Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 31 May 2017

AP source: Flynn agrees to provide documents to Senate panel

Continued from Front formation and testimony
about contacts he had
Flynn had previously in- with Russian officials.
voked his Fifth Amend- Russian President Vladimir
ment protection against Putin said the allegations
self-incrimination in declin- of Moscow meddling in
ing an earlier request from the U.S. presidential elec-
the committee. Flynn’s at- tion are “fiction” invented
torneys had argued the ini- by the Democrats in or-
tial request was too broad der to explain their loss. In
and would have required an interview with French
Flynn to turn over informa- newspaper Le Figaro, Putin
tion that could have been reaffirmed his strong denial
used against him. of Russian involvement in
Flynn’s cooperation came the hacking of Democratic
as President Donald emails.
Trump’s personal attorney, The interview was record-
Michael Cohen, rejected ed during Putin’s Monday
a request for documents trip to Paris and released
as part of a House commit- Tuesday.
tee’s separate probe into Trump made a similar claim
Russia’s election meddling in a tweet early Tuesday:
In this Dec. 16, 2016 photo, attorney Michael Cohen arrives in Trump Tower in New York. Cohen,
has received and rejected a request for documents as part of Congress’s ongoing investigation and contacts with the “Russian officials must be
into Russia’s election meddling and contacts with the Trump campaign. Trump campaign. laughing at the U.S. & how
(AP Photo/Richard Drew) Cohen, a longtime attor- a lame excuse for why the
ney for the Trump Organi- Dems lost the election has
zation, remains a personal taken over the Fake News.”
lawyer for Trump. He served Cohen’s ties with Russian
as a cable television sur- interests came up in Feb-
rogate for the Republican ruary when The New York
during the presidential Times reported that Cohen
campaign. helped to broker a Ukraine
The House intelligence peace plan that would
committee’s request for call for the withdrawal of
information from Cohen Russian troops from Ukraine
came as the investigators and a referendum to let
continued to scrutinize Ukrainians decide wheth-
members of Trump’s inner er the part of the country
circle, including Flynn. Rep. seized by Russia in 2014
Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said should be leased to Mos-
last week that a subpoena cow. The Russian govern-
for Flynn from the House ment denied knowing any-
panel was likely. thing about such a plan.
“I declined the invitation to The Times reported that the
participate as the request peace plan was the work
was poorly phrased, overly of Felix Sater, a business
broad and not capable of associate who has helped
being answered,” Cohen Trump try to find business in
told The Associated Press. Russia, and Cohen.
“I find it irresponsible and Cohen was a fierce de-
improper that the request fender of Trump during the
sent to me was leaked by campaign, often harangu-
those working on the com- ing probing reporters and
mittee.” famously challenging a
Cohen told ABC News CNN reporter live on-air
Tuesday that he had been to name the specific polls
asked by both the House that showed then-candi-
and Senate intelligence date Trump behind his ri-
committees to provide in- val, Hillary Clinton.q