('Inngreaa at the anew ?tatea 136 20515 February 15, 2017 Donald F. McGahn, White House Counsel The White House 1600 Avenue, NW Washington, DC. 20006 Dear Mr. McGahn: We are writing in response to the shocking reports last night that Department of Justice of?cials warned you three weeks ago that Lt. General Michael made false statements about his communications with the Russian Ambassador to Vice President?elect Pence, other White House of?cials, and the American people and that he was potentially susceptible to blackmail by the Russian government.1 These reports raise grave concerns about the honesty and integrity of White House of?cials with the public. The National Security Advisor provided false information to the public, which was then repeated by several senior White House of?cials. Even after learning that this information was inaccurate, no White House of?cials corrected those falsehoods. These reports raise more than ?trust? issues?they also raise signi?cant national security concerns. The President?s National Security Advisor reportedly had secret discussions with Russian of?cials both during the campaign and after the election. General lynn?s communications with the Russians about the sanctions during the transition potentially violated the Logan Act, and his acceptance of payments to travel to Moscow and celebrate Russia?s main propaganda outlet with Vladimir Putin in 2015 potentially violated the Constitution. Moreover, even in the face of strong warnings and evidence that he was vulnerable to being blackmailed, the White House appears to have considered General ?t to continue serving as the National Security Advisor. General continued to receive the nation?s most sensitive and classi?ed information, without any apparent change to accommodate these national security concerns. Kellyanne Conway con?rmed on the Today Show this morning, ?The fact is that General lymi continued in that position and was in the presidential daily brie?ngs, was part of the leader calls as recently as yesterday.? 2 Justice Department Warned White House (liar Could Be Vulnerable to Russian Blackmail, O?icials Say, Washington Post (Feb. 13, 2017) (online at say/2017/02/13/fc5dab88-t228-1 le6-8d72-263470bf040 12f3 5096c). 3 Today Show, NBC (Feb. 14, 2017) (online at PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Donald F. McGahn, H, White House Counsel Page 2 It is unclear if the White House would have made any changes or shared any of this information with the public if it had not been revealed publicly in the press. Over the weekend, the President and the White House remained silent in the face of increasingly vocal calls for more information. AS late as 5 pm. on Monday, Ms. Conway told the press that General had the ?full con?dence of the President. ?3 In order to obtain a complete and accurate account of the White House?s response to the extremely serious allegations against General we request that you provide the following information by February 28, 2017: l. U) When were you first noti?ed about General December 2016 discussions with the Russian Ambassador about US. sanctions and the potential that General could be subject to blackmail? Who noti?ed you? Who did you tell about these warnings, and when did you tell them? What steps, if any, did you or any other White House of?cial take to correct the inaccurate statements that the White House had made to the public? What steps did you or any other White House official take to suspend, isolate, or otherwise minimize General lynn?s access to classi?ed information or policy discussions related to Russia after receiving the warning from the Department of Justice? How many classi?ed intelligence brie?ngs involving matters related to Russia did General attend as the National Security Advisor? How many classified intelligence products involving matters related to Russia did General receive as the National Security Advisor? When did the President lose confidence and trust in General and what was the preceding cause? What potential disciplinary actions for General if any, did you or anyone else in the Trump Administration discuss for misleading Vice President Pence and other White House of?cials? Was the President or anyone else in the Trump Administration aware that General discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador before January 26, 2017? Did anyone in the Trump Administration direct General to conduct these discussions? 6963732). 3 Live, (Feb. 13, 2017) (online at Donald F. McGahn, H, White House Counsel Page 3 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Did Lt. General Joseph Keith Kellogg, K.T. McFarland, or anyone else in the National Security Council know about occurrence and/or the content of General conversations with the Russians? If so, did they inform any of their superiors? Did anyone consult with or advise the President?Elect in any way on public messages he posted on his Twitter Account praising Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 30, 2016 ??one day after several phone calls were placed between General and the Russian Ambassador? When did you complete your legal analysis or review of the matter related to Did you consult with the Department of Justice Of?ce of Legal Counsel regarding your analysis? Did you or any other White House of?cial review the transcripts of the calls between General and the Russian Ambassador? If so, who conducted the review and for calls on what dates? Did General report the fact that he had been interviewed by the FBI to you or anyone else in the White House? Were you aware that General had been interviewed by the Have any other White House of?cials been interviewed by the If so, who was interviewed and on what date? Were you involved in any adjudication analysis or decision regarding General security clearance? If you were not, please identify who in the White House was involved. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Rep. Ranking Member Sincerely, . John Conyers iking Member House Committee on Oversight and House Committee on the Judiciary Government Reform Donald F. McGahn, H, White House Counsel Page 4 Adam Smith Bennie G. Thomp'son Ranking Member Ranking Member Committee on Armed Services Committee on Homeland Security EWL 571952 Adam Schiff Eliot L. Engel Ranking Member Ranking Member Permanent Select Committee on Foreign Affairs Committee on Intelligence cc. The Honorable Jason Chaffetz, Chairman House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform The Honorable Bob Goodlatte, Chairman House Committee on the Judiciary The Honorable Mac Thornberry, Chairman Committee on Armed Services The Honorable Michael McCaul, Chairman Committee on Homeland Security The Honorable Devin Nunes, Chairman Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence The Honorable Ed Royce, Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs