Flynn 'broke US law' in 'secret' Middle East trip

Former US national security adviser Michael Flynn allegedly broke the law after failing to disclose a trip to the Middle East where he explored business ventures with the Saudi government and a Russian government agency, new documents reveal.

Flynn, a retired army lieutenant general, travelled to the Middle East in the summer of 2015 to broker a $100 billion deal between three American companies, Saudi Arabia and Russia's nuclear power agency Rosatom, according to a letter signed by House Democrats.

"It appears that General Flynn violated federal law by omitting this trip and these foreign contacts from his security clearance renewal application in 2016 and concealing them from security clearance investigators who interviewed him as part of the background check process," according to a letter sent from the House Democrats to Flynn's business partners.

The letter was sent to Flynn's former business partners by Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the oversight committee and Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee, requesting additional information about his overseas travels.

The partners responded to the request for information, confirming the proposed deal detailed plans to build 16 nuclear energy plants in Saudi Arabia, in partnership with American consulting companies, the Saudi government and Russia's Rosatom.

The energy would then be sold to eight other Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan.

The deal also stipulated an agreement for those countries to buy military hardware from Russia, the requested companies' letters stated.

It is illegal under US federal law to knowingly falsify or conceal relevant information from a security clearance form. Flynn’s lawyer declined to comment on the story, according to CNN.

Flynn was fired by US President Donald Trump 24 days into his role as his security advisor.

Earlier this month, reports said the US department of justice investigators and FBI agents are reportedly looking into whether Turkey's government paid Flynn to lobby against exiled anti-Ankara cleric Fethullah Gulen.