The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is reporting on Monday that President Donald Trump's selection for National Security Advisor, retired three-star general Michael Flynn, is the first person serving in the Trump White House to come under the microscope of several government agencies, including the FBI, the CIA, the NSA and the Department of Treasury. The role of the National Security Advisor is typically the most influential in advising the President on matters of national security.
Sources told the WSJ that the nature of the inquiry is to determine whether any laws were violated by these contacts during the presidential campaign and during the transition period after the election.
Among the others being investigated that were close to Trump include his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, close advisor Roger Stone and Carter Page.
General Michael Flynn contact with Russian ambassador to U.S. under scrutiny
The probe of Gen. Flynn is reportedly centering on a series of phone calls on Dec. 29 between Mr. Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. That was the very same day President Barack Obama punished the Russians with severe sanctions for interfering with the 2016 presidential election with cyber attacks aimed at hurting Hillary Clinton and electing Donald Trump.
Counterintelligence agents have investigated communications by Trump’s national security adviser https://t.co/4gNYDfVEiR
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 23, 2017
This is a contentious issue President Trump vehemently denies and an issue that Russian President Vladimir Putin has also denied and mocked.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer dismissed the phone call as just calls about logistics for future contact, but Spicer has now come under criticism in view of Saturday's disastrous press briefing in which he presented "alternative facts" about the size of the inauguration crowd, according to White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on NBC's Meet the Press with Chuck Todd.
From tonight's @WSJ report on US intel investigation of Michael Flynn-Russian dealings. Spicer’s denials now have no credibility. Period. pic.twitter.com/GWt79L5NcR
— Frank Rich (@frankrichny) January 23, 2017
Former Trump campaign manager may have violated the law
The contact with Russia has been controversial throughout the presidential campaign and had not stopped during the transition period following the election.
Last August, Kellyanne Conway was promoted by Trump as his campaign manager, replacing Paul Manafort who was forced to resign after allegations of his lobbying on behalf of former Ukraine President and Vladimir Putin ally, Viktor F. Yanukovych. Paul Manafort received 22 payments of $12.7 million Yanukovych. Later it was revealed Paul Manafort that money was secretly routed to the tune of $2.2 million, to two D.C. lobbying firms in 2012, which is a clear violation of federal statutes that do not allow obscuring these type of payments.
