Emoluments. If that word was unknown to you before this year, it’s likely because previous administrations were so careful to avoid even the appearance of conflicts of interest. But with Donald Trump leading the “the president can’t have a conflict of interest” parade, it’s not so surprising that the people he gathered around him also had a casual relationship with the law.
Michael Flynn’s famous 2015 trip to Moscow, at which he sat next to Vladimir Putin and jumped up to give the Russian autocrat a standing “O” turns out to be problematic for reasons other than sitting next to Vladimir Putin and giving him a standing “O.” On that same trip, Flynn also did a paid appearance for Russian state-owned media company RT. The “paid” part of that statement is an issue.
“If Lieutenant General Flynn is subject to recall [by the Defense Department] and accepted foreign government funds without congressional consent, then that is a foreign emolument and so a violation of the Constitution,” Eisen said, adding, “Nor would it be a merely technical one.”
Flynn had retired from the military, and government service, less than a year earlier. And what does the Pentagon to say about his visit? What visit?
The Pentagon says it has not discovered any evidence former national security adviser Michael Flynn received authorization to accept money for a paid Russian state TV event in 2015.
Emoluments. You knew they would turn up again with this group. With Flynn, it looks like they’re going to stick.
Congressman Elijah Cummings queried the Pentagon back on February 1, and now that the military well has come up dry, even those people who desperately want to let this “take care of itself” are reluctantly signing on. The spotlight is turning to his speaker's bureau, the “people in the people business,” Leading Authorities Inc.
Congressman Elijah Cummings joined Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz in warranting documents and communications related to Michael Flynn's trip to Moscow in December 2015 -- precisely, his dinner with Vladimir Putin in potential violation of the Constitution and other foreign payments.
In a letter sent today, the two ask Leading Authorities Inc. for information regarding speaking engagements, appearances, and a list of amounts he [was] paid and the sources funding them.
How do you know that Flynn might actually be in trouble? Because Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has slotted enough time between investigation of Clinton aides and children’s cartoons to add his name to the documents.
One more time.
Whether he received permission to receive the Russia payment from Congress or the Defense Department may be important, the representatives wrote, because the Constitution prohibits any person “holding any Office of Profit or Trust” from accepting gifts or payments from any foreign country. The Defense Department has made clear this restriction applies to retired military officers, who continue to hold offices of trust.
The answer is: He did not receive permission. He didn’t even ask for permission. So now what?