[Published: Tuesday May 23 2017]
US ex-national security adviser ducks Senate inquiry
Washington 23 May (ANA) - Fired US national security adviser Michael Flynn has refused to hand files to a Senate panel probing alleged Russian political meddling. Mr Flynn invoked his right against self-incrimination, his lawyers said. The Senate Intelligence Committee is investigating possible links between the Trump campaign and Kremlin. Meanwhile President Trump is reported to have asked two top national security officials to publicly deny that there was any evidence of collusion. The Washington Post says he made the request to Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats and Admiral Michael S Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, in March. Both refused to comply with the request, the newspaper quoted current and former officials as saying. The White House has not yet commented on the allegations. Michael Flynn stood down from his new role as national security adviser in February after it emerged he lied about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. Senate Intelligence Committee chairmen Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner said they were "disappointed" at his decision not to hand over files. Mr Flynn also faces new allegations that he misled officials about his connections with Russia. He claimed his overseas trips were paid for by US companies but one high-profile visit to Moscow was in fact financed by an arm of the Russian government, according to documents released by the Democratic Party. The Senate committee issued a subpoena - a legal summons - two weeks ago to obtain documents related to Mr Flynn's contacts with Russians dating back to June 2015.(ANA)
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