Flynn blocked military plan while accepting $500K from Turkey: report
Former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn blocked a decision to retake the ISIS capital of Raqqa with Kurdish forces while receiving more than $500,000 from Turkey, who opposed the plan, according to a report released Wednesday.
Flynn nixed the military action 10 days before Trump took office, when Obama’s staff approached then-President Elect Trump’s transition team to make sure they were on board with a decision to use Kurd fighters to overtake the ISIS stronghold, according to The Miami Herald.
The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğgan was reportedly opposed to the plan.
Obama’s national security team had decided to ask for Trump’s sign-off, since the attack would take place after Trump had become president.
Flynn declined. It was not clear, however, if Flynn spoke with anyone else about the decision.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported Wednesday that Flynn informed Trump’s transition team that he was under federal investigation before he was hired.
Flynn was being probed in January after it became public that he did not disclose that he was acting as a paid lobbyist for the Turkish government during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Despite his warning, Flynn was hired as the president’s chief adviser on security issues.
President Obama and former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates also warned Trump about Flynn before and during his short tenure as NSA.