WASHINGTON (CN) — The Defense Department's inspector general is investigating whether former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn broke the law by receiving payments from foreign governments after retiring from the Army.
The investigation was revealed in documents released by the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee Thursday morning.
One of the documents shows that the Defense Intelligence Agency warned Flynn after his 2014 retirement as the agency’s director that he was barred from accepting payments from foreign governments without prior permission from the Pentagon.
A second document, a letter from the Defense Department's inspector general, informed the House Oversight Committee it was investigating the matter.
“These documents raise grave questions about why General Flynn concealed the payments he received from foreign sources after he was warned explicitly by the Pentagon,” Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the oversight committee’s top Democrat, said in a statement.
The House Oversight Committee on Thursday also asked the Army to determine whether Flynn followed the rules and requested permission to receive payments from entities in Russia and Turkey.Russia's state-sponsored RT television network and from a Turkish businessman linked to Turkey's government.
Flynn resigned in February as national security adviser after it became clear he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his phone calls with Russia’s ambassador.
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