Mike Flynn May Have Lied To Get Security Clearance, Congressman Says

WASHINGTON, DC — Mike Flynn, former national security adviser under President Trump, appears to have lied to federal officials in his application for a security clearance, according to Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland.

Flynn, who registered as a foreign agent after he left the administration, has been a prime target of those alleging ties between Trump and Russia; meanwhile, the president has continued to defend Flynn, who was forced to resign after it became clear he misled the vice president and the public about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

“The Oversight Committee has in our possession documents that appear to indicate that General Flynn lied to the investigators who interviewed him in 2016 as part of his security clearance renewal,” wrote Cummings, ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.

He continued: “Specifically, the Committee has obtained a Report of Investigation dated March 14, 2016, showing that General Flynn told security clearance investigators that he was paid by ‘U.S. companies’ when he traveled to Moscow in December 2015 to dine at a gala with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The actual source of the funds for General Flynn’s trip was not a U.S. company, but the Russian media propaganda arm, RT.”

Patch has reached out to the White House for comment on this story and has received no reply.

Earlier in the day, multiple outlets, including the Associated Press and Fox News, reported that Flynn is refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the Senate Intelligence Committee, claiming protection under the Fifth Amendment from self-incrimination. Had Flynn handed over the subpoenaed documents, this could count as a form of testimony and thus effectively waive his right to refuse to testify.

"It is Mike Flynn's right to plead the 5th," said Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "We will get to the truth one way or another. We need facts, not speculation & anonymous sources."

According to a report from Yahoo News, Trump is still in contact with his former adviser: At an event in April, Flynn said the president has texted him to "stay strong." But Trump's involvement with Flynn may be causing avoidable controversies. Last week, the New York Times reported that James Comey's memos reveal Trump asking the former FBI director to back off the investigations into Flynn, a clear conflict of interest and an act that many have argued constitutes obstruction of justice. The White House has denied that the conversation described in the memo took place.

After the AP first broke the story about Flynn refusing to turn over the documents requested, it reported: "Flynn's letter to Senate committee cites 'escalating public frenzy' in refusing to turn over records in Russia probe."

Read the full letter from Flynn's attorney's invoking the Fifth Amendment.

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