The Trump regime might have hoped removing Michael Flynn from the position of National Security Advisor would also take him out of the spotlight of investigations between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials, but every day seems to offer new revelations about just how blatant Flynn’s violations really were. It’s now clear that Flynn didn’t just take money from foreign governments, and didn’t just fail to report that money when he was under review for security clearance, he was told in advance not to take the funds and ignored that warning.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was warned by the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 against accepting foreign payments as he entered retirement, according to new documents obtained by the House oversight committee.
There was no doubt to begin with that Flynn should have been aware of the regulations that prevent recently retired military officers who held high levels of security clearance from running around the world to sell their insight into America’s strategy. But the new release demolishes any idea that he might have simply been ignorant of the law.
"These documents raise grave questions about why General Flynn concealed the payments he received from foreign sources after he was warned explicitly by the Pentagon," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, in a statement. "Our next step is to get the documents we are seeking from the White House so we can complete our investigation. I thank the Department of Defense for providing us with unclassified versions of these documents."
Representative Cummings has also released a series of documents, including a letter from the DIA showing that claims from Flynn and his attorney that he followed proper procedures are simply a lie.
“DIA did not locate any records referring or relating to LTG Flynn’s receipt of money from a foreign source. ... DIA did not locate any records of LTG Flynn seeking permission or approval for the receipt of money from a foreign source.”
The DIA letter backs up another sent earlier in the month by the Inspector General of the Defense Department.
“This office has initiated an investigation to determine whether Lieutenant General (LTG) Flynn, U.S. Army (Retired) failed to obtain required approval prior to receiving any emolument from a foreign government.”
Flynn didn’t just fail to seek permission, he was warned to not take the money he gathered in from both Russia and Turkey. He took the money anyway. Then he failed to report the payments. Then he lied about following procedure on the payments.
And the Trump White House still refuses to release information about Flynn.
The White House declined Tuesday to provide documents related to President Donald Trump's former national security adviser that the panel investigating Michael Flynn had requested, according to a letter obtained by CNN.
When Devin Nunes conducted his incomprehensible round of press conferences and briefing the White House on information that came from the White House, one of the theories going around was that Nunes’s frantic action had nothing to do with “unmasking” and everything to do with a scheduled hearing in which Sally Yates was going to talk about her statements to the White House on Michael Flynn. Nunes cancelled the hearing in which Yates was to appear, and the public has yet to learn what she passed along about Flynn or when she warned the White House of his activities.
With every passing day, that theory seems more viable.