Flynn May Face Legal Consequences for Russian, Turkish Ties

Michael Flynn, former national security advisor to President Donald Trump, may have violated the law by failing to disclose money earned through business dealings with Russia and Turkey shortly before joining the White House. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) made the announcement this week, saying Flynn appears not to have gained permission from the Pentagon to receive foreign payments, nor did he disclose the payments on vetting forms. That would put Flynn in violation of several statutes, including a constitutional ban on foreign payments to retired military officers. In all, Chaffetz and Cummings said, Flynn was paid more than $67,000 by Russian companies before the November election, and his company, Flynn Intel Group, also received $530,000 for work done during the campaign that benefitted the government of Turkey. Flynn retroactively reported the Turkish payments on a federal disclosure form last month. Failing to disclose information on a security clearance vetting form comes with the penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. “As a former military officer, you simply cannot take money from Russia, Turkey, or anybody else,” Chaffetz said this week, according to the Los Angeles Times. “And it appears as if he did take that money. It was inappropriate, and there are repercussions for a violation of law.”