Sens. Richard Blumenthal, pictured, and Jeanne Shaheen are asking that Flynn's record of safeguarding secrets be looked in to. | AP Photo Senators urge review of Flynn’s security clearance

Two Democratic senators are asking the Obama administration to review Mike Flynn's security clearance, saying Donald Trump's pick for national security adviser "reportedly has a record of mishandling classified intelligence."

Flynn, who as a Trump surrogate during the campaign led the charge against Hillary Clinton over her private email server, would be privy to some of the nation's most heavily guarded secrets as the top security adviser to the president.


But Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire are asking the current administration to look into Flynn's record of safeguarding secrets during his career in the Army, which culminated in him leading the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The senators released a letter on Wednesday sent last week to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, FBI Director James Comey and the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, Beth Cobert.

"He was investigated for leaking highly classified information to several other countries and recently made public comments defending and encouraging such illegal practices," said the senators, both members of the Armed Services Committee. "He is also reported to have knowingly provided highly sensitive compartmented information and code word classified information about the Haqqani terrorist network to Pakistan."

The letter cites Flynn's ties to Russia — he attended a dinner in Moscow with Vladimir Putin last year — and says he "appears to have an unresolved conflict of interest" because of his ownership of the Flynn Intel Group. The firm has lobbied on behalf of Turkish business interests.

"This ongoing business relationship of Flynn Intel Group, owned by General Flynn and operated by his son, creates the potential for pressure, coercion, and exploitation by foreign agents," the senators said.

The letter was released the same day The Washington Post reported that in 2010 a U.S. military investigation found that Flynn "inappropriately shared" classified information with U.S. allies in Afghanistan.

But, the investigation found, "there was no actual or potential damage to national security as a result."