The House Oversight Committee is prepared to take action against former national security adviser Mike Flynn this week if he fails to prove that he sought and received the proper approvals for payments he received from Russia and Turkey.
As a former military officer, Flynn was required to get permission from agencies such as the State Department and the secretary of defense before being able to accept payments from foreign sources, as happened when Flynn took payment from the Russian media outlet RT.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz says it appears Flynn didn’t do that, although the documentation needed to clear Flynn could still arrive Monday.
“We’re prepared then, later this week maybe as early as Tuesday, to send a letter of final determination to the [Government Accountability Office],” Chaffetz told MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “It’s not a criminal referral, but a referral to the GAO. And then, the penalty, most likely at least based on precedent, would be he’d have to repay all of that money that he did take.”
Repayment by Flynn, if it were ordered, would likely be in the tens of thousands of dollars, according to Chaffetz.
“Maybe there’s some letter out there, but we think somebody would’ve produced it by now. And we have until close of business today [Monday] to give us that information.”
The House Oversight Committee first asked for the Flynn documentation on March 22.
Flynn continues to be one of the central figures into the numerous investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He was forced to step down after a transcript of a phone call he had with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak was leaked to the media, which ultimately showed Flynn had misled Vice President Mike Pence.
Flynn also has made overtures to the intelligence committees for both the House and Senate, offering to provide testimony in exchange for immunity.
