Rep. Elijah Cummings released a letter Monday charging that former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn lied about his contacts with Russia when he sought to renew his top-secret security clearance last year. The New York Times writes:
Mr. Flynn, who resigned 24 days into the Trump administration, told investigators in February 2016 that he had received no income from foreign companies and had only “insubstantial contact” with foreign nationals, according to the letter. In fact, Mr. Flynn had sat two months earlier beside President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia at a Moscow gala for RT, the Kremlin-financed television network, which paid Mr. Flynn more than $45,000 to attend the event and give a separate speech.
His failure to make those disclosures and his apparent attempt to mislead the Pentagon could put Mr. Flynn in further legal jeopardy. Intentionally lying to federal investigators is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Separately, he also faces legal questions over failing to properly register as a foreign agent for lobbying he did last year on behalf of Turkey while advising the Trump campaign, which is also a felony.
Cummings’ letter, addressed to his counterpart on the House Oversight Committee, Jason Chaffetz, urged Chaffetz to use his subpoena pen to compel the White House to release information about what they knew regarding Flynn's foreign contacts. He wrote:
"We need to know what the President, Vice President, White House Counsel and other top officials knew about General Flynn—and when they knew it.”
Cummings noted that in interviews, Chaffetz has tried to stick the Obama administration with the responsibility for vetting Flynn. Yet on March 22, Chaffetz and Cumming asked the White House to release all relevant information pertaining to Flynn, but the White House has yet to cooperate.
Cummings letter quoted from a Pentagon “Report of Investigation” regarding March 2016 but did not include the document separately.