U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., joined a group of 10 senators on Wednesday calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to launch a special investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
Flynn resigned Monday amid allegations of possible illegal phone calls between himself and officials in the Russian government, which he had earlier denied.
The communications took place before Flynn, a retired general, accepted his position as an advisor. Leaked intelligence shows Flynn had spoken with a Russian ambassador regarding sanctions and also accepted speaking fees and travel expenses from the Russian government.
The senators worry that such ties could harm the United State’s national security if the national security advisor is susceptible to potential blackmail from Russia.
The group also raised concern over the White House allowing Flynn to remain in his position despite being aware of his correspondence with Russia for a month.
The letter states in part: “Because of this misconduct and General Flynn’s misrepresentations about it, when he subsequently went on to serve as the National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly notified the White House General Counsel Donald McGahn on January 26, 2017 that General Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail.”
Yoshiko Herrera, a UW-Madison professor of comparative politics and international relations, believes that while an investigation may be unlikely, it is important to put national security above partisan politics.
“There are serious issues we have to face with Russia, whether it be Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, Brexit, and other NATO issues,” Herrera said “National security should be nonpartisan, and if the Russian government has influence, that’s something the American people need to know.”
Herrera also noted that, in addition to determining conflicts of interest, a special investigation could reveal other acts of impropriety. “It’s not uncommon in these investigations that something else comes up. It’s not just the crime, it’s what you say about it,” she said.
Flynn’s resignation comes in response to continued reports of increased Russian influence in U.S. politics. Intelligence officials had previously concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered interference in the U.S. presidential election, and it has been alleged that Russian agents were behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee’s servers.
There is no evidence, however, that Russia influenced the presidential election.
