“To restate the obvious, you don’t want your national security adviser compromised with the Russians.” Former acting US attorney general Sally Yates — May 08 2017

The Flynn saga goes on and it starts to look really bad for the former NSA. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

In the last 24 hours, we learned that:

Obama had warned Trump not to pick Flynn as his NSA Former Attorney General warned the white House that Flynn was lying about his Russian contacts and thus compromised Flynn never filled the CIA “vetting” documents

All this is beyond surreal. From January 26 2017 to February 13 2017, Flynn continued to have access to top Intel reports despite the fact that he was obviously compromised.

By the time he was fired on February 14 2017, he was still not vetted by the IC despite having been picked as Trump’s NSA on November 18 2016.

Obama warned Trump

On November 10, Obama warned Trump about Flynn during their Oval Office meeting. [Note: Keep an eye on the Timeline!]

“Given the importance of the job, the President through there were better people for it, and that Flynn wasn’t up for the job,” a former senior Obama administration official told CNN Monday. Other former Obama administration officials said then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper didn’t think highly of Flynn, and in fact was the person who recommended Flynn’s firing as DNI in 2014. Flynn’s focus was generally limited to terrorism and didn’t know much about many other issues important for the national security adviser job, such as China, the officials said. But at least one former Obama official disputed that, saying Obama’s concerns were not related to the firing of Flynn from the Defense Intelligence Agency but rather in the course of the investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election.

Former Attorney General warned the white House

On January 26 (2017), former acting US attorney general Sally Yates warned the White House that then national security adviser Michael Flynn was “compromised” and open to blackmail by the Russian government.

Yates said that she telephoned McGahn on the morning of 26 January, two days after the FBI interviewed Flynn about the contacts and had given her a detailed readout of the interview. She told McGahn she needed to meet him in person because what she had to say was so sensitive. Yates and a senior justice department colleague met McGahn the same afternoon in a secure room in the White House and told him that statements made by Pence and other administration officials about Flynn’s behaviour were untrue, and that “Flynn’s underlying conduct was problematic in and of itself”. McGahn called Yates back to the White House on 27 January and put further questions to her about Flynn. According to her Senate testimony, the White House counsel asked her: “Why does it matter to the Department of Justice whether one White House official lies to another White House official?” “We explained to him that it’s a lot more than that,” Yates said. “We also said that we weren’t the only ones who knew this. The Russians also knew what General Flynn had done and that what Pence said was not true. The Russians not only knew this but they also likely had proof.”

Flynn never filled the FBI & CIA “vetting” documents

Michael Flynn never completed the required background check with the CIA for his position in the Trump administration.

Flynn had clearance from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which was renewed in April 2016.

But in January 2017, when he became White House national security adviser, he was required to fill out a new security clearance form to be vetted by the FBI and the CIA.

The background check was not completed before Flynn’s resignation on February 14 2017.

TIMELINE

2013 — As DIA chief, Flynn visited the GRU headquarters in Moscow. He was the first US officer ever allowed inside its headquarters. A second GRU visit was planned but denied. During this trip, he meets Russian diplomat Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak for the first time. February 2014 — Flynn meets Svetlana Lokhova at Cambridge (CIS) April 2014 — Flynn ‘quits’ the Defense Intelligence Agency October 8 2014 — a letter to Flynn from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Office of General Counsel explicitly warns Flynn, as he entered retirement, that he was prohibited by the Constitution from receiving payments from foreign sources without advance permission. Summer 2015 –Flynn meets Trump for the first time after being invited to do so by his team May 2016 — Flynn joins NSO Group as an “adviser” July 15 2016 — Attempted coup in Turkey. Ankara claims Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 1999, masterminded the failed putsch. Extradition requested. Turkey Coup: “CIA Plotters’ Meeting” in Büyükada August 9 2016 — Flynn Intel Group entered into a contract with Inovo, a consulting firm based in the Netherlands. The work focused on Mr. Fethullah Gulen and charter schools in the United States that are associated with Gulen. August 15 2016 — The Flynn – Inovo contract goes into effect. August 15 2016 — Presidential Candidate donald Trump tweets: “I’ve got fresh evidence 13 CIA senior officers helped in Turkey Failed Coup. I will divulge the names in the coming days.” Trump and the Attempted Coup in Turkey : “13 CIA senior officers helped in Failed Coup” August 24 2016 — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Turkey. Biden made it clear that an extradition request is a legal matter, not one for the POTUS to decide. September 9 2016 — Inovo BV Payments to Flynn Intel Group $200k September 19 2016 — Flynn met with senior representatives of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government at the Essex House hotel in New York City. Extradition of Gulen discussed. The Turkish officials are Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Energy Minister Berat Albayrak who is the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. October [x] 2016 — Flynn Intel officials presented some of their ‘anti-Gulen’ research to the House Homeland Security Committee. October 10 2016 — Inovo BV Payments to Flynn Intel Group $185k November 8 2016 — Suspicions about Flynn’s ties to the Turkish government were sparked by an op-ed he wrote in the Hill. Flynn calls Gulen ‘shady’ and endorses his extradition. November 10 2016 — Mike Flynn calling for the extradition of Gulen November 10, 2016 — Obama warned Trump about Flynn during their Oval Office meeting November 15 2016 — Inovo BV Payments to Flynn Intel Group $145k November 17 2016 — President-elect Trump intends to pick Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn to be his National Security Advisor November 18 2016 — Flynn become Trump’s NSA December 17 2016 — Three experts — including former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove — unexpectedly resigned from their positions at the Cambridge Intelligence Seminar (CIS), amid concerns that the Kremlin is behind a newly-established intelligence journal, which provides funding for CIS. December 28 2016 — Flynn sends text message to Russia Amb. Kislyak to wish him a Merry Christmas. December 28 2016 — Russia Amb. Kislyak replies asking if they can talk on the phone? December 29 2016 — US expels Russian diplomats over cyber attack allegations. The Obama administration said the GRU is responsible for the DNC hack. December 29 2016 — Flynn and Russia Amb. Kislyak phone calls (5?). US sanctions are discussed. December 30 2016 — Putin announced that he would not retaliate. Trump praised Putin for the decision, writing in a Twitter post, “Great move on delay (by V.Putin). I always knew he was very smart!” Jan 5 2017 — “Effective immediately, Ambassador Woolsey is no longer a Senior Advisor to President-Elect Trump or the Transition.”Woolsey said on CNN that he did not want to “fly under false colors” any longer. January 24 2017 — Mike Flynn interviewed by the FBI (At the White House; No lawyer) January 24 2017 —Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general, again raised the issue with FBI Comey, who now backed away from his opposition to informing the White House. January 26 2017 — Yates and a senior career national security official spoke to McGahn, the White House counsel. Yates tells the White House counsel that Flynn is vulnerable to blackmail by Russian intelligence.Yates considered Flynn’s comments in the intercepted call with Russia Amb. Kislyak to be “highly significant” and “potentially illegal” January 27 2017 — Yates and McGahn second meeting. McGahn wants to know 4 Things. Why the DOJ cares? Is there a criminal case? Could the White House decision be interpreted as interference? What and where is the evidence against Flynn? February 14 2017 — National Security Adviser Mike Flynn resigns March 8 2017 — Flynn Intel Group Inc filed retroactive documents with the Department of Justice to register as a foreign agent. March 24 2017 — WSJ breaks the news of the September 19 meeting (Woolsey). The meeting was however mentioned in the documents filed on March 8 2017. March 25 2017 — Julliette Kayyem (CNN) suggests Flynn made a deal with the FBI May 9 2017 — CNN reported that a grand jury had begun issuing subpoenas to associates of Michael Flynn

Sally Yates TESTIFIES on Mike Flynn Trump Russia Ties 5.8.2017

REFERENCES

Mike Flynn at risk of Russian blackmail, Sally Yates warned White House — The Guardian

Obama warned Trump about hiring Flynn — CNN

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Former NSA Mike Flynn: Obama warned Trump on Nov. 10