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Michael Flynn, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, is accused of taking money from the Russians.
CLASSIFIED military documents show Donald’s Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, took money from Russia and failed to disclose it, two top US politicians said on Tuesday.
However, the White House has refused to make these documents public, meaning the “extremely troubling” evidence within them may never come to light, Democratic congressman Elijah Cummings says.
US President Donald Trump fired General Flynn from his post in February for misleading White House staff about conversations he had with Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak.
Michael Flynn speaks to reporters when he was still national security adviser. Picture: AP Photo/Carolyn KasterSource:AP
Now, the US Defense Intelligence Agency has shown Congress’s House Oversight Committee documents that show General Flynn did not ask permission or inform the government about payments he received for appearances before Russian organisations in 2015, when he also dined with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Among the payments is $45,000 he received for a speech he gave to the Russian government-funded English-language news channel RT. He is also accused of earning $530,000 from lobbying that benefited the Turkish government.
The two leading members of the oversight committee, Mr Cummings and Republican congressman Jason Chaffetz, suggested on Tuesday that the payments and the lack of disclosure may have broken the law.
Michael Flynn, centre, in the Oval Office with Donald Trump and chief strategist Steve Bannon. Picture: AFP/Mandel NganSource:AFP
“I see no data to support the notion that General Flynn complied with the law,” Mr Chaffetz said.
“As a former military officer, you simply cannot take money from Russia, Turkey, or anybody else.
“And it appears as if he did take that money, it was inappropriate, and there are repercussions for the violation of law.”
House Oversight Committee ranking member Elijah Cummings speaks to reporters about US President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Picture: Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFPSource:AFP
The two committee members said General Flynn should surrender the money paid and suggested criminal charges could follow.
“We cannot discuss the contents of the documents that we just saw because they are classified, but we can say this: They are extremely troubling, we have concerns and I believe these documents should be declassified to the fullest extent possible without compromising sources and methods,” Mr Cummings told reporters.
“The American people should be able to see these documents for themselves.”
Donald Trump stands alongside Michael Flynn. Picture: AFP/Jim Watson//XGTYSource:AFP
He said Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus had declined to hand over documents relating to General Flynn’s dealings with foreign nationals or the vetting process for his role as national security adviser.
“In short, the White House has refused to provide this committee with a single piece of paper in response to our bipartisan request and that’s simply unacceptable,” Mr Cummings said.
General Flynn has denied taking any money from the Russians.
The allegations about General Flynn come as the Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to look into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian authorities to influence the outcome of last year's presidential election.
— with AP