addition to looking into the Russia Today funds, the House committee is scrutinizing Flynn's work past year as a foreign agent hired to promote Turkish government views by a Netherlands-based company owned by a Turkish businessman. He said documents related to Flynn's time as national security adviser were classified.

Mr Trump fired Mr Flynn for failing to inform senior administration officials about his contacts with Russian officials - contacts which are being examined as part of the wider inquiries into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign.

"It makes the American people think the White House has something to hide". "Notwithstanding his life of national service, the media are awash with unfounded allegations, outrageous claims of treason, and vicious innuendo directed against him", Flynn's lawyer said in March, as the former sought immunity in exchange for congressional testimony.

Flynn was reportedly paid $45,000 from RT, according to CNBC.

The Flynn probe adds to a number of investigations in Congress and the Department of Justice relating to Russian interference in the 2016 election, which U.S. intelligence says was created to boost Mr Trump's prospects to win the presidency.