Former national security adviser Michael Flynn failed to list payments from Russia
Michael Flynn with Vladimir Putin
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn did not list payments from Russian companies on his original financial disclosure forms submitted in February.
The retired lieutenant general filed an amended financial disclosure on Friday reporting speaking payments from three Russia-linked companies, including the state-backed news outlet RT.
The new disclosure was first reported by The Daily Beast.
Flynn was paid $45,000 by RT in 2015 to speak at the group’s 10th anniversary gala. The two other companies – Kaspersky Government Security Solutions, a U.S. subsidiary of Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, and Russia-based Volga-Dnepr Airlines – paid him more than $5,000, according to the documents.
Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee had released documents last month that included the payments. Those documents showed that Flynn received $11,250 from Volga-Dnepr Airlines in August 2015 and $11,250 in October 2015 from the Kaspersky Lab subsidiary.
Flynn resigned from his White House post in February amid revelations that he discussed U.S. sanctions with Russia’s ambassador in the month before President Trump took office and misled top administration officials, including Vice President Pence, about the nature of the conversations.
A source told The Daily Beast that Flynn was in the process of updating his financial disclosure before he left the White House, and that his resignation slowed down the process.
“Gen. Flynn had begun the process of submitting and updating the form, but that process was suspended when he resigned,” the source said. “He therefore submitted the finalized form after he left the White House.”
The former national security adviser stirred controversy last month when he admitted to lobbying work that may have benefitted the Turkish government. He has since registered as a foreign agent.
Flynn’s lawyer Robert Kelner said Thursday his client is willing to be interviewed by congressional investigators as part of their probe into Russian election meddling and possible collusion between Trump’s associates and Russian officials, but only if the former White House official is granted immunity from “unfair” prosecution.
The FBI is also conducting its own investigation into Trump and his associates’ alleged ties to the Kremlin.
