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Flynn likely broke the law by not disclosing Russia payments: House panel

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn violated the law by failing to disclose payments from Russia in documents he submitted to renew his security clearance, according to top members of the House Oversight Committee.

There’s also no record that the former Army lieutenant general sought permission for a 2015 trip to Moscow, when he dined with President Vladimir Putin.

“As a former military officer, you simply cannot take money from Russia, Turkey or anybody else,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the committee. “And it appears as if he did take that money. It was inappropriate and there are repercussions for the violation of law.”

Flynn stepped down as Trump’s national security adviser for failing to disclose his contacts with Russia.

Lying on national security documents is a crime, as well as a military officer taking payments from a foreign government, the bipartisan leaders of the committee said.

The comments came after reviewing classified documents for the first time on Flynn’s national security clearance application in 2016.

“They are extremely troubling,” Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said after emerging from the classified briefing at the Capitol.

Cummings also said the White House is stonewalling the work of the committee by declining to provide documents related to Flynn’s vetting, firing and his contacts with foreign nationals.

“The White House has refused to provide this committee with a single piece of paper in response to our bipartisan requests,” Cummings said in releasing the White House’s denial letter.

Flynn’s contacts with Russia will be part of a public hearing May 8 before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates is to testify on her warnings to the White House about Flynn’s Russian connections.

Robert Kelner, a Flynn lawyer, insisted his client was in contact with the Defense Intelligence Agency about foreign payments from the state-owned Russian television network RT.

“General Flynn briefed the Defense Intelligence Agency, a component agency of DoD, extensively regarding the RT speaking event trip both before and after the trip, and he answered any questions that were posed by DIA concerning the trip during those briefings,” Kelner told the Wall Street Journal.

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