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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
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