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Special prosecutor Robert Mueller asks White House for documents on Flynn
Move indicates that Mueller is not focussed only on Flynn’s contacts with Russians but also at his financial dealings.
The investigators of special prosecutor Robert Mueller — probing US President Donald Trump’s team for possible connections to Russia — are reported to be looking into former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s contacts with the Turkish government during the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign, and whether he secretly accepted payments from it.
They have sought related documents from the White House and have asked related information from witnesses during interviews, a significant development in the Russia investigation.
The New York Times, which first reported this development, said that though the documents were not sought through a subpoena, this was the first instance of records being sought from the White House.
What it also indicated was that Mueller was not focussed only on Flynn’s contacts with Russians or his lying about them but was at his financial dealings.
Flynn’s consulting business Flynn Intel Group is alleged to have received $530,000 from a Turkish American businessman to run a campaign maligning an opponent of the Turkish government, said to have been behind last year’s failed coup in Ankara.
The New York Times report said investigators want to know if that money was paid on behalf of the Turkish government, and whether payments were made to the businessman to keep secret the source of said money.
