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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 23 May 2017
Flynn rejects Trump-Russia probe subpoena; Dems say he lied

CHAD DAY Russia’s state-sponsored Russian officials, including
Associated Press television network, failed to Russia’s ambassador to the
STEPHEN BRAUN identify foreign officials with U.S.
Associated Press whom he met — including Cummings and other Dem-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- Russia’s President Vladimir ocrats have blasted Trump
dent Donald Trump’s for- Putin — and glossed over and his team for failing
mer national security advis- his firing as chief of the De- to more carefully check
er, Michael Flynn, invoked fense Intelligence Agency Flynn’s background be-
his Fifth Amendment right during the Obama admin- fore they brought him to
against self-incrimination in istration. the White House, while the
rebuffing a subpoena Mon- Cummings made his points Trump administration has
day in the investigation into in a letter asking the com- attempted to blame the
Russia’s election meddling. mittee’s chairman, Jason Obama administration for
Then a top House Demo- Chaffetz of Utah, to sub- failing to properly vet Flynn
crat cited new evidence poena the White House earlier.
he said appeared to for documents related to On Monday, Cummings
show Flynn lied on a secu- Flynn. said Flynn provided incon-
rity clearance background It’s unclear from Cum- sistent or misleading state-
check. In this photo taken Feb. 10, 2017, then-National Security Adviser mings’ letter whether Flynn ments to U.S. security clear-
With Trump himself in the Michael Flynn sits in the front row in the East Room of the White would face legal jeopardy ance investigators in the
Mideast on his first foreign House, in Washington. for his answers to security first three months of 2016
trip as president, investi- Associated Press clearance investigators. during the renewal of his
gations into Russian inter- tween the Russians and the ment’s appointment of a But in an April statement credentials.
ference in the 2016 cam- Trump campaign. special counsel has cre- Cummings warned that Cummings cited a report
paign — and allegations of Citing current and former ated a legally dangerous falsifying or concealing in March 2016 that he
Trump campaign collabo- officials, the Post said the environment for him to co- material facts on security said showed the retired
ration — showed no sign national intelligence direc- operate with the Senate clearance reviews are fed- Army general telling au-
of slackening in Washing- tor, Daniel Coats, and the panel’s investigation. eral crimes and convictions thorities that payments he
ton. Flynn’s own defensive director of the National Hours later, Rep. Elijah Cum- could lead to fines and up received for his 2015 trip
crouch revealed the high Security Agency, Adm. mings, senior Democrat on to five years imprisonment. to Moscow were paid by
legal stakes he faces as in- Michael S. Rogers, both the House oversight com- Trump appointed Flynn, a “U.S. companies.” In fact,
vestigations intensify: a U.S. refused Trump’s request, mittee, said government retired U.S. Army lieuten- the oversight committee
counterintelligence probe judging it inappropriate. documents he’s reviewed ant general and top mili- released detailed email
of Russia, a federal investi- Flynn’s attorneys told the showed inconsistencies in tary intelligence chief, as and payment records
gation in Virginia and multi- Senate intelligence com- Flynn’s disclosures to U.S. his top national security months ago showing that
ple congressional inquiries. mittee he will not turn investigators in early 2016 aide in January, only to fire the source of Flynn’s pay-
As well, The Washington over personal documents during his security clear- him less than a month later. ment of more than $33,000
Post reported Monday that sought under the congres- ance review. The White House has said was RT, the Russian state-
Trump asked two top intel- sional subpoena, citing an Cummings said Flynn ap- that Flynn had misled top sponsored television net-
ligence chiefs in March to “escalating public frenzy.” peared to have misled au- U.S. officials, including Vice work that has been labeled
deny publicly that there They also said earlier in the thorities about the source President Mike Pence, a propaganda network by
had been collusion be- day the Justice Depart- of a $33,000 payment from about his contacts with U.S. intelligence.q

Education secretary pushes school choice, gives no specifics

MARIA DANILOVA est and fastest-growing kids.”
Associated Press school voucher programs Earlier this month, President
WASHINGTON (AP) — The to give low-income families Donald Trump asked Con-
Trump administration is scholarships to help pay pri- gress to work with him on
proposing “the most ambi- vate school tuition. expanding charter and pri-
tious expansion” of school DeVos insisted that deci- vate school voucher pro-
choice in American history, sions on school choice grams nationwide, but he
Education Secretary Betsy must be left for states, not gave no specifics. School
DeVos announced Mon- the federal government, to choice advocates are di-
day while giving few details make. But she also warned vided over whether to push
on how the program would states against boycotting charter schools and vouch-
work. “We must offer the reform. “If a state doesn’t ers on the federal or state
widest number of quality want to participate, that level. Voucher and char-
options to every family and would be a terrible mistake ter school programs are
every child,” DeVos said in on their part. They will be facing fierce criticism from
a speech in Indianapolis. hurting the children and teachers unions and many
“We stand on the verge of families who can least af- Democrats, who believe
the most significant oppor- ford it,” DeVos said at an they drain resources from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks at a summit hosted by
tunity we have ever had to event hosted by the Ameri- already underfunded pub- American Federation for Children in Indianapolis, Monday, May
drag American education can Federation for Chil- lic schools while failing to 22, 2017. Associated Press
out of the Stone Age and dren, the school choice produce clear academic
into the future.” advocacy group she used gains. “Once again, Secre- on the Senate Health, Ed- voucher programs siphon
DeVos gave few specif- to lead. “If politicians in tary DeVos is putting her ex- ucation, Labor and Pen- taxpayer funds from pub-
ics other than to say that a state block education treme privatization agenda sions Committee. “DeVos lic schools to unaccount-
the state of Indiana could choice, it means those ahead of our students,” claims she wants to provide able private and religious
serve as a model. Indiana politicians do not support said Washington Sen. Patty more choices for students schools that often leave
has one of America’s larg- equal opportunity for all Murray, the top Democrat and families, but in reality, children worse off.”q