Republicans joined Democrats on Wednesday in pressuring the Trump administration to surrender records of former national security adviser Michael Flynn's payments and contacts with foreign officials during the past three years.
In a sign of deepening interest among congressional investigators, leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee asked for materials on Flynn's communications and payments from Russian, Turkish and other foreign sources since Flynn retired as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in August 2014.
The request came as a Flynn spokesman said the retired general filled out all of his security clearance paperwork but did not sign a mandatory ethics pledge during his time as national security adviser.
Also sought by the committee chairman, GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, and the top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, is any available material on Flynn's security clearance, which would have been required to allow him access to highly classified government documents and information. The two congressmen made the requests in letters to White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, FBI Director James Comey, Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, Associated Press reported.
President Donald Trump fired Flynn last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other top administration officials about Flynn's postelection conversations with Russia's ambassador to the United States.
The committee's move is significant because of the bipartisan front and the effort to gain broad information about Flynn's foreign-related work and communications for an extended period before Trump appointed him in January.
