WASHINGTON, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Michael Flynn, the former U.S. national security adviser, was warned by the Pentagon in 2014 against receiving foreign payments, said new watchdog documents released on Thursday.
According to the documents released by the House Oversight Committee, Lt. General Flynn was warned on October 8, 2014 by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) that he was prohibited by the Constitution from receiving payments from foreign sources without advance permission.
"Accordingly, if you are ever in a position where you would receive an emolument from a foreign government or from an entity that might be controlled by a foreign government, be sure to obtain advance approval from the Army prior to acceptance," Flynn was told in a DIA letter.
In 2015, Flynn reportedly received about 34,000 U.S. dollars for a speech at an event in Moscow, Russia, and he was also under media scrutiny for his past lobbying on behalf of Turkey.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Flynn's attorney said that Flynn briefed the DIA "extensively" on his 2015 overseas trip to Moscow and he answered questions that were posed by DIA on the trip.
However, another DIA letter to the Congress released Thursday by House Oversight Committee ranking member Elijah Cummings appeared to counter the defense of Flynn's team.
"DIA did not locate any records referring to LTG Flynn's receipt of money from a foreign source... DIA did not locate any records of LTG Flynn seeking permission or approval for the receipt of money from a foreign source," said the DIA letter.
Flynn was forced to step down in February after it was revealed that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his telephone conversation with the Russian Ambassador to the United States, in which he made comments about U.S. sanction on Russia.
