#Breaking: Mike Flynn Told Colleague That Russian Sanctions Would Be “Ripped Up” By Trump

CNN is reporting that incoming-national security adviser Michael Flynn texted his former business colleague about a plan to join Russia and build nuclear reactors in the Middle East. (This text was, according to some reports, literally just 10 minutes after Trump was sworn in as POTUS…)

The project was “good to go,” Flynn told them, according to a summary of a whistleblower’s account provided by a lawmaker.

The business colleague who texted with Flynn later recounted that he also suggested sanctions against Russia would be “ripped up” as one of the administration’s first acts.

Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, on Wednesday released his summary of the whistleblower’s account detailing Flynn’s conversations with colleagues as the Trump administration took power. The account provides the best claim yet that the administration was focused on unraveling the sanctions that Obama had just put in place and that Mike Flynn had motivation for doing so.

Flynn worked with companies including ACU Strategic Partners to make a deal with Russia to build nuclear reactors in the Middle East while on the Trump transition team.

The Wall Street Journal‘s previous reporting said Flynn had facilitated a draft memo with the National Security Council staff that would support the project. The memo was intended for Trump to sign, though there’s no indication the President saw it, the Journal reported.

Cummings said the Flynn whistleblower was “extremely hesitant to come forward — and still fears retaliation” but “feels duty bound as a citizen to make this disclosure.” The whistleblower isn’t named, but Cummings promised in the letter to share the person’s identity with Republican Sen. Trey Gowdy if it remains confidential and he agrees to speak with the whistleblower.

Flynn was the fourth person charged in the criminal investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and the first staffer from Trump’s West Wing.

Cummings has been critical of his Republican colleague Gowdy’s leadership in their investigation of Flynn. Gowdy’s office did not respond to a request for comment today.’

I have one thing to say…