Senate Judiciary Committee requests FBI, DOJ briefing on Michael Flynn
Flynn resigned Monday amid questions about Russia.
-- The leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the Department of Justice and FBI Wednesday to brief their committee on the situation regarding former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
In a letter addressed to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa and Diane Feinstein, D-California, the chairman and ranking member of the committee, cite media reports indicating the involvement of the Justice Department and the FBI in the circumstances leading up to Flynn's resignation.
“Accordingly, we request that individuals with specific knowledge of these issues from both the FBI and Justice Department brief Committee Members and staff,” reads the letter. “We similarly request copies of the transcripts of Mr. Flynn’s intercepted calls and the FBI report summarizing the intercepted calls referenced in the media.”
The committee, which is also seeking details on the Justice Department’s response and potential leaks of classified information, requested that the briefing be held the week of Feb. 27.
Flynn resigned Monday for what the White House called an “evolving and eroding level of trust” over the disclosure of his interactions with the Russian ambassador prior to President Trump’s inauguration.
Trump said that Flynn was treated "very, very unfairly" by the media and called him a "wonderful man."
No clear evidence of wrongdoing has been found on Flynn's part. Flynn said the calls he made to the ambassador were similar to others he made during the transition and that he "inadvertently" briefed the vice president with "incomplete" information.
Flynn initially denied discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador and Vice President Mike Pence repeated that claim during an interview in January.