Trump advisor improperly shared intel, documents show

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

President-elect Donald Trump's pick for national security advisor "inappropriately shared" classified information, according to documents made public on Wednesday.

Retired Army Gen. Michael Flynn improperly shared the information with foreign military officers in Afghanistan, a closed-door military investigation determined in 2010.

The Washington Post obtained the Army records following a Freedom of Information Act request. The Associated Press also accessed the documents.

But the records do not disclose what information was shared, nor do they outline with whom Flynn shared it with. Flynn was not reprimanded or otherwise punished after the secret investigation determined that he did not act "knowingly", and concluded “there was no actual or potential damage to national security as a result”.

Citing "former U.S. officials familiar with the matter", the Washington Post reported that Flynn told allies about the activities of U.S. agencies in Afghanistan.

Flynn previously acknowledged being investigated, and said that he shared the information with British and Australian military officers.

"And I’m proud of that one," he said in an August interview with the Washington Post.

He further said he had permission to make the disclosures, but the Army investigation casts doubt on the claim.

An official told the Post: “This was a question of whether or not information was put through proper channels before it was shared."

The investigation, which was under Central Command, explicitly found that Flynn shared classified information "without proper authorization", according to the records.

A separate review by the Pentagon's Inspector General concurred with the investigation's findings, the documents say.

Flynn left the Obama administration in 2014 after clashing with officials.