President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn was warned by the military in 2014 not to accept foreign payments without prior approval, according to documents released on Thursday by Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the ranking member of the House oversight committee. Separate letters released Thursday show no evidence that Flynn ever sought that approval.
Federal investigators are examining whether former national security adviser Michael Flynn met with senior Turkish officials about a potential quid pro quo in which Flynn would be paid to carry out directives from Ankara secretly while in the White House, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation.
Investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election recently questioned witnesses about the alleged December 2016 meeting — just weeks before President Donald Trump's inauguration — between Flynn and senior Turkish officials, two people knowledgeable with the interviews said. The questions were part of a line of inquiry regarding Flynn's lobbying efforts on behalf of Turkey.
Possible deals under investigation include returning a chief rival of Turkish President Recep Erdogan who lives in Pennsylvania and freeing a Turkish-Iranian gold trader who is jailed in New York, sources said. Two sources familiar with the meeting said Flynn was offered upwards of $15 million, to be paid directly or indirectly, if he could complete the deal.
The elder Flynn's lawyer did not respond to requests for comment, and the lawyer for his son, Michael G. Flynn, declined comment — investigators are also looking at the younger Flynn's role in any possible deal while he worked at his father's lobbying firm.
