WASHINGTON (AP) – Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was paid more than $67,000 by Russian companies before the presidential election, according to documents released Thursday by a Democratic congressman.
Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland asked the Trump administration to provide a comprehensive record of Flynn’s contacts with foreign governments and interests.
Flynn accepted $33,750 from Russia’s government-run television system for appearing at a Moscow event in December 2015 – a few months before Flynn began formally advising President Donald Trump’s campaign – and thousands more in expenses covered by the network and in speech fees from other Russian firms, according to the documents.
Flynn’s financial relationship with the RT network may violate a constitutional provision against gifts from foreign governments, said Cummings, who released documents obtained during the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s inquiry into Flynn’s activities before Trump appointed him to become national security adviser.
In addition to the record of Flynn’s foreign contacts, Cummings, the senior Democrat on the committee, also asked the Defense Department to compel Flynn to pay the money he received to the U.S. government.