Thread: Ex-Trump campaign officials Paul Manfort and Roger Stone turn over documents to Senat

News Alert

Ex-Trump campaign officials Paul Manafort and Roger Stone turn over documents to Senate investigators

Warner: Door open to holding Flynn in contempt after invoking Fifth Amendment

By M(CNN)The ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee is leaving open the option to hold Michael Flynn in contempt of Congress, after the former national security adviser said he would invoke his Fifth Amendment rights rather than comply with a subpoena.

Two other former Trump campaign officials have turned over documents to the Senate intelligence committee related to its investigation of Russian meddling in the US election, but Flynn is expected to plead the Fifth Amendment as opposed to complying with the panel's subpoena, according to a source close to Flynn.

When asked by CNN whether his panel would hold Flynn in contempt, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said, "We have to find out whether we have the ability to either hold Gen. Flynn in contempt or whether it's just Fifth Amendment. I've got to get the legal answer to that first."

Warner said he was "disappointed" Flynn didn't produce the documents that were requested, and the committee was still determining if it had other options to get a hold of them.

Flynn's refusal to cooperate comes as he faces scrutiny in several inquiries, including by Capitol Hill and a federal grand jury that has issued subpoenas to associates of the ex-national security adviser.


Flynn's refusal to cooperate will also intensify scrutiny over Trump's decision to hire him initially for the job and his decision to keep him on staff for 18 days after the President was warned by former acting Attorney General Sally Yates that Flynn may have been compromised by the Russians.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has turned over documents to the committee, a source familiar with the filing told CNN on Monday. Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has also complied with the committee's requests and answered its questions, according to Stone's attorney, Robert Buschel.

The Senate committee had asked Flynn earlier this month to produce all records over his communications with Russian officials by this Wednesday. But Flynn is expected to send a letter later Monday invoking his Fifth Amendment rights.

The source close to Flynn said it would be "highly imprudent for him not to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights" given that several members of Congress have called for his prosecution.



Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: 'I believe we should look into obstruction of justice'


The Associated Press first reported Flynn's plans to invoke the Fifth Amendment.

Flynn's decision to decline the subpoena does not come as a surprise to Senate intelligence leaders, as Flynn's lawyer, Robert Kelner, also told the panel last month he would not provide documents in response to an April request.

Flynn was back in the news last week following the revelation that former FBI Director James Comey wrote in a memo that Trump had asked Comey in a meeting to end his investigation into the former national security adviser.

Comey has agreed to testify before the Senate intelligence panel after Memorial Day. Warner said he and Senate intelligence Chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina hoped to meet with Robert Mueller, the Justice Department's special counsel in the Russia investigation, to talk about what Comey can and cannot say in his testimony.

"Our hope is that the chairman and I will be able to sit down and again just kind of get the rules of the road for us going forward with Director Mueller," Warner said.



First on CNN: Russian officials bragged they could use Flynn to influence Trump, sources say


Flynn resigned from the Trump White House in February after it was revealed he'd misled White House officials over his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, which included communication about sanctions.

Flynn previously sought immunity from the Senate committee in exchange for his testimony. Leaders of both the Senate and House panels, which are conducting separate investigations into Russia's election-year meddling, rejected that request.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump blasted aides to Hillary Clinton for taking the Fifth Amendment in relation to the investigation of her use of a private email server while secretary of state. He said at a September Iowa rally: "So there are five people taking the Fifth Amendment, like you see on the mob, right? You see the mob takes the Fifth. If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?"



First on CNN: Comey now believes Trump was trying to influence him, source says


Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican on the intelligence panel, said Flynn's decision would not stop the committee's investigation, tweeting: "It is Mike Flynn's right to plead the 5th. We will get to the truth one way or another. We need facts, not speculation & anonymous sources."


California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate judiciary committee and an intelligence panel member, said Flynn's decision was "unfortunate but not unexpected."

"I believe both the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees should continue to seek other ways to gain access to this information," she said in a statement. "Already (Judiciary) Chairman (Chuck) Grassley and I have sent requests to the White House, FBI and Defense Department for memos, recordings, notes and other documents. The investigation will go on."

Flynn is one of several former Trump aides to whom Senate investigators have sent requests for information to as part of the panel's investigation into connections between Trump associates and Russian officials.

The panel has also sought documents from former campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page.


The House intelligence panel, meanwhile, is requesting documents from former Trump campaign communications adviser Michael Caputo.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/22/politi...fth/index.html

anu Raju and Jeremy Herb, CNN
Updated 12:35 PM ET, Mon May 22, 2017

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican on the intelligence panel, said Flynn's decision would not stop the committee's investigation, tweeting: "It is Mike Flynn's right to plead the 5th. We will get to the truth one way or another. We need facts, not speculation & anonymous sources."

Yes! Thank you! It needs to be pointed out that Mike Flynn is under federal investigation by the FBI.

MAY 22 2017, 3:16 PM ET

Manafort, Stone Turn Over Russia Documents to Senate Intel Committee

by KEN DILANIAN

Two former associates of President Trump — Paul Manafort and Roger Stone — have turned over documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee in its Russia investigation, a congressional source with direct knowledge told NBC News.

Earlier this month, the committee sent document requests to Manafort and Stone, as well as Carter Page and Mike Flynn, officials said previously. The requests sought information pertaining to dealings with Russia.

Page has not yet complied, the congressional source said, and Flynn plans to assert his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination as a reason not to comply with a committee subpoena, a source close to him has said.


Manafort at the Mayflower Hotel for a speech from then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., in April 2016. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images file

The committee's letter to Page asked him to list any Russian official or business executive he met with between June 16, 2015 and Jan. 20, 2017. It also asked him to provide information about Russia-related real estate transactions during that period. And it seeks all his email or other communications during that period with Russians, or with the Trump campaign about Russia or Russians.

Similar letters were sent to Manafort and Stone, and those men sent information to Senate investigators by last Friday's deadline, the congressional source said.

"I gave them all documents that were consistent with their specific request," Stone said in an email to NBC News.

Related: Manafort, Flynn Are Key Figures in Probe Mueller Will Lead

A spokesman for Manafort, Jason Maloni, confirmed that Manafort turned over documents, adding that Manafort remains interested in cooperating with the Senate investigation.

Play

• Embed

Former Trump adviser Roger Stone: I had no contacts with Russian officials 4:36


The congressional source said it was too early to tell whether the documents from Manafort and Stone suggested they had fully complied with the request.

The source added that the
NBC News has reported that as part of the FBI's Russia collusion investigation, federal grand juries have issued subpoenas for records relating to both Flynn and Manafort.

Related: Feds Subpoena Records for Mystery Mortgage on Manafort's $3.5M Home

Flynn's assertion of the Fifth Amendment will make it difficult for the Senate to enforce its subpoena, Senate aides told NBC News. The Senate could go to court, or go ask the Justice Department to go to court to enforce it, but either actin would require the Republicans who control the chamber to agree.

Meanwhile, Flynn can make an argument that his right against self-incrimination extends even to the production of documents that could hurt him, Senate aides said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...mittee-n763141

Michael Flynn Misled Pentagon About His Russia Ties, Letter Says

By MARK MAZZETTI and MATTHEW ROSENBERGMAY 22, 2017

Photo
Michael T. Flynn at Trump Tower in Manhattan in January. His rejection of a subpoena from senators puts him at risk of being held in contempt of Congress. CreditSam Hodgson for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn misled Pentagon investigators about his income from Russian companies and contacts with Russian officials when he applied for a top-secret security clearance last year, according to a letter released Monday by the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

Mr. Flynn, who resigned this year as President Trump’s national security adviser, told investigators in February 2016 that he had received no income from foreign companies and had only “insubstantial contact” with foreign nationals, according to the letter. In fact, Flynn had two months earlier sat beside President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia at a Moscow gala for RT, the Kremlin-financed television network, which paid Mr. Flynn more than $45,000 to attend the event and give a separate speech.

His failure to make those disclosures and his apparent attempt to mislead the Pentagon could put Mr. Flynn in further legal jeopardy.

Intentionally lying to federal investigators is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Separately, he also faces legal questions over failing to properly register as a foreign agent for lobbying he did last year on behalf of Turkey while advising the Trump campaign, which is also a felony.






Document: Cummings Urges Chaffetz to Subpoena Flynn

The House Oversight letter, written by Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, was made public hours after Mr. Flynn formally rejected a subpoena from senators investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and chose to instead invoke his right against self-incrimination, a person familiar with his decision said.

Mr. Flynn had been ordered by the Senate Intelligence Committee to hand over emails and other records related to any dealings with Russians as part of that panel’s investigation into Russian election meddling. His decision to invoke his Fifth Amendment right puts him at risk of being held in contempt of Congress, which can also result in a criminal charge.

The controversies surrounding the Trump White House’s ties to Russia have overshadowed the early months of the new administration, and Mr. Flynn has been at the center of the maelstrom. He is under scrutiny both by congressional committees and by federal law enforcement agencies for his ties to Russia and his business dealings with Turkey.

In February, Mr. Trump asked James B. Comey, then the F.B.I. director, to end the bureau’s investigation into Mr. Flynn, a request some legal experts have said amounts to obstruction of justice.

Lawmakers had previously asserted that Mr. Flynn had failed to disclose the income he had received for the Moscow trip to obtain security clearance to work in the White House, but the letter released on Monday shows he had misled investigators during a previous attempt to renew his clearance, months before Mr. Trump won election.

Mr. Cummings quoted directly from the Pentagon report detailing his clearance process. The Pentagon document itself, a “Report of Investigation” from March 2016, was not included with his letter sent to Representative Jason Chaffetz, the Utah Republican who is chairman of the Oversight Committee.

Mr. Flynn’s lawyer, Robert Kelner, did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/u...nate.html?_r=0

Apparently only democrats and leftest are allowed to plead the fifth.

The money wasn't paid by foreign companies, it was paid to Flynn by a US-based Speaker's Bureau. Furthermore, the Pentagon knew about his trip to Russia to make the speech both before he agreed to do it and after he returned.

Originally Posted by posylady

Apparently only democrats and leftest are allowed to plead the fifth.

Apparently "civil rights" only matter to DemoQuacks when the subject is an illegal alien or someone who killed a cop.

Russians Paid Mike Flynn $45K for Moscow Speech, Documents ...

Mar 16, 2017 - The state-sponsored Russian television network RT paid former Defense Intelligence Agency head Mike Flynn more than $45,000, plus perks, ...



Trump adviser Flynn paid by multiple Russia-related entities, new ...

Mar 16, 2017 - The newly released documents show that Flynn was also paid ... said the payments were made for speeches Flynn delivered in Washington.




Russian companies paid Michael Flynn nearly $70,000 before the ...

Mar 17, 2017 - Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was paid more than ... covered by the network and in speech fees from other Russian firms.



Michael Flynn paid over $30,000 by Russian TV, top House Dem says ...

Mar 16, 2017 - Former top Trump aide Flynn paid over $30,000 by Russian TV, top ... for a speech in Moscow in December 2015, a top Democrat on the ...



Michael Flynn Was Paid by Russian-Linked Firms, Letter Shows - The ...

Mar 16, 2017 - ... of that trip, RT paid him more than $45,000 to deliver a speech at an ... Kaspersky Lab said in a statement that Mr.Flynn was paid a fee for ...




Mike Flynn Paid by Russian Company for Speech on Logistics ...

Mar 17, 2017 - The Russian air-cargo company that paid thousands of dollars to former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn said the money was for a 2015 ...



Flynn was paid $34000 for Moscow speech, documents show - Politico

Mar 16, 2017 - Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was paid nearly $34,000 to speak at a 2015 gala in Moscow honoring the Russian propaganda ...



Russian company explains why it paid Flynn for speech in 2015 ...

Mar 17, 2017 - A subsidiary of the Russian cybersecurity Kaspersky Lab group paid to adviser to the U.S. President Donald Trump on national security Michael ...



Flynn Was Paid By Russia for 2015 Trip – Talking Points Memo

Feb 13, 2017 - FLYNN: I was asked by my speaker's bureau, LAI. I do public speaking. It was in Russia. It was a paid speaking opportunity. I get paid so much.



Pentagon found no documents approving Flynn's pay for Russia TV ...

Feb 17, 2017 - Mr. Flynn accepted an invitation to Moscow in late 2015 to give a paid, sit-down interview with Russian state television network RT and to ...

Former top Trump aide Flynn paid over $30,000 by Russian TV, top House Dem says

By Jim Sciutto and Ryan Browne, CNN
Updated 6:45 PM ET, Thu March 16, 2017

Washington (CNN)Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, was paid more than $33,750 by Russia's state-run broadcaster RT TV-Russia for a speech in Moscow in December 2015, a top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee has learned.

The US intelligence community has long assessed RT to be a propaganda tool of the Kremlin, writing in its January report on Russian interference in the US election that the organization had participated in disinformation campaigns aimed at the US.

Flynn had previously acknowledged the speaking engagement, telling multiple news outlets in July and August that he received money for the speech. But he declined to state the amount, saying that the source of the funds was his US speakers bureau, not the Russian broadcaster, which US intelligence agencies describe as an instrument of the Russian government.

"I didn't take any money from Russia," Flynn told Yahoo News in July.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter Thursday questioning whether Flynn reported the payment as required by both law and military regulations. In addition, receiving money from a foreign government without approval from his relevant branch of service violates military regulations.

Documents obtained by the oversight committee and shared with CNN show that RT, formerly known as Russia Today, specifically earmarked Flynn's compensation as part of the payment package to the speakers bureau, Leading Authorities Inc., which also included the bureau's fee and visa expenses.

In an email exchange between RT and the speakers bureau that the House committee acquired and was reviewed by CNN, a representative from RT said that the initial asking price for Flynn's appearance as "a bit too high" and asked the company to reduce the fee.

The committee also obtained a purported copy of the check the speakers bureau provided Flynn.

The House Oversight Committee also acquired an email dated November 13, 2015, from an official of RT TV-Russia stating, "We will be covering the payment of General Flynn's fee from our London office."

Price Floyd, a spokesman for Flynn, told CNN that "Gen. Flynn reported the trip to the DIA both before he went to Russia and after he returned."

As the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Flynn was obligated to inform the agency of the trip. The payment, however, would have needed to be reported to a different part of the Pentagon.

Asked if Flynn reported the payment, Floyd had no comment.

According to the documents, Flynn also received $11,250 from a Russian charter cargo airline and $11,250 from a Russia-based cybersecurity corporation, though neither of those companies were state-owned.

Cummings wrote a letter addressed to Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and FBI Director James Comey highlighting the payment documentation and questioning whether Flynn appropriately revealed the financial arrangements when he completed his form SF-86, an official document required by anyone seeking a security clearance for a position in government.

In the letter, Cummings accused Flynn of violating the emoluments clause as it pertains to military regulations that prohibit retired military officers from receiving payments from a foreign government.

According to regulations, Flynn would have had to have sought approval from the Army to receive such payment, something the Army has no record of.

Flynn was forced to resign as Trump's national security adviser after reports emerged that he had mischaracterized his communications with the Russian ambassador to the US to Vice President Mike Pence.

Last week, Flynn registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department, acknowledging that the work he did on behalf of a Turkish-owned company during the transition may have benefited the Turkish government.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/16/politi...-rt-russia-tv/

_____________________

This is why Americans have civil rights under the US Constitution to protect their rights of free speech (making a speech) and why we have a due process clause, a 4th Amendment, a 5th Amendment, 6th Amendment, and before this WITCH HUNT is over, it will probably include a whole lot more in a major civil rights lawsuit against every employee of every department of the US government and US Congress who have violated the privacy and civil rights of General Michael Flynn and several others.

STAY STRONG PRESIDENT TRUMP, GENERAL MICHAEL FLYNN, PAUL MANAFORT, ROGER STONE, CARTER PAGE, MICHAEL CAPUTO, JARED KUSHNER, ETC., ETC., ETC.

The Enemy Within is in full last resort desperation mode. Our President is DRAINING THE SWAMP, and it's not going to be easy or pretty. Vigilance is required.

Can Michael Flynn refuse to turn over documents to Congress? Yes — but he risks jail.

By Philip Bump May 22 at 6:23 PM

This article has been updated.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s reticence to testify before Congress about his behavior before and after the inauguration of Donald Trump was always obvious. His attorney indicated that Flynn would testify in exchange for immunity back in March — a ploy that seemed designed to muck up any external criminal investigation of Flynn. Such an investigation has since been reported, with subpoenas issued by the U.S. attorney’s office in Northern Virginia for records related to Flynn’s business.

On Monday, the Associated Press reported that Flynn would not comply with a similar subpoena issued by the Senate, prompting an obvious question: Is he allowed to ignore that request?

The answer is yes, in the sense that you can also refuse to comply with an order from a police officer. That is, he can refuse — but there will likely be consequences.

Todd Bussert, a federal criminal defense attorney in Connecticut, spoke with The Post by phone Monday to explain what might happen in response to Flynn’s refusal to turn over the requested documents.

The Fifth Amendment “doesn’t have the same level of protection” when it comes to documents, Bussert said.

“Congressional action is analogous to what you see in a criminal context,” Bussert said. “What you often see is the U.S. attorney’s office or law enforcement agencies working with the U.S. attorney’s office coming in and gathering documents from a company or an individual. They may have valid Fifth Amendment claims — they couldn’t be compelled to speak to agents or what have you — but they can’t refuse to comply with the subpoena for documents. You have to produce those — even though those may be incriminating.”

Put another way, the Fifth Amendment protects you from making incriminatory comments about yourself — but it doesn’t protect you from things you’ve said in the past.

Documents are similarly a form of past behavior to which the Fifth Amendment doesn’t apply.

That said, there is a Fifth Amendment protection that comes into play. Eric Delinsky, partner at the Washington-based firm Zuckerman Spaeder, explained that there is a concept known as the “act of production” doctrine.

“If the act of producing documents in response to a subpoena or other order would incriminate or exculpate an individual then that person can invoke the Fifth Amendment privilege and decline to produce the material,” he said when we spoke by phone. Delinsky cited the case of United States v. Webster Hubbell, in which Hubbell’s attorneys argued that the request to dig through a large cache of documents to pick out ones specific to a subpoena itself was a “testimonial act.”

The risk to Flynn is that the Senate committee demanding the documents could vote to hold him in contempt. If they were to do so, the full Senate would be asked to weigh in on the matter and, if the Senate agreed to hold Flynn in contempt, the matter would be referred to the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington for criminal charges. In other words, Flynn could end up being convicted of a crime for withholding the documents and face prison time — regardless of what the documents say.

Granted, that demands the political will of a Republican-controlled Senate and, ultimately, on the willingness of the U.S. attorney’s office — a branch of Donald Trump’s Department of Justice — to press charges.

As Bussert notes, there’s good reason for the Senate to draw a hard line.

“Congressional interest in terms of pursuing contempt probably is influenced by the amount of public attention the matter is getting,” he said. “If there’s a lot of attention given to a particular matter, they don’t necessarily want to send the message that they’re willing to let somebody flout the subpoena.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...he-risks-jail/