Top Democrat Seeks Documents from Flynn Business Partner

WASHINGTON (CN) – The ranking Democrat on a House oversight committee has asked a business partner of the Trump administration's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, for documents detailing Flynn's foreign contacts and security clearance, according to a letter released Thursday.

In a letter to Bijan Kian, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., asks the businessman to produce documents relating to Flynn's travels and ties to foreign businesses.

Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Kian told military security clearance investigators in 2016 that Flynn had work relationships with foreign businesses.

But Cummings has said that Flynn failed to report those ties, and he's given Kian until Aug. 16 to respond to the request for more information.

Investigators have also spent time digging into the Iranian-American businessman’s lobbying work on behalf of Turkish businessman Ekim Alpetkin.

Alpetkin paid the Flynn Intel Group $530,000 for a single contract. It was that contract that brought Flynn under Justice Department scrutiny after he failed to properly register himself under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

In January 2016, Flynn submitted an application for a five-year security clearance and submitted Kian as his personal reference. FBI background reports in March 2016 confirmed that Kian told investigators he was a friend and professional colleague of Flynn’s since 2008.

Cummings cited the findings, noting that Kian advised Flynn to travel “to the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Japan and Russia for pleasure and work and that Flynn would have work related to foreign person contacts,” the letter said.

“Additionally, the report stated that Mr. Kian advised that Flynn would have professional work relationships with foreign businesses but that Flynn did not have foreign government connections,” Cummings said.

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