Dem senators asks feds to investigate Flynn

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire sent a letter Wednesday evening to the national security officials calling for a probe into the retired lieutenant general’s conduct following his military service.

“We write to request that you review the security clearance given to retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn,” the senators wrote. “Based on public reports, his conduct in positions that require access to national defense information, and his subsequent private practice, appears inconsistent with the professionalism such access requires.”

The letter referred to a New Yorker story printed shortly after Trump picked Flynn that said the military official “had technicians secretly install an Internet connection in his Pentagon office, even though it was forbidden.” The senators also drew attention to the allegations Flynn leaked “highly classified information to several other countries and recently made public comments defending and encouraging such illegal practices,” in what is likely a reference to his comments on Twitter about Islam.

“We are also concerned by General Flynn’s conduct after his military service. On December 10, 2015, General Flynn was paid to attend an event in Moscow celebrating the tenth anniversary of Russia Today, a propaganda arm of the Russian government. Although he has not disclosed how much he received in speaking fees or who paid for the travel expenses, he dined with Vladimir Putin, just 18 months after leaving his position leading the Defense Intelligence Agency,” the letter states, adding that it may have been in violation of 37 U.S.C. § 908.

Blumenthal and Shaheen also asked the federal agencies to look into a potential conflict of interest regarding Flynn’s ownership of Flynn Intel Group, which was previously registered to lobby on behalf of a Turkish businessman and was compensated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“This ongoing business relationship of Flynn Intel Group, owned by General Flynn and operated by his son, creates the potential for pressure, coercion, and exploitation by foreign agents,” the senators wrote. “In addition, any share of partnership profits he obtains from the Flynn Intel Group that are derived from its representation of a foreign government would appear to be a violation of his obligation as a retired general to abide by the emoluments clause of the Constitution.”

The letter does not include a deadline for the agencies’ investigation.