Trump's team knew Michael Flynn was under investigation

'The royals are an embarrassment for being so cold': Meghan Markle's half-sister Samantha blasts her duchess sibling for 'ignoring their father', saying if he dies 'Meg is responsible'
'I don't know what I'm going to do without her': The last words of heartbroken father-of-nine, 59, who collapsed and died just ONE hour after being told his partner of 35 years had been killed in a car crash
President Trump approved decision to announce Russian indictments before Putin meeting 'because he thought it would give him the upper hand'
Yeezy diplomacy: Dennis Rodman plans to invite Kanye West to visit North Korea with him and meet Kim Jong-un... and claims the unlikely trip could inspire his next album
'Suck it up cupcake': Sarah Palin doubles down on claim that Sacha Baron Cohen impersonated a wounded veteran while street artist attacks Borat star for mocking disabled people in guerrilla ad campaign
Thai cave soccer team leave hospital… and get ready for a match! Boys set off to attend press conference before they enjoy a kick-about in front of world's media
Is Yellowstone about to blow? Vast rock fissure sparks URGENT closure at nearby Grand Teton National Park, just 60 miles from supervolcano
Goldman Sachs replaces Lloyd Blankfein as CEO with a 56-year-old banker who moonlights as a DJ at clubs all over the world
Say cheese! Fugitive Florida couple pose and smile with police after they are arrested following a high speed chase - and then laugh as they inspect the photo
'I play for the Buffalo Bills - I don't want no drama': Newly released 911 call reveals NFL star LeSean McCoy hoped to peacefully evict his girlfriend in 2017 - a year before last week's brutal pistol-whip attack on her
Left high and dry: Widow of father-of-three crushed to death by a ski lift is being denied half his workers' compensation because he LEGALLY used marijuana
Humans reached North America 6,500 years EARLIER than first thought: Discovery of 150,000 'unique' stone tools suggest humans already lived on the continent 20,000 years ago
Pastor claims he carried out ritual murders of more than 600 children handed to him by devil-worshipping doctors and nurse
'Yes I'm guilty as hell!' Ex-congressman makes grovelling apology as he is blasted by Piers Morgan for endorsing the arming of children with weapons on Sacha Baron Cohen's new show
How to tell if you're seeing a LOSER: Sex expert Tracey Cox reveals the 10 easy-to-spot signs to look for within the first THREE dates
Elon Musk and Google DeepMind lead thousands of tech experts in signing pledge against killer robots, claiming 'the decision to take a life should never be delegated to a machine'
Rude drawings, forged signatures and VERY creative worksheet solutions: Amused parents share their children's hilarious homework fails
Earliest memories begin after the age of two because the brain hasn't developed the ability to remember yet
From roughing it in a van to fish and chips by the beach: Snapshots from Meghan Markle's 2015 trip to New Zealand reflect a VERY different holiday to the lavish royal tour she's set to embark on
Is Meghan getting fashion advice over the PHONE? How the Duchess’ best friend Jessica Mulroney is masterminding the royal’s wardrobe from 3,500 miles away in Canada
'All they have to do is speak to me': Meghan Markle's defiant father Thomas says he won't stop talking to the media until he's a part of his daughter's life, a day before his 74th birthday
Pilots of jet that plunged 25,000ft after vaping in the cockpit caused a decompression event are stripped of their flying licences
Does your child have a broad enough vocabulary? How many words should your toddler know by ages 1, 2 and 3 - and whether pronunciation really matters
Trump's darkest day: Defiant president calls Putin summit a 'great success' - hours after he tried to end the crisis by saying he DOES believe Russia meddled in 2016, but was cut off by John Kelly turning off the lights

Report claims Flynn told transition team he was being investigated on January 4
The New York Times states Flynn told transition team attorney Donald McGahn
The federal investigation was looking into whether or not Flynn was secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the presidential campaign last year
If true, report means Trump's transition team knew Flynn was being investigated earlier than previously stated and before he entered the White House

Published: 22:02 EDT, 17 May 2017 | Updated: 08:59 EDT, 18 May 2017

e-mail

664

View
comments

Michael Flynn reportedly told Donald Trump and his transition team he was under investigation weeks before the president moved into the White House.

The New York Times reports Flynn himself told the Trump camp: 'he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign'.

The Times claims two people familiar with the Flynn case told the former national security adviser he was being investigated. The 58-year-old reportedly then informed Trump's chief lawyer, Donald McGahn, on January 4.

Flynn, according to the newspaper, had another conversation with lawyers on the transition team two days later.

Michael Flynn reportedly told Donald Trump and his transition team he was under investigation weeks before the president moved into the White House. Flynn is pictured during a press briefing in the White House on February 1

Those reported conversations, if true, would prove Trump and his team knew about the investigation into Flynn well before it has been reported up until now.

The news comes after former acting Attorney General Sally Yates testified before Congress last week she had told McGahn Flynn 'likely could be blackmailed by the Russians.'

Yates had warned the White House Flynn had lied to Vice President Mike Pence on discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador, and Pence subsequently made public statements repeating those untruths.

Flynn was fired just 24 days into his job, but he time with the White House has had a lingering impact.

The New York Times reports Flynn himself told the Trump camp: 'he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign'

James Comey was fired on May 9. Prior to that, it has been reported Donald Trump asked him to end the investigation into Flynn

After he was sacked, Trump reportedly tried to get former FBI Director James Comey to drop the investigation into the ex-general.

Comey did not. He was controversially fired by the president on May 9.

It was also reported by CNN this month President Barack Obama warned Trump against hiring Flynn during a face-to-face meeting in November.

The Times reports the White House would not comment on whether it was aware of Flynn’s legal status prior to January's inauguration.

The newspaper goes on to state it has seen one of the subpoenas that is part of a grand jury inquiry in Northern Virginia into Flynn's lobbying.

It reportedly demands access to 'records, research, contracts, bank records, communications' linked to Flynn's work with his lobbying group - which he set up in 2014.

Flynn reportedly told Don McGahn (pictured in Trump Tower on November 15) he was under federal investigation on January 4

Donald Trump and Mike Flynn are seen on stage together in Colorado on October 18, 2016

Specifically, according to the Times, the investigation is based on work Flynn did for Inovo BV, a Dutch company owned by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin. Alptekin is known to have close ties to Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

The newspaper claims Flynn's company signed a $600,000 deal with Inovo in August last year to 'run an influence campaign aimed at discrediting Fethullah Gulen'.

Gulen was accused by Erdogan of trying to orchestrate a coup in Turkey.

The Times reports Flynn failed to report he had been hired by Alptekin - as he is required to do by US law, and only did so retroactively in March this year.

In November, Flynn wrote a piece blasting Gulen - calling him 'a shady Islamic mullah'. The op-ed also called on American politicians to recognize Turkey as 'vital to US interests', and he attacked President Obama for keeping the country at 'arm's length'.