begin quote from:
Flynn worries about his son's legal exposure
Investigators have asked questions about the former Trump adviser and his son's business dealings
Flynn worries about son in special counsel probe
Washington (CNN)Former
White House national security adviser Michael Flynn has expressed
concern about the potential legal exposure of his son, Michael Flynn
Jr., who, like his father, is under scrutiny by special counsel Robert
Mueller, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
Flynn's
concern could factor into decisions about how to respond to Mueller's
ongoing investigation. The special counsel is looking into Russian
meddling in the 2016 campaign as well as the business dealings of key
campaign advisers to President Donald Trump.
Flynn's wife, Lori, shares his concerns about their son's possible legal exposure, according to a person who knows the family.
Interviews
conducted by special counsel investigators have included questions
about the business dealings of Flynn and his son such as their firm's
reporting of income from work overseas, two witnesses interviewed by the
team told CNN. The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires
people acting as agents of foreign entities to publicly disclose their
relationship with foreign countries or businesses and financial
compensation for such work.
Flynn
Jr., who served as his father's chief of staff and top aide, was
actively involved in his father's consulting and lobbying work at their
firm, Flynn Intel Group. That included joining his father on overseas
trips, such as Moscow in December 2015. During that trip, Flynn dined
with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a black-tie gala for the RT
television network, which US intelligence views as a Russian propaganda
outlet.
Flynn's
business dealings have been the subject of federal investigation since
November 2016, prior to Mueller's appointment in May. Flynn is also
under legal scrutiny by Mueller's team for undisclosed lobbying that he
did during the presidential campaign on behalf of the Turkish
government, according to sources familiar with the matter. It's against
the law to lobby in the United States on behalf of a foreign government
without informing the Justice Department.
Another
area of interest to Mueller's team is Flynn's alleged participation in
discussions about the idea of removing a Turkish cleric who has been
living in exile in Pennsylvania, sources said. In the past, a spokesman
for Flynn has denied that such discussions occurred.
It is not clear that either of the Flynns will face charges once the investigation is complete.
Flynn's attorney did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Flynn Jr.'s lawyer declined to comment.
"The
disappointment on your faces when I don't go to jail will be worth all
your harassment," Flynn Jr. tweeted on Sunday, responding to his online
critics.
Investigators have asked
witnesses about the Flynns' social media posts and retweets, though this
did not appear to be a significant focus of the investigation,
according to one person interviewed by investigators.
During
the campaign, Flynn and his son both followed and shared material from
Twitter accounts that were recently revealed to be controlled by Russian
trolls. The House intelligence committee last week released a list of
Twitter handles associated with Russia's election-meddling efforts.
Flynn's legal troubles
Flynn's troubles extend to Congress, where his activities have attracted the attention of the House oversight committee. The panel's top Republican and Democrat made a stunning announcement in April after
their own inquiry: Flynn likely broke federal law by taking a paid
speaking engagement in Russia without US government approval, and he hid
the payments from FBI investigators reviewing the security clearance he
is afforded as a retired lieutenant general.
After
that announcement, Flynn's attorney told CNN that Flynn wasn't hiding
anything and that he had briefed the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence
Agency "both before and after" the trip to Moscow.
FBI
investigators also have scrutinized a series of phone calls during the
Trump transition between Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the US at
the time, Sergey Kislyak. The conversations centered on US sanctions
against Russia and whether they would remain in place during the Trump
administration.
When
Trump took office in January 2017, Flynn served as his national
security adviser, but he resigned after one month amid questions about
the Kislyak calls and his other links to Russia.
The
Logan Act, passed in 1799, bans private citizens from negotiating with
foreign governments, but it is hardly ever used in practice. More
pressing for Flynn might be what he told the FBI about the calls.
CNN reported that Flynn initially told investigators sanctions weren't discussed
but changed his answer to say he didn't remember. Mueller could use
this to charge Flynn with making false statements -- the same charge
that former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to
last month.
The former general's
consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group, took $530,000 from a company based
in the Netherlands that has extensive ties to the Turkish government.
Flynn retroactively registered as a foreign agent in March,
which his lawyers said was done "to eliminate any potential doubt,"
though they also said their previous filings should have been
sufficient.
Former Trump campaign
officials Paul Manafort and Rick Gates already face charges relating to
their undisclosed foreign lobbying, for Ukraine. They were indicted by
Mueller's grand jury last month. Both have pleaded not guilty.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the month in which special counsel Mueller was appointed.
No comments:
Post a Comment