WASHINGTON (A.W.)—Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating the possible ties between U.S. President Donald Trump’s election campaign and Russia, will be expanding his probe to include a grand jury investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to a Reuters report.
(L to R) Robert Mueller and Michael Flynn
Mueller’s investigation will now look into Flynn’s work as a lobbyist for Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin in 2016.
Flynn, who was relieved of his duties by Trump in February, registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent for $530,000 worth of lobbying work before Election Day. According to an Associated Pres report, some of the lobbying work may have aided the Turkish government.
Alptekin’s company paid Flynn’s consultancy the $530,000 to produce a documentary and research on Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Turkish cleric living in Pennsylvania. Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan continues to blame Gulen for the failed July 2016 coup in Turkey.
Paperwork that was filed on March 7 with the Justice Department’s Foreign Agent Registration Unit stated that Flynn and his firm were voluntarily registering for lobbying from August to November that “could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey.”
After Flynn’s firm’s work on behalf of a Turkish company was done, he agreed not to lobby for five years after leaving government service and never to represent foreign governments.
According to the Foreign Agent Registration Act, U.S. citizens who lobby on behalf of foreign government or political entities must disclose their work to the Justice Department. Purposely failing to register is a felony even though the Justice Department rarely files criminal cases with such cases.
Turkish businessman Ekim Alpetkin, whose Inovo BV company had hired Flynn’s consulting firm, told The Associated Press that the amended filings were done in response to the pressure from the Justice Department in recent weeks. He added that he disagreed with Flynn’s decision to file the registration documents.
Mueller’s move to take over the Virginia grand jury’s criminal investigation highlights his broad powers as special counsel.
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: Special Counsel Mueller to Investigate Flynn’s Turkey Connection