CONYERS & CUMMINGS CALL FOR IMMEDIATE BRIEFING ON ALARMING NEW DISCLOSURES CONCERNING FLYNN BEING SUBJECT TO RUSSIAN BLACKMAIL

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Ranking Member on the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Ranking Member on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following joint statement:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“We were shocked and dismayed to learn this evening of reports that three weeks ago, U.S. law enforcement officials warned the White House Counsel that General Flynn had provided false information to the public about his communications with the Russian government, but that the Trump Administration apparently did nothing about it – neither to clarify the truth to the American public or to stop General Flynn from being an ongoing national security concern.

“Just a few hours before he resigned, Kellyanne Conway said Mr. Trump had “full confidence in Flynn.” The reality is General Flynn was unfit to be the National Security Advisor, and should have been dismissed three weeks ago. Now, we in Congress need to know who authorized his actions, permitted them, and continued to let him have access to our most sensitive national security information despite knowing these risks. We need to know who else within the White House is a current and ongoing risk to our national security.

“While Congressional Republicans have turned a blind eye to their constitutional duty to conduct oversight on these issues, we Democrats believe that this new disclosure warrants a full classified briefing by all relevant agencies, including the Department of Justice and the FBI, as soon as possible and certainly beforeThursday, February 16. We are communicating this request to the Department of Justice and FBI this evening.”