Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s first pick for National Security Adviser who stepped down when reports surfaced about his communications with a Russian diplomat ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, now must provide documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee or face time behind bars.
Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC), chairman of the committee, and Mark Warner (D-VA), ranking member, asked Flynn late last month to submit documents about his contact with the Russian official but he declined to do so, the press release issued last week announcing the subpoena said.
“The subpoena requests documents relevant to the committee’s investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 election,” the press release said.
If Flynn doesn’t respond, he could potentially face a maximum of a year in jail and a $100,000 fine for contempt of Congress, Newsweek reported.
In March, the committee rejected Flynn’s request for immunity if he testified before the committee.
“A senior congressional official with direct knowledge said Flynn’s lawyer was told it was ‘wildly preliminary’ and that immunity was ‘not on the table’ at the moment. A second source said the committee communicated that it is ‘not receptive’ to Flynn’s request ‘at this time,’” NBC reported.
Flynn is being investigated for his contact with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., during the transition period ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
The Senate committee also sent document requests to Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former adviser Roger Stone, and former campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page, according to Newsweek.
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