"I honestly do not understand why the White House is covering up for Michael Flynn", Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said at a joint appearance with other Democrats criticizing President Trump's first 100 days in office.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, the highest ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, released a Defense Intelligence Agency letter sent to the former Army lieutenant general as he entered retirement which specifically says Flynn can not accept fees and gifts from foreign governments "unless congressional consent is first obtained". Trump subsequently named him White House national security adviser.
He resigned from his position as President Trump's national security adviser just weeks into the administration amid claims he misled Vice President Mike Pence about the content of his calls with the Russian ambassador during the transition.
The Pentagon's inspector general has launched an investigation into whether Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor to President Trump, accepted money from foreign groups without the required approval.
Cummings also released letters confirming that the Defense Intelligence Agency warned Flynn in 2014 that he could not accept payments from foreign powers under the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution without advanced permission and that the DIA has no record of Flynn obtaining such permission.
Earlier this week, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) confirmed Flynn had failed to reveal the $34,000 he was paid to speak at the 2015 RT gala, as well as more than $500,000 he was paid for consulting work for a businessman tied to Turkey's government - and suggested he could be criminally prosecuted.
The White House defended its hiring of Flynn and attempted to shift blame for any problems with his vetting onto the Obama administration, which handled the reissuance of his security clearance in January 2016. Cummings said no proof of that has been found. Additionally, the House oversight committee said on Tuesday that Flynn may have broken the law by not properly disclosing payments from Russian Federation and Turkey.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One episode in question involves a trip he took to Moscow in 2015 for RT's anniversary celebration.
Mr Flynn's lawyer said he'd briefed the DIA before and after his Russian Federation trip.
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Kelner's statement did not address other payments Flynn received from foreign sources.
Flynn's company, Flynn Intel Group, also received $530,000 last fall - at the height of the USA presidential campaign - for work that benefited the government in Turkey, the House committee found. Flynn retroactively disclosed that work last month on a federal disclosure form.
After Flynn appeared in Russian Federation for a paid appearance, allegedly in violation of the law, he joined the Trump administration, but was later let go for failing to disclose his communications with Russian Federation, even though Trump repeatedly insisted Flynn had done nothing wrong and was a victim of "fake news". Cummings said that contradicts remarks by Flynn's attorney earlier this week.
But Cummings said a recent DIA letter shows they did not find records regarding that money.
The inspector generals' letters also show that the agency found no evidence that he sought prior approval. Even after Flynn's resignation, President Donald Trump described him as a "wonderful man" who "has been treated very, very unfairly by the media".
"There is obviously a paper trail that the White House does not want our committee to follow", the Democrats wrote in the letter.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said today he's "taken back" by the allegations of a White House cover-up regarding Michael Flynn.
So it was Obama who's to blame for Flynn! Mr Flynn ended a 33-year army career as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency during 2012-2014.
Flynn has now been subjected to investigations by the Pentagon IG, FBI, the Army, the House Intelligence Committee, and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and "U.S. counterintelligence agents" we can only presume work for the CIA and NSA.
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