Rep. Elijah Cummings questioned the honesty of retired Gen. Michael Flynn, the president's national security adviser. | Getty Democrats ratchet up call to investigate Flynn

Top Democrats demanded answers Friday about reports President Donald Trump's top national security aide lied — and may have misled his White House colleagues — about his dealings with Russia.

Seizing on reports that national security adviser Michael Flynn secretly discussed sanctions with Russia's U.S. ambassador in December, Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, pleaded with Republicans to investigate Flynn. Cummings said he has "grave questions" about Flynn's honesty — and whether other White House officials were aware of those discussions.


"If this new report is true, we need to ask not only whether General Flynn should be leading our national security efforts, but whether he should even hold a security clearance," Cummings said in a statement.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have been silent. A spokeswoman for Oversight committee chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) declined to address Cummings' call.

Reports in The Washington Post and The New York Times — sourced to numerous current and former national security officials — indicated that Flynn suggested a round of sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama on Russia could be amended by Trump. Those sanctions were imposed in retaliation for Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, a finding that U.S. intelligence agencies agree was intended to help boost Trump's prospects.

Flynn, a retired lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency head under the Obama administration, has separately come under criticism for delivering a paid speech and dining with President Vladimir Putin in Russia in 2015. Cummings last week joined other House Democrats to call for an inquiry into whether Flynn's trip may have violated the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which prohibits U.S. officials from accepting payments from foreign governments.

In that inquiry, he requested Flynn's security clearance application an any updates he may have obtained to it. "Now there is more urgency for the Oversight Committee to make this request," he said.

A slew of Democrats have followed Cummings' lead, including House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, who demanded a full investigation to determine whether any U.S. laws were broken.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), ranking member on the House intelligence committee, said that if the reports are true, Flynn should "no longer serve in this administration or any other." Rep. Eric Swalwell, another California Democrat, tweeted that Trump should immediately suspend Flynn and revoke his access to classified information until an investigation is complete.