Jim Bourg/Reuters
Michael Flynn reportedly did not disclose a payment he received from the Russian government when the Defense Intelligence Agency, which Flynn used to lead, renewed his clearance last year. According to NBC News, Flynn told the DIA of the trip to Moscow but did not disclose that he was paid. Retired generals are required to seek permission from the secretary of state and the secretary of the Army before accepting foreign payments. It was previously revealed that Flynn, who resigned in February as national security adviser, did not disclose that payment and another from the Turkish government on his security clearance application before he assumed his role in the Trump administration. The new information contradicts White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s remarks on Monday in which he blamed the Obama administration for renewing the clearance. “If President Obama truly was concerned about General Flynn, why didn’t he suspend General Flynn’s security clearance, which they had just re-approved months earlier?” Spicer said. Earlier Monday, the White House confirmed earlier reports that former President Barack Obama warned then-President-elect Donald Trump against hiring Flynn for the critical post.