In February former national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned over allegations that he had misled the current administration about his dealings with the current Russian Ambassador. The retired Army Lt. General is back in the public spotlight after the Defense Intelligence Agency declassified several documents on his activities and released them to the public.
According to the US constitution, any party that has served in the army cannot receive payment from foreign governments and companies because they can be recalled into service. Payments encompass anything from fees to salaries to gifts of any other form. This rule is known as the emolument law, and it is what Mr. Flynn is accused of breaking.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Democrat of highest rank within the House Oversight Committee, reiterated that there was an exception to this rule. The exemption would entail the individual in question getting approval from Congress to receive payment for any services rendered. The DIA released a series of documents of Thursday that hinted at the possibility of Flynn not following any of these laws.
The first piece of evidence that Cummings unveiled was a letter to Flynn from the DIA stating that the former army general could not receive any funds from alien governments or their associates under the emolument law. Michael Flynn received two separate payments from foreign governments. On the first Flynn made a trip to Russia where he made an appearance with the Russian President on the Russian TV channel RT News. Flynn received $34,000 for his speech on that day. He did not, however, disclose this fact to the administration at the time during the two briefings he had, one before the trip and one after the trip. Also, Flynn represented the interests of the Turkish government in a deal that earned him over half a million dollars.
The second letter that Cummings released showed that as of April 4th, the Inspector General of the army had formally launched an investigation to check whether Flynn had had advance permission to receive the funds. The White House issued a statement saying that the inquiry had probable cause and was thus ‘appropriate.’ When no evidence of prior approval was found, the Pentagon started looking into whether Flynn’s actions complied with the law. The reactions to this most recent probe were varied.
Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who is the chairperson to the House Oversight Committee stated his stand on the matter. “Flynn’s actions were illegal because though he notified the DIA of his visits, he did not disclose that he had received payment from foreign governments,” Chaffetz commented. Mr. Flynn’s attorney Robert Kelner argued that the government already knew of Flynn’s travels, so he had done nothing wrong. Cummings made a rebuttal stating that Flynn was ‘confusing the issue.’ The administration knew of the travels, but he was being investigated for the transactions. Other representatives such as Rep. Matt Cartwright proposed that further investigations be conducted before giving a verdict.
Whatever the outcome will be, it will influence Americans’ perception and faith in the powers that Congress.
