Pentagon looks to recoup money from Flynn for unsanctioned foreign payments: report

The Department of Defense is seeking to recoup thousands of dollars from former national security advisor Michael Flynn after determining that the retired general failed to disclose foreign payments.

Flynn, who served for three weeks under then-President Trump, received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Turkish and Russian entities in 2015 without approval from the U.S. government, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

The U.S. Army told Flynn in May that it is seeking a sum of $38,557.06 after finding that the former general received the same amount from the Russian government for attending a dinner in celebration of Russian news agency RT.

This finding, among others, was released in a January memo to the Army that dealt with the results of an investigation of Flynn.

Flynn did not “obtain the approvals of the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of State,” resulting in “a violation of the Emoluments Clause,” according to army lawyer Craig R. Schmauder.

The Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution requires that former members of the U.S. military must receive approval from the government before they are able to receive money from governments of other countries.

“When there is a finding that a military retiree has violated the Emoluments Clause, the United States Government may pursue a debt collection,” Schmauder wrote in a letter seeking the $38,557.06 sum from Flynn.