Joe Manchin to Michael Flynn: Come before the Senate Intelligence Committee

Sen. Joe Manchin implored former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn on Tuesday to come before the Senate Intelligence Committee and testify.

Mr. Flynn invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee in response to a subpoena he was issued concerning possible ties to the Russian government while serving in the Trump administration. Mr. Manchin sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“For him to take this direction, that’s not the Michael Flynn I knew before,” Mr. Manchin, West Virginia Democrat, said on CNN. “I would say to Mr. Flynn, please, Mr. Flynn work with us. Don’t make us pull everything out tooth by tooth by tooth.”

But Mr. Manchin also emphasized that his main concern was the continuous leaks coming from the administration, which he said jeopardizes the nation’s relationships with intelligence agencies around the world.

“People are concerned. Can they trust us with information? Can they trust us with intelligence?” he said.

“Let me say this, if those people who have this information, that the so-called leaks are coming from, come and leak it to the intelligence committee, come and leak it to the professionals, come and leak it to the staff, [who] has the ability to go through the sources to find out if they’re credible or not.”

Leaks from within the Trump administration have been an increasing problem as the Senate and House investigations into the Trump campaign’s possible Russian ties have intensified.