Keystone18 (talk | contribs) m →Retirement from the military: link fixes |
Keystone18 (talk | contribs) mNo edit summary |
||
Line 101: | Line 101: | ||
Flynn served as the assistant chief of staff, [[Continental Staff System|G2]], XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from June 2001 and the director of intelligence at the [[Combined Joint Task Force 82|Joint Task Force 180]] in Afghanistan until July 2002. He commanded the [[111th Military Intelligence Brigade]] from June 2002 to June 2004<ref name=DIAgency/> and was the director of intelligence for [[Joint Special Operations Command]] from July 2004 to June 2007, with service in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] ([[Operation Enduring Freedom]]) and the [[Iraq War]] (Operation Iraqi Freedom). He and his superior, General McChrystal, streamlined all intelligence so as to increase the tempo of operations and degrade the networks of [[Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn|Al-Qaeda in Iraq]].<ref name=bergen>{{cite book |last=Bergen |first=Peter |date=December 10, 2019 |title=Trump and his generals: the cost of chaos. |location=New York |publisher=Penguin Press |isbn=978-0-525-52241-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xs_GDwAAQBAJ }}</ref>{{rp|24}} He served as the director of intelligence of the [[United States Central Command]] from June 2007 to July 2008, as the director of intelligence of the Joint Staff from July 2008 to June 2009, then the director of intelligence of the [[International Security Assistance Force]] in Afghanistan from June 2009 to October 2010.<ref name=DIAgency/><ref name="intelligence">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Mardell |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2010/01/a_damning_view_of_us_intellige.html |title=A damning view of U.S. intelligence in Afghanistan |date=January 5, 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Flynn was reprimanded for sharing classified U.S. intelligence information on the [[Haqqani network]] to Pakistani officials in 2009 or 2010. The network, which had been accused of attacking American troops, was a [[Proxy war|proxy ally]] of [[Pakistan]].<ref name=lock/> |
Flynn served as the assistant chief of staff, [[Continental Staff System|G2]], XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from June 2001 and the director of intelligence at the [[Combined Joint Task Force 82|Joint Task Force 180]] in Afghanistan until July 2002. He commanded the [[111th Military Intelligence Brigade]] from June 2002 to June 2004<ref name=DIAgency/> and was the director of intelligence for [[Joint Special Operations Command]] from July 2004 to June 2007, with service in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] ([[Operation Enduring Freedom]]) and the [[Iraq War]] (Operation Iraqi Freedom). He and his superior, General McChrystal, streamlined all intelligence so as to increase the tempo of operations and degrade the networks of [[Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn|Al-Qaeda in Iraq]].<ref name=bergen>{{cite book |last=Bergen |first=Peter |date=December 10, 2019 |title=Trump and his generals: the cost of chaos. |location=New York |publisher=Penguin Press |isbn=978-0-525-52241-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xs_GDwAAQBAJ }}</ref>{{rp|24}} He served as the director of intelligence of the [[United States Central Command]] from June 2007 to July 2008, as the director of intelligence of the Joint Staff from July 2008 to June 2009, then the director of intelligence of the [[International Security Assistance Force]] in Afghanistan from June 2009 to October 2010.<ref name=DIAgency/><ref name="intelligence">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Mardell |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2010/01/a_damning_view_of_us_intellige.html |title=A damning view of U.S. intelligence in Afghanistan |date=January 5, 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Flynn was reprimanded for sharing classified U.S. intelligence information on the [[Haqqani network]] to Pakistani officials in 2009 or 2010. The network, which had been accused of attacking American troops, was a [[Proxy war|proxy ally]] of [[Pakistan]].<ref name=lock/> |
||
On November 10, 2015, Flynn gave an interview to the [[Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction|Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)]] Lessons Learned project.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sigar.mil/lessonslearned/index.aspx?SSR=11|title=Lessons Learned Program|publisher=[[Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction]]|location=[[Crystal City |
On November 10, 2015, Flynn gave an interview to the [[Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction|Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)]] Lessons Learned project.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sigar.mil/lessonslearned/index.aspx?SSR=11|title=Lessons Learned Program|publisher=[[Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction]]|location=[[Crystal City, Virginia]]|access-date=May 8, 2020}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'' published an audio recording of the interview and SIGAR's summary as part of the [[Afghanistan Papers]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Whitlock, Craig Whitlock; Shapiro, Leslie; Emamdjomeh, Armand|date=December 9, 2019|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/documents-database/?document=flynn_michael_ll_11102015|title=The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|access-date=May 8, 2020}}</ref> |
||
====Defense Intelligence Agency==== |
====Defense Intelligence Agency==== |
Revision as of 16:06, 16 May 2024
Michael Flynn | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2012 | |
24th United States National Security Advisor | |
In office January 22, 2017 – February 13, 2017 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Deputy | K. T. McFarland |
Preceded by | Susan Rice |
Succeeded by | H. R. McMaster |
Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency | |
In office July 24, 2012 – August 7, 2014 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Ronald L. Burgess Jr. |
Succeeded by | David Shedd (acting) |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Thomas Flynn December 24, 1958 Middletown, Rhode Island, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic (before 2021) Republican (from 2021)[1] |
Other political affiliations | Constitution (from 2023) |
Spouse |
Lori Andrade (m. 1981) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives |
|
Education | |
Signature | ![]() |
Website | Official website |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1981–2014 |
Rank | Lieutenant general |
Unit | |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | |
Michael Thomas Flynn (born December 24, 1958) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who was the 24th U.S. national security advisor[2] for the first 22 days of the Trump administration. He resigned in light of reports that he had lied regarding conversations with Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Flynn's military career included a key role in shaping U.S. counterterrorism strategy and dismantling insurgent networks in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, and he was given numerous combat arms, conventional, and special operations senior intelligence assignments.[3][4][5] He became the 18th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in July 2012 until his forced retirement from the military in August 2014.[6][7][8] During his tenure he gave a lecture on leadership at the Moscow headquarters of the Russian military intelligence directorate GRU, the first American official to be admitted entry to the headquarters.[9][10][11]
After leaving the military, in October 2014 he established Flynn Intel Group, which provided intelligence services for businesses and governments, including in Turkey.[12][13][14] In December 2015, Flynn was paid $45,000 to deliver a Moscow speech at the ten-year anniversary celebration of RT, a state-controlled Russian international television network, where he sat next to Russian president Vladimir Putin at his banquet table.[15]
In February 2016, Flynn became a national security advisor to Trump for his 2016 presidential campaign.[16][17] In March 2017, Flynn retroactively registered as a foreign agent, acknowledging that in 2016 he had conducted paid lobbying work that may have benefited Turkey's government.[18][19] On January 22, 2017, Flynn was sworn in as the National Security Advisor.[20] On February 13, 2017, he resigned after information surfaced that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and others about the nature and content of his communications with Kislyak.[21][22][23] Flynn's tenure as the National Security Advisor is the shortest in the history of the position.[24][25]
In December 2017, Flynn formalized a deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller to plead guilty to a felony count of "willfully and knowingly" making false statements to the FBI about the Kislyak communications, and agreed to cooperate with the Special Counsel's investigation.[26] In June 2019, Flynn dismissed his attorneys and retained Sidney Powell, who on the same day wrote to attorney general Bill Barr seeking his assistance in exonerating Flynn. Powell had discussed the case on Fox News and spoken to President Trump about it on several occasions.[27][28][29] Two weeks before his scheduled sentencing, in January 2020 Flynn moved to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming government vindictiveness and breach of the plea agreement.[30] At Barr's direction, the Justice Department filed a court motion to drop all charges against Flynn on May 7, 2020.[31][32] Presiding federal judge Emmet Sullivan ruled the matter to be placed on hold to solicit amicus curiae briefs from third parties.[33] Powell then asked the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to compel Sullivan to drop the case, but her request was denied.[34] On November 25, 2020, Flynn was issued a presidential pardon by Trump.[35] On December 8, 2020, Judge Sullivan dismissed the criminal case against Flynn, stating he probably would have denied the Justice Department motion to drop the case.[36]
On July 4, 2020, Flynn pledged an oath to the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory,[37] and as Trump sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in which he was defeated, Flynn suggested the president should suspend the Constitution, silence the press, and hold a new election under military authority.[38] Flynn later met with Trump and their attorney Powell in the Oval Office to discuss the president's options. Trump denied reports that Flynn's martial law idea had been discussed.[39][40][41] Flynn has since become a prominent leader in the Christian nationalist movement, organizing and recruiting for what he characterizes as a spiritual and political war.[42][43]
Early life
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Michael_Flynn_in_1977.jpg/170px-Michael_Flynn_in_1977.jpg)
Michael Thomas Flynn was born and raised in Middletown, Rhode Island, one of nine siblings[4] born to Helen Frances (née Andrews), who worked in real estate, and Charles Francis Flynn, a small-town banker, both Catholics of Irish descent.[44][45][46][47][48] Flynn's family has a long tradition of serving in the armed forces; Helen's brother was a Navy submarine captain and their father an officer in World War II, Charles's father, Henry E. "Harry" Flynn, served in the Army during World War I, and Charles himself served in World War II and fought during the Battle of the Bulge while traveling under General George S. Patton.[49] Flynn's younger brother, Charles A. Flynn, is a four-star general.[50]
On July 24, 1972, after a local girl climbed into a car and accidentally released the parking brake, Flynn and a friend of his rushed to save two toddlers in its path; he was honored by the local town council for this act of heroism.[49] Flynn served time in juvenile detention for what he has described as "serious and unlawful activity" in his youth, the records of which were expunged after he served a year of supervised probation.[51][52] While at Middletown High School, Flynn met Lori Andrade, daughter of a prominent Portuguese family on Aquidneck Island, whom he married in 1981.[50][53][54]
He attended the University of Rhode Island where he initially struggled academically, earning a 1.2 GPA during his freshman year, however he was later awarded a three-year scholarship by the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and ultimately decided not to drop out. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in management science in 1981 and was a Distinguished Military Graduate of the ROTC.[8][52] Flynn later earned a Master of Business Administration in Telecommunications from Golden Gate University, a Master of Military Art and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is a graduate of the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course, Ranger School, Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course, Army Command and General Staff College, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and Naval War College.[8]
Military career, 1981-2014
U.S. Army
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/ISAF_Commander_Visits_RC_West%2C_FOB_Farah_DVIDS244574.jpg/220px-ISAF_Commander_Visits_RC_West%2C_FOB_Farah_DVIDS244574.jpg)
Flynn was commissioned in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant in military intelligence in 1981.[8] His military assignments included multiple tours at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, and Joint Special Operations Command, where he deployed for the invasion of Grenada and Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti.[50][55] He also served with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and the Army Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.[8]
Initially, Flynn was not going to be deployed to Grenada in 1983, but he was able to convince a superior officer to have him included. While serving there, Flynn took a 40-foot leap off a cliff to retrieve two soldiers stranded in the ocean and bring them back to shore to be airlifted. Though he was reprimanded for his unauthorized actions, Flynn garnered respect among his fellow soldiers for what he did.[52][56]
Flynn served as the assistant chief of staff, G2, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from June 2001 and the director of intelligence at the Joint Task Force 180 in Afghanistan until July 2002. He commanded the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade from June 2002 to June 2004[8] and was the director of intelligence for Joint Special Operations Command from July 2004 to June 2007, with service in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and the Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom). He and his superior, General McChrystal, streamlined all intelligence so as to increase the tempo of operations and degrade the networks of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.[57]: 24 He served as the director of intelligence of the United States Central Command from June 2007 to July 2008, as the director of intelligence of the Joint Staff from July 2008 to June 2009, then the director of intelligence of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from June 2009 to October 2010.[8][58] Flynn was reprimanded for sharing classified U.S. intelligence information on the Haqqani network to Pakistani officials in 2009 or 2010. The network, which had been accused of attacking American troops, was a proxy ally of Pakistan.[59]
On November 10, 2015, Flynn gave an interview to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) Lessons Learned project.[60] Washington Post published an audio recording of the interview and SIGAR's summary as part of the Afghanistan Papers.[61]
Defense Intelligence Agency
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Defense.gov_photo_essay_120724-D-BW835-223.jpg/220px-Defense.gov_photo_essay_120724-D-BW835-223.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/From_left%2C_Deanie_Dempsey%3B_Chairman_of_the_Joint_Chiefs_of_Staff_U.S._Army_Gen._Martin_E._Dempsey%3B_Stephanie_Carter%3B_Deputy_Secretary_of_Defense_Ash_Carter%3B_Lori_Flynn%3B_and_Army_Gen._Michael_T._Flynn_130611-D-HU462-039.jpg/220px-thumbnail.jpg)
In September 2011, Flynn was promoted to Lieutenant General and assigned as assistant director of national intelligence in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. On April 17, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Flynn to be the 18th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.[62][63] Flynn took command of the DIA in July 2012.[64] He simultaneously became commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, and chair of the Military Intelligence Board.
In October 2012, Flynn announced plans to release his paper "VISION2020: Accelerating Change Through Integration", a look at changes he believes are necessary for the DIA in the future.[65][66]
In June 2013, Michael Flynn became the first U.S. officer to be allowed inside the Russian military intelligence (GRU) headquarters in Moscow, where he arrived at the invitation of the GRU chief General Igor Sergun.[67] His follow-up trip to visit the GRU HQ as Director of DIA was not allowed.[9] Flynn also wanted to invite high-ranking GRU officials to the U.S., but this idea was rejected by the director of national intelligence, James Clapper.[68]
Stefan Halper, who worked for three Republican presidents and was a longtime informant for the American intelligence community, had a February 2014 encounter with Flynn at a London intelligence conference. Halper became so alarmed by Flynn's close association with a Russian woman that a Halper associate expressed concerns to American authorities that Flynn may have been compromised by Russian intelligence.[69]
Colleagues were concerned with Flynn's chaotic management style and increasingly hard-edged views about counterterrorism, and his superiors viewed him as insubordinate, according to Pentagon officials. In mid-2014, his two-year term at the DIA was not extended.[52]
Retirement from the military
On April 30, 2014, Flynn announced his retirement effective later that year, about a year earlier than he had been scheduled to leave his position. He was reportedly effectively forced out of the DIA after clashing with superiors over his allegedly chaotic management style and vision for the agency.[70][6][71][72] In a private e-mail that was leaked online, Colin Powell said he had heard in the DIA (apparently from later DIA director Vincent R. Stewart) that Flynn was fired because he was "abusive with staff, didn't listen, worked against policy, bad management, etc."[71] According to The New York Times, Flynn exhibited a loose relationship with the truth, leading his subordinates to refer to Flynn's repeated dubious assertions as "Flynn facts".[73]
According to what Flynn had said in one final interview as DIA director, he felt like a lone voice in thinking the United States was less safe from the threat of Islamic terrorism in 2014 than it was prior to the September 11 attacks; he went on to believe he was pressed into retirement for questioning the Obama administration's public narrative that al-Qaeda was close to defeat.[7] Journalist Seymour Hersh wrote that "Flynn confirmed [to Hersh] that his agency had sent a constant stream of classified warnings ... about the dire consequences of toppling [Syrian President] Assad." Flynn recounted that his agency was producing intelligence reports indicating that radical Islamists were the main force in the Syrian insurgency and "that Turkey was looking the other way when it came to the growth of the Islamic State inside Syria". According to Flynn, these reports "got enormous pushback from the Obama administration", who he felt "did not want to hear the truth". According to former DIA official W. Patrick Lang: "Flynn incurred the wrath of the White House by insisting on telling the truth about Syria ... they shoved him out. He wouldn't shut up."[74] In an interview with Al Jazeera, Flynn criticized the Obama administration for its delay in supporting the opposition in Syria, thereby allowing for the growth of Al-Nusra and other extremist forces: "when you don't get in and help somebody, they're gonna find other means to achieve their goals" and that "we should have done more earlier on in this effort, you know, than we did."[75]
Flynn retired from the U.S. Army with 33 years of service on August 7, 2014.[76]
Post-military career
Consulting firm
Flynn, with his son Michael G. Flynn, ran the Flynn Intel Group Inc, which provided intelligence services for businesses and governments.[12][77] The company was founded in the fall of 2014, restarted in June 2015 as a Delaware company,[77] and closed in 2016.
Flynn was paid more than $65,000 by companies connected to Russia in 2015, including $11,250 each from Volga-Dnepr Airlines and the U.S. subsidiary of Kaspersky Lab.[77][78] Other clients included Palo Alto Networks, Francisco Partners, Brainwave Science and Adobe Systems.[77]
While working as a consultant, Flynn served on the board of several organizations, including GreenZone Systems, Patriot Capital, Brainwave, Drone Aviation and OSY Technologies.[77][79][80] Subsidiaries of the Flynn Intel Group included FIG Cyber Inc, headed by Timothy Newberry, and FIG Aviation.[79][81]
In July 2018, the consulting firm Stonington Global LLC announced that Flynn was joining the firm as its director of global strategy, though Flynn's attorneys disputed that there had ever been a partnership several hours later.[82]
Foreign agent
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Bijan_R._Kian.jpg/170px-Bijan_R._Kian.jpg)
In July 2016, Flynn spoke at a meeting of ACT! for America when the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was underway. He spoke favorably of the coup participants, saying that Erdoğan had been moving away from a secular state and towards an Islamist state, and that participants in the coup wanted Turkey to be and to be seen as a secular state—a goal "worth clapping for".[84]
By the end of September 2016, Flynn's consulting company was hired by Inovo BV, a company owned by Kamil Ekim Alptekin, the Chair of the Turkish-American Business Council, which is an arm of the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK).[85][86] The company has links to President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.[87] Flynn was paid $530,000 by Alptekin for Flynn's lobbying work.[19][86] Flynn only registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department later on March 8, 2017, for the work completed by November 2016. Flynn acknowledged his work may have benefited Turkey's government.[19]
On November 8, 2016 (election day in the United States), an op-ed written by Flynn was published by The Hill, now calling for U.S. backing for Erdoğan's government and criticizing the regime's opponent, Fethullah Gülen, alleging that Gülen headed a "vast global network" that fit the description of "a dangerous sleeper terror network".[88][89] At the time, Flynn did not disclose that his consulting firm had received funds from a company with ties to the Turkish government.[90] After Flynn's ties had been disclosed by The Daily Caller, Politico, and others, the editor of The Hill added a note to Flynn's op-ed, stating that Flynn had failed to disclose that he had been engaged at the time in "consulting work that might have aided the government of Turkey", that his firm had received payments from a company with close ties to the Turkish government, or that the company had reviewed the draft of the op-ed before it was submitted to The Hill.[88]
On March 24, 2017, former Director of the CIA James Woolsey said that in September 2016 Flynn, while working for the Trump presidential campaign, had attended a meeting in a New York hotel with Turkish officials including foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and energy minister Berat Albayrak, son-in-law of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and had discussed abducting Fethullah Gülen and sending him to Turkey, bypassing the U.S. extradition legal process.[91][92]
Flynn sat in on classified national security briefings with then-candidate Trump at the same time that Flynn was working for foreign clients, which raises ethical concerns and conflicts of interest.[93][94] Flynn was paid at least $5,000 to serve as a consultant to a U.S.-Russian project to build 40 nuclear reactors across the Middle East, which Flynn's failure to disclose was flagged by Representatives Elijah Cummings and Eliot Engel as a possible violation of federal law.[95][96]
Attendance at RT gala dinner
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Vladimir_Putin%2C_Russia_Today_television_channel_%282015-12-10%29_04.jpg/220px-Vladimir_Putin%2C_Russia_Today_television_channel_%282015-12-10%29_04.jpg)
On December 10, 2015, Flynn attended a gala dinner in Moscow in honor of RT (formerly "Russia Today"), a Russian government-owned English-language media outlet, on which he made semi-regular appearances as an analyst after he retired from U.S. government service.[97]
Flynn sat next to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the dinner, leading journalist Michael Crowley of Politico to report that "at a moment of semi-hostility between the U.S. and Russia, the presence of such an important figure at Putin's table startled" U.S. officials.[78][98][100] As part of the festivities, Flynn gave a talk on world affairs for which he was paid at least $45,000.[97] Flynn defended the RT payment in an interview with Michael Isikoff.[100]
On February 1, 2017, the ranking Democratic members on six House committees sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis, requesting a Department of Defense investigation into Flynn's connection to RT.[101][102][103] The legislators expressed concern that Flynn had violated the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution by accepting money from RT.[101]
According to Representative Elijah Cummings of the House Oversight Committee, Flynn in February 2016 had told the Defense Department that he had not received money from foreign companies, and had had only "insubstantial contact" with foreigners.[78] Glenn A. Fine, the acting Defense Department Inspector General, confirmed an investigation of Flynn was opened in April 2017, though it was placed on hold for more than three years while the Justice Department prosecuted Flynn on unrelated charges.[104][78] After Trump pardoned Flynn in November 2020, the Justice Department notified the Pentagon that the inspector general's investigation could resume. The investigation was completed on January 27, 2021, and its findings forwarded to acting Secretary of the Army John Whitley.[105]
In May 2022, the Army notified Flynn it would seek to recoup over $38,000 of the compensation he had received for the Moscow speech. Flynn was found to have violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which applies to military retirees.[106]
2016 U.S. presidential election
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Michael_Flynn_%2830020745053%29.jpg/220px-Michael_Flynn_%2830020745053%29.jpg)
Having already been consulted regarding national security by Carly Fiorina as well as other candidates, including Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump,[107] Flynn was asked in February 2016 to serve as an adviser to the Trump campaign.[108]
In July 2016, it was reported he was being considered as Trump's running mate; Flynn later confirmed that he had submitted vetting documents to the campaign and, although a registered Democrat, was willing to accept the Republican vice-presidential nomination if chosen.[109][110] However, Trump instead selected Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
As one of the keynote speakers during the first night of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Flynn gave what the Los Angeles Times described as a "fiery" speech, in which he said: "We are tired of Obama's empty speeches and his misguided rhetoric. This, this has caused the world to have no respect for America's word, nor does it fear our might."[111] He accused Obama of choosing to conceal the actions of Osama bin Laden and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[112] Flynn went on to criticize political correctness and joined the crowd in a chant of "U-S-A! U-S-A!". During the chants, he told those in the audience, "Get fired up! This is about our country."[111][113]
During the speech, Flynn attacked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton; he encouraged the crowd to chant "Lock her up!"; saying "Damn right! Exactly right! There is nothing wrong with that!"[7][114][115] He called for Clinton to withdraw from the race, claiming that "if I did a tenth -a tenth- of what she did, I would be in jail today."[59] He repeated in subsequent interviews that she should be "locked up".[107] While campaigning for Trump, Flynn also referred to Clinton as the "enemy camp".[59] Six days after the speech, Flynn stirred up a controversy by retweeting anti-Semitic remarks, which he later apologized for and claimed were unintentional.[116] During the campaign, Flynn also posted links to false articles and conspiracy theories relating to Clinton on Twitter,[117] including the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.[118]
Flynn was once opposed to waterboarding and other torture techniques that have now been banned. However, according to an August 2016 Washington Post article, he said, in the context of Trump's apparent openness to reinstating such techniques, that he "would be reluctant to take options off the table".[59] In May 2016, an Al Jazeera reporter asked Flynn if he would support Trump's stated plan to "take out [the] families"[119][120] of people suspected of being involved in terrorism. In response, Flynn said, "I would have to see the circumstances of that situation."[59] In an interview with Al Jazeera, Flynn criticized the U.S. reliance on drones as a failed strategy, saying "what we have is this continued investment in conflict. The more weapons we give, the more bombs we drop, that just ... fuels the conflict."[75][121]
On August 16, 2016, the FBI opened a case on Flynn as part of its Crossfire Hurricane investigation.[122] The purpose of the investigation was to find out if Flynn was knowingly or unknowingly "involved in activity on behalf of the Russian Federation which may constitute a federal crime or threat to the national security" of the United States.[123] A review of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, done by Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, was completed in December 2019. It concluded that "the quantum of information articulated by the FBI to open" the individual investigation on Flynn "was sufficient to satisfy the low threshold established by the [Justice] Department and the FBI". The review "did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced the decisions to open" the investigation against Flynn.[124]
The Trump transition team during the campaign, chaired by Chris Christie, opposed Flynn serving as National Security Adviser or in any other high-level position because he was viewed as "a loose cannon".[57]: 46
Advocacy of technology transfer to Saudi Arabia
During the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign of Donald Trump, and subsequently, Flynn and Jared Kushner were engaged in promoting IP3 International's plan to transfer nuclear technology from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, for use in a proposed joint U.S.-French-Russian-British project, in possible violation of the law.[125][126][127][128][129]
National Security Advisor, 2017
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Shinz%C5%8D_Abe_met_with_President-elect_Donald_Trump_%283%29.jpg/220px-Shinz%C5%8D_Abe_met_with_President-elect_Donald_Trump_%283%29.jpg)
Trump administration transition
On November 18, 2016, Flynn accepted Trump's offer for the position of National Security Advisor.[130] During their meeting in the Oval Office two days after the election, Obama expressed "profound concerns" about placing Flynn in a sensitive, high-level national security post, and warned President-elect Trump against hiring Flynn.[131] On January 4, 2017, Flynn informed transition team counsel Don McGahn, soon to become the White House Counsel, that he was under federal investigation for secret lobbying work he had done for Turkey during the campaign. Trump later questioned in May 2019 why he had not been told Flynn was under investigation so he could have removed Flynn from his team.[132][133][134] Sean Spicer questioned why the Obama administration, if they believed Flynn to be a national-security risk, had failed to revoke Flynn's security clearance.[135]
Prior to his appointment, media sources including The Washington Post and Associated Press had criticized his alleged close relations with Russia,[98][100][136][137] and his alleged promotion of anti-Clinton conspiracy theories and fake news during the 2016 presidential campaign.[117][138]
In December 2016, Flynn met with Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), at Trump Tower in New York.[139]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/The_Handshake_%2832102261902%29.jpg/220px-The_Handshake_%2832102261902%29.jpg)
Ten days before the inauguration of Donald Trump, Flynn told then-National Security Advisor Susan Rice not to proceed with a planned invasion of Raqqa using Kurdish People's Protection Units.[140] Flynn's decision would delay the campaign—which had taken seven months to plan—for several more months, but was consistent with Turkish objections to working with Kurdish troops.[141]
Contacts with the Russian ambassador
Flynn's history with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak dated to 2013; they met when Kislyak coordinated Flynn's trip to Moscow for Flynn's work with the Defense Intelligence Agency.[142]
On November 30, 2016, Flynn joined a meeting between Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and Kislyak at Trump Tower.[143] U.S. intelligence agencies intercepted Kislyak's report to Russian officials about the meeting.[144] Kislyak wanted Russian generals to discuss the topic of American policy in Syria with the Trump transition team on a secure channel; however, Flynn said the Trump transition team did not possess such channels in their offices. Kushner wanted to use secure channels at the Russian embassy, but Kislyak declined.[145]
Flynn and Kislyak then spoke by phone several times in late December and January. On behalf of the Israeli government, Trump and his transition team called several foreign governments, urging them to oppose or delay a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in Palestine. Flynn was tasked by Kushner with talking to Kislyak about this, and they spoke on December 22 and 23. Russia ultimately chose not to oppose the resolution.[146][147][148][149]
On December 29, President Obama announced that in response to the Russian government's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, the United States would take retaliatory measures, including the expulsion of 35 suspected Russian intelligence agents.[143][150] Trump and his transition team feared that the sanctions would damage Russia–U.S. relations,[151][152] and Flynn spoke with Kislyak that day, urging Russia to only respond in a "reciprocal" manner to the sanctions and not escalate.[143] Flynn conferred with incoming deputy national security adviser K. T. McFarland both before and after calling Kislyak, and McFarland informed other Trump transition team members.[148][151][152] On December 31, Kislyak called Flynn, informing him that Putin had not retaliated because the Russian president had accepted Flynn's request.[153] The Obama administration was astonished by Russia's decision not to retaliate.[151] U.S. intelligence agencies routinely monitor Kislyak's calls, and Obama administration officials discovered on January 2 that Flynn had spoken to Kislyak multiple times during the previous few days.[154]
On January 12, columnist David Ignatius, writing for The Washington Post, made public that Flynn had called Kislyak on December 29 and questioned if Flynn had said anything to "undercut the U.S. sanctions".[155][156][157] Flynn instructed K. T. McFarland to lie to The Washington Post that Flynn had not discussed the sanctions with Kislyak; McFarland did this, knowing it was false,[158] and The Washington Post reported the denial.[155] Flynn proceeded to lie about not discussing the sanctions with Kislyak to incoming chief-of-staff Reince Priebus, incoming press secretary Sean Spicer, and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who repeated Flynn's falsehood to the media.[143][158][159] The Mueller Report stated that Obama administration officials feared that these public falsehoods could result in "a compromise situation for Flynn because the Department of Justice assessed that the Russian government could prove Flynn lied".[159]
Flynn's conversations with Kislyak were incidentally intercepted by American intelligence as part of routine surveillance of Russian agents. Per policy regarding American persons, Flynn's identity was masked before accounts of his conversations were distributed to high-level government officials. Some officials, notably national security advisor Susan Rice, were so concerned by the accounts that they requested Flynn's identity be unmasked, per procedure. After the unmasking was reported by the press, Trump and his allies insisted it was evidence the Obama administration was spying on him and his associates for political purposes. In May 2020, Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec announced on the program of Fox News host Sean Hannity that attorney general Bill Barr had appointed U.S. attorney John Bash to investigate. She also stated that John Durham, whom Barr had appointed to investigate the origins of the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation, had also been examining the unmasking issue. The Bash investigation was quietly closed five months later, with no public announcement or report, reportedly finding nothing improper. Bash's 52-page report, previously classified top secret, was released in May 2022. Bash wrote he had found no evidence that any unmasking requests were made for any political or otherwise improper reasons during the 2016 election period or the ensuing presidential transition.[160][161][162]
Tenure, January 20 - February 13, 2017
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Trump_visits_MacDill_Air_Force_Base_%2832715575096%29.jpg/220px-Trump_visits_MacDill_Air_Force_Base_%2832715575096%29.jpg)
When he was national security adviser, Flynn urged the U.S. Department of Defense to set up a military communication channel with Russia to protect American and Russian air forces from each other in Syria, and possibly cooperate to take on the Islamic State, reported The Daily Beast website in July 2017. The Department of Defense and U.S. Central Command rejected the idea, reported the website. The National Defense Authorization Act from 2015, had banned the U.S. from cooperating in military matters with Russia unless the Secretary of Defense allowed an exception.[163]
Flynn was an important link in the connections between Putin and Trump in the "Ukraine peace plan", an unofficial plan "organized outside regular diplomatic channels ... at the behest of top aides to President Putin". This plan, aimed at easing the sanctions on Russia, progressed from Putin and his advisors to Ukrainian politician Andrey Artemenko, Felix Sater, Michael Cohen, and Flynn, where he would have then presented it to Trump. The New York Times reported that Sater delivered the plan "in a sealed envelope" to Cohen, who then passed it on to Flynn in February 2017, just before his resignation.[164]
Investigations during his tenure
In January 2017, then-FBI director James Comey decided to send FBI agents to interview Flynn. Knowing that Flynn had asked Kislyak to ensure Russia did not respond harshly to U.S. sanctions and also that Vice President Pence, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and Press Secretary Sean Spicer had all said Flynn told them he hadn't made such a request, Comey decided that Flynn needed to be interviewed as part of assessing whether Flynn was acting under Russian influence.[165] The FBI discussed how to structure the interview, and then-deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe called Flynn on January 24, asking him to meet with two FBI counterintelligence agents; Flynn agreed.[166] McCabe also asked if Flynn wanted a lawyer present, to which Flynn said no.[153]
The two agents met Flynn at his office later that day and asked Flynn about his exchanges with Kislyak regarding the late December 2016 United Nations Security Council resolution regarding Israeli settlements. According to the FBI notes, Flynn told the agents he had not tried to influence Russia's vote on the resolution; in fact, he had asked Kislyak to have Russia oppose or delay the resolution.[158][167][168] The FBI agents also asked Flynn whether he had asked Kislyak to avoid escalating the diplomatic conflict. According to FBI notes, Flynn responded: "Not really. I don't remember. It wasn't, 'Don't do anything'".[168][169][170][171] After the meeting, the agents prepared an FD-302 form, a form used to summarize an FBI interview, for the discussion with Flynn.[172]
Based on the results of the FBI interview, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates made an "urgent" request to meet with White House counsel Don McGahn,[173] and they met on January 26 and 27.[174] Yates told McGahn that Flynn had misled Pence and other administration officials about the nature of his conversations with Kislyak and was possibly open to blackmail by the Russians.[136][175][176] Former United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called the possibility of Flynn being blackmailed "kind of a stretch", while acknowledging that his false statement was "a problem ... that I would tell the president about".[177]
Departure
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Michael_Flynn_Resignation_Letter.pdf/page1-220px-Michael_Flynn_Resignation_Letter.pdf.jpg)
On February 9, 2017, The Washington Post broke the story that Flynn had discussed the U.S. sanctions with Kislyak, contrary to the public denials made by the Trump administration, citing "nine current and former officials".[156][22] The New York Times confirmed the story by The Washington Post, stating that a transcript of Flynn–Kislyak conversation existed.[156] The Washington Post also reported that on February 8 Flynn had given them flat denials about such discussions.[22] Flynn gave denials despite The Washington Post journalist Karen DeYoung informing him that officials "have listened to the intercepts" of his calls with Kislyak.[153]
After The Washington Post published their story, Flynn's spokesman released a statement on February 9 tempering Flynn's denial, describing that Flynn "had no recollection of discussing sanctions", but also "couldn't be certain that the topic never came up".[22][178] This happened after Flynn was confronted by Reince Priebus, Don McGahn, and John Eisenberg, who also informed Flynn that there were transcripts of his calls with Kislyak. Flynn told the White House officials he "either was not sure whether he discussed sanctions or did not remember doing so" (which was different from what he told Mike Pence and Sean Spicer in January).[153] Meanwhile, Mike Pence only learned on February 9 that Flynn had lied to him regarding the calls; Pence was informed by that day's media reports, said Pence's spokesman.[179]
As a result of these news reports, public pressure on Flynn increased.[156] On February 12, Trump's adviser Kellyanne Conway declared that Trump had "full confidence" in Flynn; however, one hour later on the same day, Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer described Trump as "evaluating" Flynn.[156]
On February 13, Flynn resigned as National Security Advisor, writing that he had given "incomplete information" of his conversations with Kislyak.[180] Flynn's 24-day tenure as National Security Advisor was the shortest in the 63-year history of the office.[25] Before Flynn's resignation, he told the Daily Caller that, in his conversation with Kislyak, he told Kislyak he was aware of the expulsion of the 35 Russians, and that: "We'll review everything."[179]
On February 14, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump had asked for Flynn to resign, "not based on a legal issue, but based on a trust issue", due to "misleading the Vice President and others, or the possibility that he had forgotten critical details of this important conversation", which "created a critical mass and an unsustainable situation".[181]
Later, in December 2017, President Trump said he "had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI", noting that Flynn had "pled guilty to those lies".[182] Also in December 2017, Vice President Pence said that by the time Flynn departed the Trump administration, "I knew that he lied to me." Pence also said Trump "made the right decision" to remove Flynn.[183]
Investigations after leaving the Trump administration
On February 14, 2017, President Trump met with FBI Director James Comey in the Oval Office and reportedly told him "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go", adding "he's a good guy."[184] Comey subsequently testified that, "I had understood the President to be requesting that we drop any investigation of Flynn in connection with false statements about his conversations with the Russian ambassador in December ... I did not understand the president to be talking about the broader investigation into Russia or possible links to his campaign".[185] The propriety, and even the legality, of these words that Trump reportedly said to Comey about Flynn have become a subject of considerable public debate.[186] Several months after dismissing Flynn, Trump also dismissed Comey, which Comey attributed to the FBI's Russia investigation.[187]
Flynn had offered to testify to the FBI or the Senate and House Intelligence committees relating to the Russia probe in exchange for immunity from criminal prosecution.[188] However, the Senate Intelligence Committee rejected Flynn's offer for testimony in exchange for immunity.[189] Flynn initially declined to respond to a subpoena from the Senate Intelligence Committee, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, but he and the committee later struck a compromise.[190][78] The Pentagon inspector general was also investigating whether Flynn accepted money from foreign governments without the required approval.[191]
On November 5, 2017, NBC News reported that Robert Mueller had enough evidence for charges against Flynn and his son, Michael G. Flynn.[192] On November 10, The Wall Street Journal reported that Flynn was under investigation by Mueller for allegedly planning a kidnapping and extrajudicial rendition of Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen to Turkey.[193][194] On November 22, NBC News reported that Flynn's business partner Bijan Kian was a subject of the Mueller probe.[195] NBC reported that a Turkish businessman named Reza Zarrab, who was picked up in 2016 by U.S. authorities in Miami on Iranian sanctions violations and money laundering charges, was offering evidence against Flynn.[196][197] Flynn's firm was paid more than $500,000 by Inovo, a Netherlands firm owned by Turkish businessman Kamil Ekim Alptekin, for work which included investigating Gülen.[13][198] In turn Alptekin received $80,000, said to be a kick-back in a report done by Reuters.[199]
On November 23, 2017, it was reported that Flynn's lawyers notified Trump's legal team they could no longer discuss anything regarding Mueller's investigation, suggesting Flynn may have been cooperating with prosecutors or negotiating a deal.[200][201][202]
Plea bargain, 2017
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Flynn_statement_of_offense.pdf/page1-220px-Flynn_statement_of_offense.pdf.jpg)
On December 1, 2017, Flynn and special counsel Robert Mueller agreed to a plea bargain in the District of Columbia's U.S. District Court. In the agreement, Flynn pleaded guilty to "willfully and knowingly" making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the FBI regarding conversations with Russia's ambassador. Flynn agreed in The Statement of the Offense that he had falsely denied that on December 29, 2016, he had asked Russia's Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak "to refrain from escalating ... in response to sanctions that the United States had imposed against Russia that same day."[203] Flynn's guilty plea acknowledged that he was cooperating with the Mueller investigation, and it was accepted by the court.[204][205]
Sentencing delayed and postponed indefinitely, 2018-2020
Flynn's sentencing had been deferred several times,[206][207] most recently on November 27, 2019[208] and February 10, 2020.[209][210][211] As part of Flynn's plea negotiations, his son, Michael G. Flynn, was expected to avoid charges.[212]
In a sentencing memorandum released on December 4, 2018, the Mueller investigation stated Flynn "deserves credit for accepting responsibility in a timely fashion and substantially assisting the government" and should receive little or no jail time.[213]
Flynn's attorneys submitted a sentencing memo on December 11, 2018, requesting leniency and suggesting FBI agents had tricked him into lying during the January 24, 2017, White House interview and did not advise him that lying to federal agents is a felony. The memo also asserted that Flynn's relaxed behavior during the interview indicated he was being truthful. Trump echoed this assertion two days later on Twitter and Fox News, asserting, "They convinced him he did lie, and he made some kind of a deal."[214]
Mueller's office rejected these assertions the next day, stating agents had told Flynn portions of what he had discussed with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak to jog his memory, but Flynn did not waver from his false statements.[215] FBI agents concluded that Flynn's relaxed behavior during the interview was actually because he was fully committed to his lies.[215] Mueller's office also documented instances when Flynn lied about the Kislyak conversation during the days before the FBI interview.[215] Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered documents related to the interview be provided to him prior to Flynn's December 18, 2018, sentencing.[215] The New York Times reported that Flynn's "decision to attack the FBI in his own plea for probation appeared to be a gambit for a pardon from Mr. Trump, whose former lawyer had broached the prospect last year with a lawyer for Mr. Flynn."[215][216]
Sullivan, who had a history of skepticism about government conduct,[217] rebuked Flynn at his December 18, 2018, sentencing hearing. Citing evidence not released to the public, the judge told him, "arguably you sold your country out",[218][219] and warned, "I cannot assure that if you proceed today you will not receive a sentence of incarceration." He offered to delay the sentencing until Flynn's cooperation with investigators was complete. After conferring with his attorneys, Flynn accepted the delay. During the hearing, Sullivan indicated he was offended by the suggestion in the sentencing memo submitted by Flynn's attorneys that the FBI had misled Flynn, as it created an appearance that Flynn wanted to accept a generous plea deal from prosecutors while also contending he had been entrapped. He asked several questions of Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner, to determine if the defense was maintaining that the FBI had acted improperly in its investigation of Flynn, including whether he had been entrapped. Kelner responded, "No, your honor" to each question. Judge Sullivan also asked Flynn multiple questions under oath, including whether he wanted to withdraw his guilty plea, still accepted responsibility for his false statements and wanted to plead guilty, and was satisfied with his legal representation.[220] Flynn restated his guilty plea, and acknowledged to Sullivan he was aware that lying to federal investigators was a crime at the time of his initial FBI interview in January 2017. Sullivan then delayed sentencing.[220][221][222][223][224]
On May 16, 2019, an unredacted version of a December 2018 government sentencing memo for Flynn showed that he advised investigators that both before and after his guilty plea "he or his attorneys received communications from persons connected to the Administration or Congress that could have affected both his willingness to cooperate and the completeness of that cooperation." The Mueller Report described a November 2017 voicemail Flynn's attorneys received from Trump's "personal counsel", reportedly John Dowd, who said: "[I]f... there's information that implicates the President, then we've got a national security issue ... so, you know ... we need some kind of heads up," reiterating the president's "feelings toward Flynn and, that still remains." The newly unredacted information also showed that members of the Trump campaign discussed contacting WikiLeaks about the release of emails and "potential efforts to interfere with the SCO's investigation."[225][226] The day the unredacted court filing was released, Sullivan ordered that the full transcript of the voicemail be released to the public by May 31, as well as the transcript of Flynn's conversation with Kislyak and unredacted portions of the Mueller Report relating to Flynn.[227] The Justice Department released the Dowd transcript on May 31, but not the Flynn materials.[228]
Dowd denied March 2018 reports by The New York Times and The Washington Post six days after he resigned as Trump's attorney that in 2017 he had broached the idea of a presidential pardon for Flynn with his attorneys.[229][230]
In June 2019, Flynn fired the Covington & Burling attorneys who had negotiated his plea deal and hired Sidney Powell, who had previously urged Flynn to withdraw his guilty plea. Trump complimented Flynn and Powell on Twitter.[231] Testimony of contractors of the Flynn company in the Bijan Rafiekian trial indicates their foreign customer was interested in classified government information on Turkey's cleric Fethullah Gülen, surveillance of Gülen supporters, and likely terrorist links that might be turned up by their own investigations of the Turkish cleric.[83][232] Bijan Rafiekian, who was a partner of Michael Flynn in the Flynn Intel Group and worked with the incoming Trump administration's transition team, was charged with illegally acting as an unregistered agent of Turkey. In 2019 a federal judge threw out the guilty verdicts against Bijan Rafiekian, citing insufficient evidence to sustain his conviction on either count.[233][83][234]
In August 2019, Flynn's attorneys filed a motion to hold prosecutors in contempt for "malevolent conduct", accusing them of withholding material that benefited his case to cause him to plead guilty. They alleged that parts of the federal government had attempted to "smear" him as a Russian agent, "or the victim of a criminal leak or other abuses related to classified intercepts of his calls with Kislyak".[235] In October 2019, Flynn's lawyers further alleged in court filings that "high-ranking FBI officials orchestrated an ambush-interview ... not for the purpose of discovering any evidence of criminal activity ... but for the purpose of trapping him into making statements they could allege as false."[236][237]
On December 16, 2019, after a review of possible case related findings in the Michael Horowitz report, Sullivan rejected the assertions of FBI entrapment and prosecutorial malfeasance, setting his sentencing date for January 28, 2020.[238] Sullivan asked prosecutors to present a new sentencing memo; they had previously recommended little or no jail time, but more recently suggested they might change their position.[239] On January 7, 2020, prosecutors presented a sentencing memo calling for Flynn to be sentenced to a term of up to six months.[240] One week later, Flynn's lawyers filed a motion seeking permission to withdraw his guilty plea "because of the government's bad faith, vindictiveness, and breach of the plea agreement".[30] On January 16, Sullivan postponed Flynn's sentencing date to February 27.[241] On January 22, Flynn requested he be sentenced to probation and community service if his request to withdraw his guilty plea is not granted.[242] On January 29, 2020, Flynn filed a personal declaration with the court, declaring under penalty of perjury that he was innocent, that he still didn't remember whether he had discussed sanctions with Kislyak or the details of their discussion of the United Nations vote on Israel, that his Covington attorneys had not provided effective counsel, and that he "did not consciously or intentionally lie" to the FBI agents who had interviewed him.[243] After senior Justice Department officials intervened in February 2020 to recommend a lighter sentence for Roger Stone than prosecutors had recommended the day before, NBC News reported that the previous month senior DOJ officials had also intervened to recommend Flynn's sentence be reduced from up to six months in the original recommendation to probation.[244]
Days before Flynn's scheduled sentencing, attorney general William Barr appointed Jeffrey Jensen, the U.S. attorney for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, to examine Flynn's prosecution.[245] On February 10, 2020, Flynn's sentencing was postponed indefinitely, to allow both sides to prepare arguments in response to his claim that his previous lawyers violated his constitutional rights by providing inadequate legal counsel.[211]
Justice Department's motion to drop charges, Presidential pardon 2020
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Michael_Flynn_DOJ_motion_to_dismiss.pdf/page1-220px-Michael_Flynn_DOJ_motion_to_dismiss.pdf.jpg)
In February 2020, Attorney General William Barr declared that there would be a review of Flynn's case.[246][247] Barr chose Jeffrey Jensen, the sitting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri since 2017, to conduct the review. Jensen had been nominated to his position by President Trump.[247] Trump had publicly called for Flynn's charges to be dropped. In late April or early May, Jensen recommended to Barr that the charges be dropped, and Barr agreed with the recommendation.[32]
On May 7, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a Motion to Dismiss with prejudice the criminal information against Flynn.[248] The motion, filed by Timothy Shea, interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and a longtime adviser of Barr's, stated that Flynn's questioning "was untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI's counterintelligence investigation".[249] Lead DOJ prosecutor Brandon L. Van Grack withdrew from the case, and no DOJ attorneys who had been involved in the case signed on to Shea's motion.[249] Van Grack had contended in previous filings that the "topics of sanctions went to the heart of the FBI's counterintelligence investigation, [and] any effort to undermine those sanctions could have been evidence of links or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia." Sidney Powell, Flynn's attorney, said prosecution filings had been made in "bad faith", and Brady materials had been withheld.[249] U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan had previously ruled that Flynn's statements were material to the Russia campaign interference inquiry.[249] It was left to Sullivan to determine whether to dismiss the charges and also to prevent a retrial on the charges.[249] Sullivan had the option of requesting written submissions on the motion and also could determine if additional Brady disclosure materials that should have been provided to the defense could be added to the record.[249]
On May 12, 2020, Judge Sullivan ordered a hold on the DOJ's intent to drop charges, saying he expected that independent groups and legal experts will wish to intervene. Judge Sullivan said he will set schedules for filing "friend-of-the court" or amicus briefs.[33] On May 13, Judge Sullivan appointed retired U.S. District Judge John Gleeson to act as an amicus curiae "to present arguments in opposition to the government's Motion to Dismiss" and to "address whether the Court should issue an Order to Show Cause why Mr. Flynn should not be held in criminal contempt for perjury."[250] On May 19, Judge Sullivan set a schedule for amicus briefs (to be submitted no later than June 10, 2020), replies (with various dates in June 2020), and oral arguments (on July 16, 2020).[251] On June 10, Judge Gleeson filed his amicus brief stating that the government's motion be denied as "the Government's statement of reasons for seeking dismissal is pretextual" and "there is clear evidence of a gross abuse of prosecutorial power" and concluding that "Flynn has indeed committed perjury in these proceedings" that should be taken into account in his sentencing.[252] On June 17, the DOJ filed a brief with Sullivan asserting that even if Gleeson's findings of gross abuse were true, the Department still had sole authority to drop the case without judicial review. A footnote in the brief stated that assertions of prosecutorial misconduct made by Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, were "unfounded and provide no basis for impugning the prosecutors."[253]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Mike_Flynn_Pardon.jpg/220px-Mike_Flynn_Pardon.jpg)
On May 19, 2020, Flynn filed an Emergency Petition for a Writ of Mandamus in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit requesting a writ ordering the district court to (1) grant the government's Motion to Dismiss with prejudice, (2) vacate its order appointing an amicus curiae, and (3) assign the case to another judge for any additional proceedings.[254] On May 21, the panel ordered Judge Sullivan to file a response addressing Flynn's request within ten days of the order and also invited the Department of Justice to respond.[255] In response to the order, Judge Sullivan retained Beth Wilkinson to help with his response.[256] On June 1, Judge Sullivan and the Department of Justice filed responsive briefs with the appellate court panel.[257][258] On June 10, Flynn, the Department of Justice, and Judge Sullivan filed reply briefs.[259] On June 12, oral arguments were heard by the appellate court panel by teleconference.[260] On June 24, the appellate court panel ruled to grant the writ, "direct[ing] the district court to grant the government's Rule 48(a) motion to dismiss ... [and] vacat[ing] the district court's order appointing an amicus as moot," with Judge Neomi Rao writing for the majority, joined by Judge Karen Henderson, and Judge Robert L. Wilkins dissenting in part.[261] On July 9, Sullivan filed a petition with the full appellate court to rehear the case.[262] On July 30, the full court agreed to hear the case, vacating the June 24 ruling, scheduling oral arguments for August 11, and advising the parties to "be prepared to address whether there are 'no other adequate means to attain the relief' desired."[263][264] On August 11, the full appeals court heard arguments from the DOJ and from Sullivan's attorney.[265] The appeals court ruled 8–2 on August 31, 2020, to deny the request to dismiss the case or reassign the case from Sullivan.[266]
More oral arguments took place on September 29, 2020, conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[267] Flynn received a presidential pardon on November 25, 2020.[268] Judge Sullivan subsequently dismissed the criminal case against Flynn as moot on December 8, 2020.[269]
Political views
Amid speculation that Flynn might be selected as Trump's 2016 running mate, he discussed his registration as a Democrat, stating "I grew up as a Democrat in a very strong Democratic family, but I will tell you that Democratic Party that exists in this country is not the Democratic Party that I grew up around in my upbringing", and declined to say whether his affiliation had changed.[270] He was a headlining speaker during the first night of the 2016 Republican National Convention,[111] and he was a surrogate and top national security adviser for President Donald Trump.
During a July 10, 2016, interview on ABC News' This Week, when asked by host Martha Raddatz about the issue of abortion, Flynn said, "women have to be able to choose".[270][271] The next day, Flynn said on Fox News that he is a "pro-life Democrat".[272]
Flynn is a supporter of current Israeli policies.[273][274] He is also an opponent of the Iran nuclear deal. In February 2017, Flynn said "the Obama administration failed to respond adequately to Tehran's malign actions—including weapons transfers, support for terrorism and other violations of international norms".[275] Flynn accused Yemen's Houthi rebels of being one of Iran's "proxy terrorist groups" in February 2017.[276] Flynn also criticized Obama's administration for arming Syrian rebels linked to Salafi jihadism.[277] According to Flynn, the U.S. is "at war with a radical component of Islam".[277] Flynn has been a board member of the anti-Muslim ACT! for America,[278] and local chapters of ACT organized large parts of the speaking tour for Flynn's book.[279] He sees the Muslim faith as one of the root causes of Islamist terrorism,[73] which along with other views has seen him associated with the counter-jihad movement,[280][279] of which he was considered the "leading advocate" at the Trump White House.[281]
Flynn has described Islam as a political ideology that "definitely hides behind being a religion" and has metastasized into a "malignant cancer."[73][282] He once tweeted that "fear of Muslims is RATIONAL"[278] and included a video link claiming that Islam wants "80% of people enslaved or exterminated".[283] Initially supportive of Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., Flynn later told Al Jazeera a blanket ban was unworkable and has called instead for "vetting" of entrants from countries like Syria.[278] Flynn has said the U.S. "should extradite Fethullah Gülen" to Turkey and "work constructively with Russia" in Syria.[74][284] In 2016, he said he had seen photos of signs in the Southwest border area that were in Arabic to help Muslims entering the United States illegally. Shawn Moran, a vice president of the National Border Patrol Council responded to CNN that the group National Border Patrol Council was not aware of the signs Flynn referenced, but they were concerned about the threat of terrorism at the southern border.[285]
Flynn was a scheduled speaker for a "Digital Soldiers Conference" in Atlanta in September 2019, along with other Trump associates George Papadopoulos and Gina Loudon.[286] The conference was named after a 2016 quote from Flynn about Trump having been elected by an "army of digital soldiers".[287] The stated purpose was to prepare "patriotic social media warriors" for a coming "digital civil war." The announcement for the event prominently displayed a Q spelled in stars on the blue field of an American flag, and the host of the event had numerous references to QAnon on his Twitter account.[286][288] On Independence Day 2020, Flynn tweeted a video of himself leading others in an oath to QAnon.[289][290][291] Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, denied the oath related to QAnon, saying it was merely a statement engraved on a bell on John F. Kennedy's sailboat. However, during preceding days numerous QAnon followers had taken the same so-called "digital soldier oath" on Twitter, using the same #TakeTheOath hashtag as Flynn had.[292]
Following his November 2020 pardon, Flynn deepened his involvement with QAnon by endorsing merchandise related to the conspiracy theory, creating a Digital Soldiers media company,[293] and announcing that he planned to launch a news media outlet also called "Digital soldiers".[294] As Flynn appeared on podcasts popular with QAnon followers such as "Bards of War," QAnon stories predicted that he would help them take control,[293] some adherents even speculating that Flynn was Q.[294]
2020 election
Days after being pardoned by Trump, Flynn tweeted a press release by the "We the People Convention" that called on the president to "exercise the Extraordinary Powers of his office and declare limited Martial Law to temporarily suspend the Constitution and civilian control of these federal elections in order to have the military implement a national re-vote that reflects the true will of the people."[289][295]
On December 17, 2020, Flynn stated during a television interview, "People out there talk about martial law like it's something that we've never done. Martial law has been instituted 64 times." Although martial law had been imposed 68 times in the nation's history, only one sitting president had invoked it — Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. None of the invocations of martial law involved electoral issues as Flynn envisioned. In January 2022, a draft executive order dated December 16, 2020, surfaced that proposed a military seizure of voting machines and the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the election, as the president and his allies sought ways to overturn the election which he had lost. In a December 18 Oval Office meeting Flynn attended, Sidney Powell urged Trump to seize voting machines and to appoint her as a special counsel, though it was not immediately clear who wrote the draft order.[296][297]
Flynn appeared at a Stop the Steal rally in Washington, D.C. in December following the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear Texas v. Pennsylvania. He dismissed the court's decision saying "the people decide" who'll be president, saying, "I will tell you one more time—because I've been asked—on a scale of one to ten, who will be the next president of the United States, and I say Donald Trump. Ten. A ten".[298][299] Flynn likened the protesters at Stop the Steal events to the biblical soldiers and priests breaching the walls of Jericho in the Battle of Jericho, echoing the rally organizers' call for "Jericho Marches" to overturn the election result.[300][301] After the meeting, the largest Three Percenters group announced that they were "ready to enter into battle with General Flynn leading the charge".[293]
Not long afterward, Flynn and Powell met with Trump in the Oval Office, where they reportedly railed on White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and accused them of abandoning the president post-election.[40][39]
Post-election, 2021
On January 8, 2021, two days after the storming of the Capitol, Flynn's Twitter account was permanently suspended, along with those of many other QAnon-affiliated personalities such as Sidney Powell. A Twitter representative said the accounts of Flynn and others had "been suspended in line with our policy on Coordinated Harmful Activity".[302] Flynn's Twitter account was reinstated on the second anniversary of the January 6 attack, roughly two months after the company had been acquired by Elon Musk.[303]
In February 2021, Flynn distanced himself from QAnon views, stating that rumors about Trump using the Insurrection Act to take back control of the country were "nonsense", and commenting: "There's no plan. There's so many people out there asking, 'Is the plan happening?' We have what we have, and we have to accept the situation as it is." However, he did not disavow QAnon outright, nor did he admit that Biden's win was legitimate.[293]
Media Matters published analysis in February 2021 finding that QAnon adherents had praised the February 2021 Myanmar coup d'état in which the military overthrew the democratically elected government, and advocated a similar coup in the United States.[304] In May 2021, Flynn was one of the keynote speakers at the "For God & Country: Patriot Roundup" conference, organized in Dallas by QAnon activists. When an audience member stated, "I want to know why what happened in Myanmar can't happen here," Flynn responded, "No reason, I mean, it should happen here. No reason. That's right." After his words were reported, Flynn asserted he had "not at any time called for any action of that sort" and accused the press of "boldface fabrication based on twisted reporting."[305][306][307]
In May 2021, Flynn asserted the COVID-19 pandemic was fabricated as "a distraction to what happened on 3 November," referring to the 2020 presidential election which he maintains was stolen from Trump. He added, "Everything we hear about Covid, and how Covid started before November 3, it is all meant to control, it is all meant to gain control of a society to be able to force decisions on society, instead of allowing 'we the people' to make decisions." Flynn falsely suggested that getting the COVID-19 vaccine was required to get an identification card or to travel.[308][309][310] He later alleged George Soros, Bill Gates and others had created COVID-19 to "steal an election" and "rule the world."[311]
Flynn became active on speaking tours in 2021, including the ReAwaken America Tour which Flynn helped launch.[312] Will Sommer of The Daily Beast observed that a prayer Flynn gave in September bore a striking resemblance to one by Elizabeth Clare Prophet, leader of the Church Universal and Triumphant, an anti-communist doomsday cult. Some QAnon supporters alleged the prayer was Satanic because Flynn used terms they considered antithetical to Christian doctrine.[313]
The ReAwaken America Tour is sponsored by Charisma News, a proponent of the New Apostolic Reformation.[314][315]
While speaking before a ReAwaken America audience in November 2021, Flynn stated: "If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God, and one religion under God,"[316] a statement that caused outrage.[317]
In December 2021, lawyer and QAnon follower L. Lin Wood leaked a text exchange and a phone conversation between himself and Flynn, in which Flynn commented that QAnon was "a set up and a disinformation campaign to make people look like a bunch of kooks" and accused "the Left" or the CIA of being behind the campaign.[318]
Reuters reported in December 2021 that Flynn and associated military-intelligence veterans played a central role in spreading false information alleging the 2020 election had been stolen from Trump. Phil Waldron, a psychological operations expert, said he worked with Flynn on secret projects during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and worked in clandestine services under Flynn at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Waldron had distributed a 38-page PowerPoint presentation detailing an elaborate theory that China and Venezuela had taken control of voting machines — a theory also promoted by Trump and Flynn attorney Sidney Powell. Waldron said he had conveyed his theory to congressman Louie Gohmert who immediately called Trump. Waldron soon met with Powell and Rudy Giuliani before attending a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office. Waldron said he spoke with Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows several times and discussed his theory with several members of Congress. The presentation recommended that Trump declare a national security emergency to delay the January 6 certification of electors, reject all ballots cast by machine, and have paper ballots secured by U.S. marshals and National Guard troops to conduct a recount.[319]
Flynn also worked with Ivan Raiklin, a former special forces officer who presented himself as a constitutional attorney, though Reuters could not find evidence he had such expertise. Raiklin promoted conspiracy theories involving Pence, intelligence agencies, big tech, China and the postal service. On December 22, he tweeted to Trump a two-page memo entitled, "Operation Pence Card," describing how the vice president might reject electors from states Biden won and in which Trump alleged fraud. Trump retweeted the Raiklin tweet. Seth Keshel, a former Army intelligence officer, conducted a statistical analysis that falsely[320] claimed to prove the 2020 election results were fraudulent; he told Reuters he contacted Flynn and they began collaborating. Shortly after the election, Flynn, Powell, Keshel and others gathered for days of strategy sessions at the South Carolina estate of Lin Wood. Also present was Doug Logan, the CEO of Cyber Ninjas, which managed the controversial election audit in Maricopa County, Arizona after Waldron recommended him to Arizona Senate president Karen Fann. A Flynn fundraising organization provided most of the $5.7 million funding for that audit, which ultimately affirmed Biden's victory in Arizona without proving fraud.[321][322][323]
Flynn was subpoenaed for testimony and documents by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack in November 2021; he appeared before the committee in March 2022 but repeatedly exercised his Fifth Amendment right to not answer questions.[324]
As of September 2022, Flynn is continuing to consolidate right wing, conservative Christian groups to influence elections. Among the groups are also election deniers, mask and vaccine opponents, insurrectionists and Proud Boys.[325] With his brother Joe, and Patrick Byrne, Flynn co-founded The America Project, which advocates for what it contends is "election integrity" by poll watching and voter challenges, producing manuals for nine states. One of the several Arizona Senators who worked closely with Flynn to conduct the Arizona Audit, Steve Montenegro, was named the National Policy Director of the America Project and managed the audit Twitter feed. [326] The America Project funds another organization, One More Mission, which seeks to recruit thousands of military veterans and police officers to work at polls for the 2022 United States elections.[327][328][329] After having resided in Englewood, Florida since 2021,[330] in September 2022, Flynn joined the executive committee of the Sarasota County, Florida Republican Committee.[331] In the county committee's December 2022 leadership elections, Flynn backed an unsuccessful candidate for chair.[332]
2022- present
Flynn testified under subpoena before a 2020 Georgia election investigation special grand jury in December 2022. The grand jury indicted 19 people on racketeering charges in August 2023, including former president Trump. The grand jury recommended that the prosecutor, Fani Willis, also indict Flynn and 38 others, but she declined.[333][334][335]
In March 2023, Flynn endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory video claiming that President John F. Kennedy had warned about a "Khazarian mafia" that secretly controls the world, a reference to the Khazar hypothesis of Jewish ancestry.[336] In August 2023, the Auschwitz Memorial condemned Flynn after he suggested that Jewish parents willingly surrendered their children to the Nazis during the Holocaust.[337]
In May 2023 Trump who was actively campaigning for President, called into a ReAwaken America event Flynn was hosting at Trump National Doral Miami . He told Flynn, "We're going to bring you back," adding, "We're proud of you, general. I knew it from day one — you're really somebody very special." It was not clear if Trump was specifically referring to a role for Flynn in the Trump administration if he were elected in 2024.[338]
The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in December 2023 nominated Flynn for induction in 2024. Several Hall of Fame board members quickly resigned in protest.[339]
Media Matters reported in January 2024 that days earlier Flynn had appeared in-studio with Alex Jones to say, "I told Alex a couple of years ago when we met that I had first seen him in 2008 and 2009. I said, 'That guy's absolutely right on the money.'" Jones asserted that government-aligned groups are "going to stage false flags — unless we expose them and stop them — to blame us and trigger this. And they're going to make moves that they believe will elicit a civil war. This isn't coming. It's here. They are going to try this." Flynn responded:
I don't raise my voice that much, but when I do, it means that we are moving to — as Alex just said — we're moving towards the sound of the guns here, folks. And the sound of the guns is freedom. We are going to move towards freedom.[340]
Personal life
Flynn married Lori Andrade in 1981.[341] They have two children together, Michael Flynn Jr. and Matt Flynn.[341] In 2021, Flynn moved to Sarasota County. He has been visiting and donating money to The Hollow in Venice, Florida, a far right meeting place including the Proud Boys.[342]
Writings
Flynn co-authored a report in January 2010 through the Center for a New American Security, entitled Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan.[343] That report, which became influential,[344] argued that U.S. intelligence agencies "must open their doors to anyone who is willing to exchange information, including Afghans and NGOs [non-governmental organizations] as well as the U.S. military and its allies".[345]
Flynn is a co- author of The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies with Michael Ledeen, which was published by St. Martin's Press in 2016.[346] In reviewing the book, Will McCants of the Brookings Institution described Flynn's worldview as a confused combination of neoconservatism (an insistence on destroying what he sees as an alliance of tyranny, dictatorships, and radical Islamist regimes) and realism (support for working with "friendly tyrants"), although he acknowledged that this could be due to the book's having two authors.[347]
Flynn co-authored the book The Citizen's Guide to Fifth Generation Warfare, published in December 2022. Flynn writes that social media platforms are powerful weapons that are being used against the public by state and non-state actors as "a global PSYOP agenda to consolidate power using digital platforms to affect everyone on macro and micro levels."[348]
Awards and decorations
Flynn's decorations, medals and badges include:[8][349]
![]() | |||
![]() | |||
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
||
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() | |||
![]() |
Other U.S. agency decorations | |
![]() |
U.S. Intelligence Community's Gold Seal Medallion[349] |
![]() |
Defense Intelligence Agency Badge |
![]() |
United States Special Operations Command Combat Service Identification Badge |
![]() |
Army Military Intelligence Corps Distinctive Unit Insignia |
![]() |
? Overseas Service Bars |
Other awards and recognitions
- The Ellis Island Medal of Honor[351]
- The 2012 Association of Special Operations Professionals Man of the Year award[352]
- Honorary doctorate from The Institute of World Politics[8]
- The William J. Casey Medal of Honor from the Institute of World Politics[353]
- The Director of Naval Intelligence's Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton Award for Leadership and Mentorship (first non-Navy recipient)[350]
- Federal Law Enforcement Foundation's Service to America Award[350]
- Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, University of Rhode Island, 2014 (revoked January 2022)[354]
See also
- Foreign electoral intervention
- Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (January–June 2017)
- ReAwaken America Tour
References
- ^ "Michael Thomas Flynn from Englewood, Florida | VoterRecords.com". voterrecords.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Tikkanen, Amy (September 10, 2019). "List of national security advisors of the United States". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ Whitlock, Craig; Miller, Greg (December 14, 2016). "Trump's national security adviser shared secrets without permission, files show". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Abramson, Alana (July 18, 2016). "Michael Flynn: Everything You Need to Know". ABC News. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- ^ Roulo, Claudette (August 7, 2014). "Rogers Lauds Retiring Defense Intelligence Agency Chief". DoD News, Defense Media Activity.
- ^ a b Miller, Greg; Goldman, Adam (April 30, 2014). "Head of Pentagon intelligence agency forced out, officials say". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ a b c Kitfield, James (October 16, 2016). "How Mike Flynn Became America's Angriest General". Politico Magazine.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn, USA: Director". Defense Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ a b Harding, Luke; Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Hopkins, Nick (March 31, 2017). "Michael Flynn: new evidence spy chiefs had concerns about Russian ties: U.S. and UK officials were troubled by Moscow contacts and encounter with woman linked to Russian spy agency records". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "Russia, Trump, Turkey: Detailing Michael Flynn's fall". PolitiFact.
- ^ Gloria Borger; Pamela Brown; Jim Sciutto; Marshall Cohen; Eric Lichtblau (May 20, 2017). "First on CNN: Russian officials bragged they could use Flynn to influence Trump, sources say". CNN Digital.
- ^ a b McBride, Jessica (July 10, 2016). "Michael Flynn: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Baker, Peter; Rosenberg, Matthew (March 10, 2017). "Michael Flynn Was Paid to Represent Turkey's Interests During Trump Campaign". The New York Times.
- ^ Baker, Peter; Rosenberg, Matthew (March 10, 2017). "Michael Flynn Was Paid to Represent Turkey's Interests During Trump Campaign (Published 2017)". The New York Times.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- "Russians paid Mike Flynn $45k for RT speech, documents show". NBC News. March 16, 2017.
- Helderman, Rosalind S.; Hamburger, Tom (March 16, 2017). "Trump adviser Flynn paid by multiple Russia-related entities, new records show". The Washington Post.
- Lee, Shane Harris, Paul Sonne and Carol E. (March 16, 2017). "Mike Flynn Worked for Several Russian Companies, Was Paid More Than $50,000, Documents Show". The Wall Street Journal.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Arkin, Daniel (April 2, 2017). "Michael Flynn initially failed to disclose payments from Russia-linked firms, documents show". CNBC.
- ^ Holland, Mark Hosenball, Steve (February 26, 2016). "Trump being advised by ex-U.S. Lieutenant General who favors closer Russia ties". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Michael Flynn: timeline of the former national security adviser's case". The Guardian. December 5, 2018.
- ^ Swanson, Ian (December 17, 2018). "Turkey and Michael Flynn: Five things to know". The Hill.
- ^ a b c Braun, Stephen; Day, Chad (March 9, 2017). "Former Trump aide Flynn says lobbying may have helped Turkey". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ^ Farhi, Arden; Brennan, Margaret; Dufresne, Louis; Gross, Katherine; Watson, Kathryn; Alemany, Jacqueline (December 2, 2017). "A timeline of Michael Flynn's contacts with Russia, his ouster and guilty plea". CBS News. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Haberman, Maggie; Rosenberg, Matthew; Apuzzo, Matt; Thrush, Glenn (February 13, 2017). "Michael Flynn Resigns as National Security Adviser". The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Miller, Greg; Entous, Adam; Nakashima, Ellen (February 9, 2017). "National security adviser Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador, despite denials, officials say". The Washington Post.
- ^ Pramuk, Jacob (February 16, 2016). "Trump: I fired Flynn because of what he told Pence". CNBC.
- ^ Flynn, Michael E. (February 14, 2017). "On Michael Flynn's Tenure as National Security Advisor". The Quantitative Peace. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ a b Hawkins, Derek (February 14, 2017). "Flynn sets record with only 24 days as national security advisor. The average tenure is about 2.6 years". The Washington Post.
- ^ Herb, Jeremy; Polantz, Katelyn; Perez, Evan; Cohen, Marshall (December 1, 2017). "Flynn pleads guilty to lying to FBI, is cooperating with Mueller". CNN. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn (June 6, 2019). "Michael Flynn fires lawyers who cut plea deal with Mueller". CNN.
- ^ Mazzetti, Mark; Savage, Charlie; Goldman, Adam (June 28, 2020). "How Michael Flynn's Defense Team Found Powerful Allies". The New York Times.
- ^ Powell, Sidney (June 6, 2019). "Letter to William Barr re Internal review, Brady, IG Report, Declassification, and Lt. General Michael Flynn (retired)" (PDF). Sidney Powell, P.C. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Hsu, Spencer (January 15, 2020). "Michael Flynn moves to withdraw guilty plea, claiming government 'vindictiveness'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Tucker, Eric (May 8, 2020). "Flynn dismissal a surprise? AG Barr in sync with Trump". Associated Press.
- ^ a b Balsamo, Michael; Tucker, Eric (May 7, 2020). "Justice Department is dropping Flynn's Trump-Russia case". Associated Press. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Hsu, Spencer S.; Leonnig, Carol D. (May 12, 2020). "U.S. judge puts Justice Department's move to drop charges against Michael Flynn on hold". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ Gerstein, Josh (August 31, 2020). "Appeals court deals setback to Flynn's attempt to end DOJ case against him". POLITICO.
- ^ "Michael Flynn: Trump pardons ex-national security adviser". BBC News. November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Hsu, Spencer S.; Marimow, Ann E. "Michael Flynn judge says pardon doesn't mean ex-national security adviser is innocent". The Washington Post.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- Mogensen, Jackie Flynn. "To celebrate the Fourth, Michael Flynn posts a pledge to conspiracy group QAnon". Mother Jones.
- Cohen, Marshall (July 7, 2020). "Michael Flynn posts video featuring QAnon slogans". CNN.
- Sommer, Will (December 7, 2020). "Michael Flynn Goes Full QAnon in His Post-Pardon Media Tour". The Daily Beast – via www.thedailybeast.com.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- "Michael Flynn calls for Trump to suspend the constitution and declare martial law to re-run election". The Independent. December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- "Freshly pardoned Michael Flynn shares message telling Trump to 'suspend the Constitution' to hold a new presidential election". The Week. December 2, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- "Michael Flynn Calls for Trump to 'Suspend the Constitution,' Impose Martial Law". December 2, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ a b Liptak, Kevin; Brown, Pamela (December 19, 2020). "Heated Oval Office meeting included talk of special counsel, martial law as Trump advisers clash". CNN. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Haberman, Maggie; Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (December 19, 2020). "Trump Weighed Naming Election Conspiracy Theorist as Special Counsel". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Cheney, Kyle; Gerstein, Josh (December 19, 2020). "Trump sought to tap Sidney Powell as special counsel for election fraud". Politico. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ Smith, MIchelle R. (October 18, 2022). "How Michael Flynn goes local to spread Christian nationalism". Associated Press.
- ^ Michelle R. Smith; Richard Lardner (October 7, 2022). "Michael Flynn's ReAwaken roadshow recruits 'Army of God'". Associated Press.
- ^ Gornall, Jonathan; Jacobson, Seth (December 2, 2017). "Hubris: the fall of General Mike Flynn". The National.
- ^ Wenzel, Jan (August 13, 2009). "Saluting A Family Legacy". Quadrangles Online. University of Rhode Island. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ Gillis, James J. (September 24, 2011). "Brothers in arms". The Newport Daily News. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Recent Losses in the REALTOR Family". statewidemls.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Miss Helen F. Andrews Weds Charles F. Flynn". Newport Mercury. May 10, 1946. Retrieved July 9, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Miller, G. Wayne (July 27, 2017). "Part One: Mike Flynn, before the fall". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c Miller, G. Wayne (July 29, 2017). "Part Three: 'A soldier's soldier,' Michael Flynn excelled in the military". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Megerian, Chris (December 1, 2017). "Michael Flynn grew up breaking the rules. It caught up to him as Trump's national security advisor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d LaFraniere, Sharon; Barnes, Julian E. (May 9, 2020). "For Flynn, Dropped Charges Are the Latest in a Life Full of Reversals". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ Miller, G. Wayne (July 28, 2017). "Part Two: Tough lessons for Mike Flynn before the Army called". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ "Saluting A Family Legacy". University of Rhode Island. April 10, 2009. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Finkel, Gal Perl (November 15, 2016). "President-elect Trump — the 'West Wing' lesson". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Fisher, Marc (December 14, 2018). "Michael Flynn's transformation from storied officer to heated partisan". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Bergen, Peter (December 10, 2019). Trump and his generals: the cost of chaos. New York: Penguin Press. ISBN 978-0-525-52241-6.
- ^ Mardell, Mark (January 5, 2010). "A damning view of U.S. intelligence in Afghanistan". BBC News.
- ^ a b c d e Priest, Dana; Miller, Greg (August 15, 2016). "He was one of the most respected intel officers of his generation. Now he's leading 'Lock her up' chants". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ "Lessons Learned Program". Crystal City, Virginia: Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Whitlock, Craig Whitlock; Shapiro, Leslie; Emamdjomeh, Armand (December 9, 2019). "The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Flynn to head DIA; more general moves announced". Army Times. April 17, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ Ackerman, Spencer (April 17, 2012). "Military Intelligence Gadfly Will Lead All Military Intelligence". Wired.
- ^ Pellerin, Cheryl (July 24, 2012). "Panetta: Under Burgess, DIA Evolved Into Global Agency". defense.gov. American Forces Press Service. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
- ^ Hoskinson, Charles (October 10, 2012). "DIA maps out new structure to address 'persistent conflict". Defense Systems. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ^ Clark, Charles S. (November 30, 2012). "Intelligence community must adapt to era of vast data, study says". Government Executive.
- ^ Zwack, Peter (February 1, 2016). "Death of the GRU Commander". Defense One.
- ^ Schmidle, Nicholas (February 18, 2017). "Michael Flynn, General Chaos". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ Goldman, Adam; Mazzetti, Mark; Rosenberg, Matthew (May 18, 2018). "F.B.I. Used Informant to Investigate Russia Ties to Campaign, Not to Spy, as Trump Claims". The New York Times.
- ^ Burns, Robert (May 1, 2014). "Top 2 Pentagon intelligence officials abruptly quit". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ a b Lemothe, Dan (September 15, 2016). "Michael Flynn, Trump's military adviser, says Colin Powell's emails include 'really mean things'". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ Devereaux, Ryan (July 13, 2016). "An Interview With Michael T. Flynn, the Ex-Pentagon Spy Who Supports Donald Trump". The Intercept. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c Rosenberg, Matthew; Haberman, Maggie (November 17, 2016). "Trump Is Said to Offer National Security Post to Michael Flynn, Retired General". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Hersh, Seymour (January 7, 2016). "Military to Military". London Review of Books. Vol. 38, no. 1. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ a b "Transcript: Michael Flynn on ISIL". Al Jazeera. January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ "Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn". CCJ Symposium. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Confessore, Nicholas; Rosenberg, Matthew; Hakim, Danny (June 18, 2017). "How Michael Flynn's Disdain for Limits Led to a Legal Quagmire". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e Mark Mazzetti; Matthew Rosenberg (May 23, 2017). "Michael Flynn Misled Pentagon About Russia Ties, Letter Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Braun, Stephen; Burns, Robert (February 14, 2017). "Michael Flynn, fired once by a president, now resigns to another". CTV News.
- ^ Kocieniwski, David; Robinson, Peter (December 23, 2016). "Trump Aide Partnered With Firm Run by Man With Alleged KGB Ties". Bloomberg News. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
Brainwave is seeking to develop a market for its innovative—but broadly disputed—technology called "brain fingerprinting" which tries to assess an interrogation subject's honesty through a brain scan. Flynn was brought onto the company's board of advisers to help sell the product to defense and law enforcement agencies, Brainwave President Krishna Ika said in an interview.
- ^ Gold, Matea (May 4, 2017). "The mystery behind a Flynn associate's quiet work for the Trump campaign". The Washington Post.
- ^ Bykowicz, Julie; Wilber, Del Quentin; Viswanatha, Aruna (July 10, 2018). "Mike Flynn's Lawyers Say He Is No Longer Joining Consulting Firm". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c Pamuk, Humeyra; Lynch, Sarah N. (July 15, 2019). "Trial begins with high stakes for U.S.-Turkey ties, ex-Trump adviser Flynn". Reuters. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Act! Cleveland Meeting: General Michael Flynn (video). July 15, 2016. Event occurs at 13:15. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ Arnsdorf, Isaac (November 14, 2016). "Trump adviser linked to Turkish lobbying". Politico. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Daragahi, Borzou (June 20, 2017). "The Man At The Center Of This Trump Scandal Wants To Clear His Name". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ Meyer, Theodoric (March 9, 2017). "Flynn lobbied for Turkish-linked firm after election, documents show". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Flynn, Michael T. (November 8, 2016). "Our ally Turkey is in crisis and needs our support". The Hill. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ Jessica Schulberg Foreign Affairs (November 21, 2016). "Trump's National Security Adviser Changed His Mind About Turkey Coup Attempt After His Firm Got Involved". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ^ Rubin, Michael (November 12, 2016). "Team Trump's first ethics scandal?". American Enterprise Institute. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ Grimaldi, James V.; Nissenbaum, Dion; Coker, Margaret (March 24, 2017). "Ex-CIA Director: Mike Flynn and Turkish Officials Discussed Removal of Erdogan Foe From U.S." The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- ^ Bertrand, Natasha (March 24, 2017). "'You don't haul somebody overseas': Ex CIA director says Michael Flynn may have gone too far in a meeting with Turkish officials". Business Insider. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ Isikoff, Michael (November 17, 2016). "Michael Flynn, Trump's reported pick for national security adviser, sat in on intel briefings—while advising foreign clients". Yahoo News. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ Dilanian, Ken (March 10, 2017). "Mike Flynn attended intelligence briefings while a lobbyist for Turkey". NBC News. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ Landay, Jonathan; Strobel, Warren; Layne, Nathan (September 13, 2017). Walcott, John; Cooney, Peter (eds.). "Democrats investigating whether Flynn promoted reactor project as Trump aide". Reuters. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ House, Billy (September 13, 2017). "Flynn Omitted a Saudi Nuclear Project in Filing, Democrats Say". Bloomberg News. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c Huetteman, Emmarie; Rosenberg, Matthew (April 27, 2017). "Pentagon Inquiry Seeks to Learn if Flynn Hid Foreign Payment". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ a b c Crowley, Michael (May–June 2016). "The Kremlin's Candidate: In the 2016 election, Putin's propaganda network is picking sides". Politico Magazine.
- ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica (October 11, 2019). "'I am not a Russian spy': Jill Stein slams Clinton's accusations". CNN. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c Isikoff, Michael (July 18, 2016). "Top Trump adviser defends payment for Russian speaking engagement". Yahoo News.
- ^ a b Harris, Shane (February 1, 2017). "Democratic Lawmakers Seek Pentagon Probe of Mike Flynn's Russia Today Ties: National security adviser's connections with Russian television network under fire". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Democratic lawmakers want probe of Trump adviser's Russia payment". Reuters. February 1, 2017.
- ^ Cummings, Elijah E.; Conyers, John Jr.; Schiff, Adam; Smith, Adam; Thompson, Bennie G.; Engel, Eliot L. (February 1, 2017). "Letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis".
- ^ Lamothe, Dan; O'Keefe, Ed; Sullivan, Sean. "Top Pentagon watchdog launches investigation into money that Michael Flynn received from foreign groups". The Washington Post.
- ^ Lamothe, Dan. "Army reviewing investigation into Michael Flynn's dealings with Russia, foreign firm". The Washington Post.
- ^ Dan Lamothe; Craig Whitlock (July 8, 2022). "Michael Flynn cited for unauthorized foreign payments". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Priest, Dana (August 15, 2016). "Trump adviser Michael T. Flynn on his dinner with Putin and why Russia Today is just like CNN". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Beauchamp, Zack (July 9, 2016). "Michael Flynn, the retired general on Donald Trump's VP shortlist, explained". Vox.
- ^ Costa, Robert (July 9, 2016). "A curveball in Trump's Veep search: He's seriously considering a retired general". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ Santucci, John; Abramson, Alana (July 9, 2016). "Trump Vetting Gen. Michael Flynn for Potential VP Pick". ABC News. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ a b c Cloud, David S.; Mai-Duc, Christine (July 20, 2016). "Retired Army Gen. Michael Flynn delivers fiery speech to emptying convention hall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ "Reverse Redacted: Michael Flynn Speech Highlights". Regated. July 19, 2016. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016.
- ^ East, Kristen (July 17, 2016). "Republican National Convention 2016 schedule of speakers". Politico. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Simon Montlake, Staff writer (April 28, 2022). "Disgraced general to far-right hero: Michael Flynn rides the next wave". csmonitor.com.
- ^ Ryan Teague Beckwith (December 1, 2017). "Michael Flynn Led a 'Lock Her Up' Chant at the Republican Convention. Now He's Charged With Lying to the FBI". time.com.
- ^ East, Kristen (July 24, 2016). "Flynn retweets anti-Semitic remark". Politico. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ a b Kaczynski, Andrew (November 18, 2016). "On Twitter, Michael Flynn interacted with alt-right, made controversial comments on Muslims, shared fake news". CNN. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ "Trump aide Michael Flynn Jnr out after 'Pizzagate' tweets". BBC News. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ "Trump on Beating ISIS: 'You Have to Take Out Their Families'". Fox News. December 2, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ Stein, Sam (March 9, 2016). "Trump Says He Never Pledged To Kill Family Members Of Terrorists". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ Hussain, Murtaza (July 16, 2015). "Retired General: Drones Create More Terrorists Than They Kill, Iraq War Helped Create ISIS". The Intercept. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ "Inspector General Report" (PDF). United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. December 2019. p. 2 – via justice.gov.
On August 16, 2016, the FBI opened a fourth individual case under Crossfire Hurricane on Michael Flynn, who was serving at the time as the Trump campaign's National Security Advisor.
- ^ Megerian, Chris; Wilber, Quentin (May 7, 2020). "Justice Department moves to drop prosecution of Michael Flynn". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Strohm, Chris (December 9, 2019). "No Bias or Spying on Trump, But 17 FBI Mistakes: Key Takeaways". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Stein, Jeff (June 9, 2017). "Michael Flynn, Russia and a grand scheme to build nuclear power plants in the Middle East". Newsweek.
- ^ Kranish, Michael; Hamburger, Tom; Leonnig, Carol D. (November 27, 2017). "Michael Flynn's role in Middle Eastern nuclear project could compound legal issues". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 27, 2017.
- ^ "Inside the White House, Michael Flynn pushed proposal from company he said he had advised". The Washington Post. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original on November 29, 2017.
- ^ "Why Trump might bend nuclear security rules to help Saudi Arabia build reactors in the desert". The Washington Post. February 20, 2018. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018.
- ^ "Whistleblowers: Flynn backed plan to transfer nuclear tech to Saudis". NBC News. February 19, 2019.
- ^ Bradner, Eric; Murray, Sara; Browne, Ryan (November 18, 2016). "Trump offers Flynn job of national security advisor". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- Wilber, Carol E. Lee and Del Quentin (May 8, 2017). "Obama Warned Trump Against Hiring Flynn". The Wall Street Journal.
- "Obama warned Trump about hiring Michael Flynn". BBC News. May 8, 2017.
- "Obama Warned Trump Against Hiring Flynn, Ex-Officials Say". Bloomberg. May 8, 2017.
- Shear, Michael D. (May 8, 2017). "Obama Warned Trump About Hiring Flynn, Officials Say (Published 2017)". The New York Times.
- Dovere, Edward-Isaac; Nussbaum, Matthew (May 8, 2017). "Obama warned Trump about Flynn, officials say". Politico. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- "Obama warned Trump against hiring Mike Flynn, say officials". NBC News. May 8, 2017.
- ^ Sullivan, Eileen (May 17, 2019). "What Trump Got Wrong on the Investigations Into Michael Flynn". The New York Times.
- ^ "Jake Tapper: Trump Was Warned About Michael Flynn". May 17, 2019.
- ^ Matthew Rosenberg; Mark Mazzetti (May 18, 2017). "Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to White House". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ Dovere, Edward-Isaac; Nussbaum, Matthew (May 8, 2017). "Obama warned Trump about Flynn, officials say". POLITICO. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ a b Entous, Adam; Nakashima, Ellen; Rucker, Philip (February 13, 2017). "Justice Department warned White House that Flynn could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail, officials say". The Washington Post.
- ^ Pace, Julie (January 14, 2017). "AP Source: Trump aide in frequent contact with Russia envoy". AP News. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ Bender, Bryan (December 5, 2016). "Flynn under fire for fake news". Politico. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ Smale, Alison (December 19, 2016). "Austria's Far Right Signs a Cooperation Pact With Putin's Party". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
- ^ Bergengruen, Vera (May 17, 2017). "Flynn stopped military plan Turkey opposed—after being paid as its agent". McClatchy DC. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ Entous, Adam; Jaffe, Greg; Ryan, Missy (February 2, 2017). "Obama's White House worked for months on a plan to seize Raqqa. Trump's team took a brief look and decided not to pull the trigger". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ Miller, Greg; Entous, Adam; Nakashima, Ellen (February 14, 2017). "Flynn's swift downfall: From a phone call in the Dominican Republic to a forced resignation at the White House". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Mueller, Robert. "Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election" (PDF). United States Department of Justice. p. (159–161 & 167–173, Volume I), (24–26 & 29–38, Volume II). Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ Nakashima, Ellen; Entous, Adam; Miller, Greg (May 26, 2017). "Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Kiely, Eugene (April 18, 2019). "What the Mueller Report Says About Russian Contacts". FactCheck.org. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ Dolsten, Josefin; Adkins, Laura (April 18, 2019). "6 Jewish takeaways from the Mueller report". The Times of Israel. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ Cohen, Marshall (December 1, 2017). "Breaking down Flynn's lies about his Russia calls". CNN. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ a b Day, Chad (December 2, 2017). "Key events in Michael Flynn's interactions with Russia". Associated Press. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ Hartmann, Margaret; Tabor, Nick (April 17, 2020). "Everything We've Learned From Robert Mueller's Investigation (So Far)". New York. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ Wang, Christine (December 28, 2016). "U.S. to announce new sanctions against Russia in response to election hacking". CNBC. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c Feindt, Jan; Helderman, Rosalind (2019). "This Russia thing is far from over". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ a b Spicuzza, Mary; Bice, Daniel; Glauber, Bill (April 18, 2019). "Wisconsin's Reince Priebus to President Trump before pivotal Comey meeting: 'Don't talk about Russia'". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Miller, Greg (December 12, 2018). "Book excerpt: How Michael Flynn lied to the FBI as well as Vice President Pence, Sean Spicer and The Post". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Rosenberg, Matthew; Goldman, Adam; Schmidt, Michael (March 1, 2017). "Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Ignatius, David (January 12, 2017). "Why did Obama dawdle on Russia's hacking?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Stelter, Brian (February 14, 2017). "How leaks and investigative journalists led to Flynn's resignation". CNN. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Kessler, Glenn (December 1, 2017). "Michael Flynn's guilty plea: A comprehensive timeline". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c Day, Chad (April 30, 2019). "The Mueller report's account of Michael Flynn's lies". Associated Press. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ a b Polantz, Katelyn; Cohen, Marshall; Lybrand, Holmes; Kaufman, Ellie; Fossum, Sam (April 30, 2019). "77 lies and falsehoods Mueller called out". CNN. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Jason Leopold; Ken Bensinger (June 1, 2022). "Michael Flynn's Identity Was Not Improperly Revealed By Obama Officials, A Secret DOJ Report Has Found". BuzzFeed News.
- ^ Blake, Aaron (June 1, 2022). "The final, brutal collapse of GOP's big Michael Flynn conspiracy theory". The Washington Post.
- ^ Forgey, Quint (May 28, 2022). "Barr taps U.S. attorney to investigate 'unmasking' as part of Russia probe review". Politico.
- ^ Ackerman, Spencer (July 10, 2017). "Michael Flynn Had a Plan to Work With Russia's Military. It Wasn't Exactly Legal". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Dreyfuss, Bob (April 19, 2018). "What the FBI Raid on Michael Cohen Means for the Russia Investigation". The Nation. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ Jeremy Herb; Laura Jarrett; Manu Raju; Marshall Cohen; David Shortell (December 18, 2018). "James Comey defends FBI's interview of Michael Flynn, transcript shows". CNN.
- ^ Josh Gerstein; Kyle Cheney; Natasha Bertrand (April 29, 2020). "Documents show FBI debated how to handle investigation of Michael Flynn". Politico.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn (December 18, 2018). "Mueller releases memo summarizing FBI's interview with Michael Flynn". CNN. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Richey, Warren (December 17, 2018). "We know Michael Flynn lied to the FBI. But why?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Tucker, Eric (December 20, 2018). "Delayed sentencing for Flynn leaves key questions unanswered". Associated Press. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Mueller investigation releases redacted Michael Flynn interview notes". Axios. December 18, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Understanding the Michael Flynn Case: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff, and the Proper from the Improper". Just Security. May 29, 2020.
- ^ DeMarche, Edmund (May 15, 2020). "Trump wants FBI's original '302' report on Flynn case, says former adviser 'persecuted'". Fox News.
- ^ "Sally Yates warned White House Michael Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail". 11 Alive. May 8, 2017.
- ^ Borger, Julian (May 8, 2017). "Mike Flynn at risk of Russian blackmail, Sally Yates warned White House". The Guardian. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ Apuzzo, Matt; Huetteman, Emmarie (May 9, 2017). "Sally Yates Tells Senators She Warned Trump About Michael Flynn". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ "Yates says Flynn could have been 'blackmailed', Clapper knocks collusion narrative". Fox News. May 8, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
- ^ Watson, Kathryn (May 14, 2017). "Robert Gates says Flynn blackmail fears are "kind of a stretch"". CBS News. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ Blake, Aaron (February 14, 2017). "The timeline of Michael Flynn's resignation just looks bad for the Trump White House". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Phillip, Abby; Nakashima, Ellen; Johnson, Jenna (February 15, 2017). "Pence did not learn that Flynn misled him on Russia until last week". Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Maggie Haberman; Matthew Rosenberg; Matt Apuzzo; Glenn Thrush (February 14, 2017). "Michael Flynn Resigns as National Security Adviser". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ "Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sean Spicer, 2/14/2017, #12". whitehouse.gov (Press release). February 14, 2017 – via National Archives.
- ^ Stewart, Emily (December 2, 2017). "Trump: I knew Michael Flynn lied to the FBI when I fired him". Vox. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ "Pence: I knew Flynn lied to me about Russian contacts when he was fired". CBS News. December 22, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Schmidt, Michael S. (May 17, 2017). "Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ Dilanian, Ken (June 7, 2017). "Comey to Testify He Assured Trump He Was Not Personally Under Investigation". NBC News.
- ^ Farivar, Masood (June 10, 2017). "Can Trump Be Indicted for Obstruction of Justice?". VOA News.
- ^ Sampathkumar, Mythili (June 8, 2017). "Comey testimony: The five biggest things we learnt from his damning Senate hearing on Trump". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ^ Harris, Shane; Lee, Carol E.; Barnes, Julian E. (March 30, 2017). "Mike Flynn Offers to Testify in Exchange for Immunity". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Dilanian, Ken; Hunt, Kasie (April 1, 2017). "Michael Flynn's Immunity Request Rejected By Senate Intelligence Committee". NBC News. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "Flynn turns over documents to Senate panel probing Russia, Trump". CBS News. AP. June 7, 2017.
- ^ Landay, Jonathan (April 27, 2017). "Pentagon probes Trump's ex-adviser Flynn over foreign payments". Reuters.
- ^ Ainsley, Julia; Lee, Carol E.; Dilanian, Ken (November 5, 2017). "Mueller Has Enough Evidence to Bring Charges in Flynn Investigation". NBC News. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- ^ Grimaldi, James V.; Harris, Shane; Viswanatha, Aruna (November 10, 2017). "Mueller Probes Flynn's Role in Alleged Plan to Deliver Cleric to Turkey". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ Chiacu, Doina (November 10, 2017). Baum, Bernadette (ed.). "Mueller probing alleged Flynn plan to deliver cleric to Turkey: WSJ". Reuters. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether U.S. President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was involved in an alleged plan to seize a Muslim cleric and deliver him to Turkey in exchange for millions of dollars, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
- ^ Ainsley, Julia (November 22, 2017). "Mueller eyes Mike Flynn business partner Bijan Kian". NBC News. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
- ^ Köksal, Nil (November 20, 2017). "ANALYSIS Who is Reza Zarrab? Turkish-Iranian gold trader may be working with Mueller investigation of Michael Flynn". CBC News.
- ^ Lee, Carol E.; Ainsley, Julia (November 10, 2017). "Mueller Probing Possible Deal Between Turks, Flynn During Presidential Transition". NBC News. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ Gerstein, Josh (May 31, 2019). "Flynn's Turkish lobbying client complained about Trump's stance during campaign". Politico. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Layne, Nathan (December 17, 2018). "Flynn's former business partner charged with secret lobbying for Turkey". Reuters. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ Schmidt, Michael S.; Apuzzo, Matt; Haberman, Maggie (November 23, 2017). "A Split From Trump Indicates That Flynn Is Moving to Cooperate With Mueller". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- ^ Tatum, Sophie; Perez, Evan (November 24, 2017). "Flynn's lawyers no longer sharing information with Trump's legal team". CNN. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- ^ Lawler, Dave (November 23, 2017). "New sign Flynn may be planning to cooperate with Mueller". Axios. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- ^ Higgins, Tucker; Mangan, Dan (December 1, 2017). "Michael Flynn, Trump's ex-national security adviser, is expected to plead guilty Friday to lying to the FBI". CNBC. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ Sullivan, Eileen; Goldman, Adam; Shear, Michael D. (December 1, 2017). "Michael Flynn Pleads Guilty to Lying to the F.B.I." The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ Ross, Brian (December 1, 2017). "Flynn has promised special counsel 'full cooperation' in Russia probe: Source". ABC News.
- ^ Bowden, John (January 31, 2018). "Mueller, Flynn legal teams not ready to schedule a sentencing hearing". The Hill. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ Samuels, Brett (May 1, 2018). "Mueller requests Flynn's sentencing be delayed at least two more months". The Hill. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Williams, Pete (November 27, 2019). "Judge delays sentencing for ex-Trump aide Michael Flynn". NBC News. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ Hsu, Spencer S.; Zapotosky, Matt; Leonnig, Carol D. (December 18, 2018). "Michael Flynn's sentencing delayed after judge tells the ex-Trump adviser he might not avoid prison time". Washington Post. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
- ^ Samuelsohn, Darren; Bertrand, Natasha; Gerstein, Josh (June 24, 2019). "Flynn's sentencing delayed again so new lawyer can study up". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Kruzel, John (February 10, 2020). "Judge delays Flynn sentencing for second time". The Hill. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ Leonnig, Carol D.; Dawsey, Josh; Barrett, Devlin; Zapotosky, Matt (December 1, 2017). "Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ Goldman, Adam; Sullivan, Eileen (December 4, 2018). "Flynn Was a Key Cooperator and Deserves Little Prison Time, Mueller Team Says". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn (December 12, 2018). "Michael Flynn asks federal judge to spare him from prison". CNN. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Goldman, Adam (December 14, 2018). "Mueller Rejects Flynn's Attempt to Portray Himself as Victim of the F.B.I." The New York Times. New York, NY. p. A1.
- ^ Goldman, Adam (December 11, 2018). "Michael Flynn Asks Judge for Leniency for Lying to F.B.I." The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- ^ Viswanatha, Aruna; Kendall, Brent (December 18, 2018). "Judge in Flynn Case Has Frequently Faulted the Government". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Wolfe, Jan; Gibson, Ginger (December 19, 2018). "Judge excoriates Trump ex-adviser Flynn, delays Russia probe sentencing". Reuters. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ Breuninger, Dan Mangan, Kevin (December 18, 2018). "Judge tells Michael Flynn 'You sold your country out'". CNBC. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "U.S. v. Flynn, Transcript of Sentencing Proceedings" (PDF). Just Security. December 18, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ LaFraniere, Sharon; Goldman, Adam (December 18, 2018). "Trump Wishes Michael Flynn Good Luck Before Sentencing". The New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (December 18, 2018). "'I can't hide my disgust, my disdain': judge lambasts Michael Flynn". The Guardian. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ Leonnig, Carol D.; Helderman, Rosalind S. (December 18, 2018). "'I'm not hiding my disgust, my disdain': Veteran judge upends hopes of Trump allies as he spotlights Flynn's misdeeds". Washington Post.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn (December 18, 2018). "Flynn: "I was aware" that lying to FBI investigators was a crime". CNN. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ March, Mary Tyler (May 16, 2019). "Flynn provided details in Mueller's obstruction inquiry, new memo shows". The Hill.
- ^ Cheney, Kyle (May 16, 2019). "Prosecutors: Person 'connected to' Congress tried to influence Flynn's cooperation with Mueller". Politico.
- ^ "Judge orders public release of what Michael Flynn said in call to Russian ambassador". Washington Post.
- ^ "Justice Department fails to comply with court order to release transcripts of Michael Flynn's conversations with Russian ambassador". Washington Post.
- ^ Schmidt, Michael (March 28, 2018). "Trump's Lawyer Raised Prospect of Pardons for Flynn and Manafort". The New York Times.
- ^ Leonnig, Carol (March 28, 2018). "Trump's lawyer raised possibility of pardons for Manafort, Flynn last summer". Washington Post.
- ^ Mangan, Kevin Breuninger, Dan (June 12, 2019). "Michael Flynn hires new lawyer, Sidney Powell, who had urged him to withdraw guilty plea in Mueller case". CNBC.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Gerstein, Josh (July 17, 2019). "Flynn juggled Trump campaign role with foreign lobbying, jurors told". Politico. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn (September 24, 2019). "Judge throws out guilty verdict against Michael Flynn's lobbying partner Bijan Kian". CNN.
- ^ Weiner, Rachel (December 17, 2018). "Michael Flynn's business partner charged with illegally lobbying for Turkey". The Washington Post.
- ^ Hsu, Spencer (August 30, 2019). "Michael Flynn asks judge to find Mueller prosecutors in contempt for 'malevolent conduct'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Binnall, Jesse; Powell, Sidney; Hodes, W. (October 24, 2019). "Flynn Reply in Support of Motion to Compel Production of Brady Material and To Hold the Prosecutors in Contempt". Court Listener. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ Shapiro, Rich (January 15, 2020). "Michael Flynn's move to withdraw guilty plea could backfire, experts say". NBC News. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ Hsu, Spencer; Leonnig, Carol (December 16, 2019). "Michael Flynn's sentencing set for Jan. 28 after judge rejects his attacks on FBI, Justice Department". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Goldman, Adam (December 16, 2019). "Judge Rejects Michael Flynn's Claims in His Attacks on Prosecutors". The New York Times.
- ^ Shortell, David; Polantz, Katelyn (January 7, 2020). "Michael Flynn should get up to 6 months in jail for lying to FBI, prosecutors say". CNN.
- ^ "Flynn sentencing delayed as he seeks to withdraw guilty plea". The Hill. January 16, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ "Michael Flynn asks for probation, not prison, if he is not allowed to withdraw guilty plea in Mueller probe". The Washington Post. January 22, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Flynn, Michael (January 29, 2020). "U.S. v Flynn, Declaration of Michael Flynn" (PDF). Sidney Powell, attorney. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 1, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ "Barr takes control of legal matters of interest to Trump, including Stone sentencing". Nbcnews.com. February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Apuzzo, Matt (February 14, 2020). "Barr Installs Outside Prosecutor to Review Case Against Michael Flynn, Ex-Trump Adviser". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Kevin (May 7, 2020). "DOJ dropping case against former Trump adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying about Russia contact". USA Today. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ a b Johnson, Kevin; Phillips, Kristine (February 14, 2020). "Barr appoints outside prosecutor to review criminal case against Michael Flynn". USA Today. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ "Government's Motion to Dismiss the Criminal Information Against the Defendant Michael T. Flynn" (PDF). United States Department of Justice. May 7, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020 – via sidneypowell.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Goldman, Adam; Benner, Katie (May 8, 2020). "U.S. Drops Michael Flynn Case, in Move Backed by Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "Order Appointing Amicus Curiae". USA Today. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Naham, Matt (May 19, 2020). "Michael Flynn Judge Sets Schedule for What's Next. This Is Going to Take a While ..." Law and Crime. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Gleeson, John (June 10, 2020). "United States of America v. Michael T. Flynn, Brief for Court-Appointed Amicus Curiae" (PDF). Court Listener. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Savage, Charlie; Goldman, Adam (June 17, 2020). "Justice Dept. Defends Dropping Flynn Case and Again Asks Judge to Dismiss It". The New York Times.
- ^ "Emergency Petition for a Writ of Mandamus" (PDF). United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020 – via sidneypowell.com.
- ^ Naham, Matt (May 21, 2020). "Federal Appellate Court Orders Michael Flynn's Judge to Explain Himself". Law & Crime. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- ^ Moreno, J. Edward (May 23, 2020). "Judge in Flynn case hires high-profile attorney to help with response to appeals court: report". The Hill. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Setzer, Elliot (June 1, 2020). "Judge Sullivan Submits Brief to D.C. Circuit on Flynn Case". Lawfare. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Setzer, Elliot (June 2, 2020). "Justice Department Submits Brief to Appeals Court in Flynn Case". Lawfare. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Setzer, Elliot (June 11, 2020). "Briefs Filed in the Flynn Mandamus Appeal". Lawfare. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Pete (June 12, 2020). "Appeals court appears unlikely to stop Flynn case". NBC News. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ Rao, Neomi (June 24, 2020). "In Re: Michael T. Flynn, On Emergency Petition for a Writ of Mandamus" (PDF). U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ Nam, Rafael (July 9, 2020). "Judge asks appeals court to reconsider decision ordering him to dismiss Flynn charges". The Hill.
- ^ Lambe, Jerry (July 30, 2020). "Full D.C. Circuit Court Agrees to Rehear Michael Flynn Case".
- ^ "Per Curiam Order" (PDF). U.S. Court of Appeals for District of Columbia Circuit. July 30, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 2, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ Phillips, Kristine (August 11, 2020). "Michael Flynn's efforts to force federal judge to dismiss case faces a skeptical appeals court". USA Today. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn (August 31, 2020). "Appeals court denies Michael Flynn and Justice Department's effort to end his case". CNN. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^ Salvatore, Anna; Wittes, Benjamin (September 29, 2020). "Oral Argument Summary: U.S. v. Flynn". Lawfare. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ @realDonaldTrump (November 25, 2020). "It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has been granted a Full Pardon. Congratulations to @GenFlynn and his wonderful family, I know you will now have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn (December 8, 2020). "Judge formally dismisses Michael Flynn case after Trump pardon". CNN. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Diaz, Daniella (July 10, 2016). "Flynn voices abortion views at odds with Republican platform". CNN. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ Kelsey, Adam (July 10, 2016). "Possible Trump VP Pick Flynn Supports Abortion Rights: 'Women Have to Be Able to Choose'". ABC News. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ Griffin, Jennifer (July 11, 2016). "Trump VP short-lister Flynn clarifies abortion stance, says he's 'pro-life'". Fox News. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ "Trump's Transition Team Colluded With Israel. Why Isn't That News?". The Intercept. December 5, 2017.
- ^ "Jerusalem said to welcome Trump's 'pro-Israel' security picks". The Times of Israel. November 19, 2016.
- ^ "Trump administration: 'We are officially putting Iran on notice'". BBC News. February 2, 2017.
- ^ "Trump risks deeper entanglement in Yemen's murky war". Reuters. February 7, 2017.
- ^ a b "Transcript: Michael Flynn on ISIL". Al-Jazeera. January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c Khan, Mariam (November 18, 2016). "Trump's National Security Adviser Has Called Islam 'a Cancer'". ABC News. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Beauchamp, Zack (February 13, 2017). "Trump's counter-jihad". Vox.
- ^ Perwee, Ed (2020). "Donald Trump, the anti-Muslim far right and the new conservative revolution". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 43 (16): 211–230. doi:10.1080/01419870.2020.1749688. S2CID 218843237.
- ^ Levitz, Eric (February 14, 2017). "Michael Flynn's Resignation Is the Best News of the Trump Presidency So Far". New York.
- ^ Rosenberg, Matthew; Haberman, Maggie (November 18, 2016). "Michael Flynn, Anti-Islamist Ex-General, Offered Security Post, Trump Aide Says". The New York Times.
- ^ "Donald Trump's national-security team takes shape: Jim Mattis would be a reassuring choice; Mike Flynn is an alarming one". The Economist. November 26, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ^ Sanger, David E. (November 11, 2016). "Donald Trump Likely to End Aid for Rebels Fighting Syrian Government". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ Kaczynski, Andrew (December 10, 2016). "Michael Flynn once claimed Arabic signs on southern border guide 'radicalized Muslims' into US". CNN. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ a b Breland, Ali. "Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos are scheduled to speak at a conference organized by a QAnon supporter".
- ^ Rondeaux, Candace (June 27, 2021). "The Digital general". The Intercept. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- ^ "Secret donors and Trump allies: Inside the operation to push noncitizen voting laws in Florida and other states". Washington Post.
- ^ a b Mogensen, Jackie Flynn. "To celebrate the Fourth, Michael Flynn posts a pledge to conspiracy group QAnon". Mother Jones.
- ^ Cohen, Marshall (July 7, 2020). "Michael Flynn posts video featuring QAnon slogans". CNN.
- ^ Sommer, Will (December 7, 2020). "Michael Flynn Goes Full QAnon in His Post-Pardon Media Tour". The Daily Beast – via www.thedailybeast.com.
- ^ Jarvis, Jacob (July 6, 2020). "Michael Flynn's lawyer denies ex-Trump aide intentionally used QAnon slogan". Newsweek.
- ^ a b c d Robins-Early, Nick (February 21, 2021). "Michael Flynn's Wild Ride Into The Heart Of QAnon". HuffPost. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ a b Sommer, Will (December 29, 2020). "Michael Flynn Is Now Selling QAnon Merch". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ Meyer, Ken (December 2, 2020). "Michael Flynn Calls for Trump to 'Suspend the Constitution,' Impose Martial Law". Mediaite. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Brockell, Gillian (December 22, 2020). "Trump loyalists harboring martial law fantasies don't know their history". The Washington Post.
- ^ Woodruff Swan, Betsy (January 21, 2022). "Read the never-issued Trump order that would have seized voting machines". Politico.
- ^ Castronuovoc, Celine (December 12, 2020). "Flynn delivers first public remarks since Trump pardon at DC rallies". The Hill. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Zhao, Christina (December 12, 2020). "Michael Flynn Says Trump Will Remain President in First Public Remarks Since Pardon". Newsweek. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ "US election: Pro-Trump rallies see scuffles in US cities". BBC News. December 13, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ "Trump riots: 65 days that led to chaos at the Capitol". BBC News. January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ Collins, Ben; Zadrozny, Brandy (January 8, 2021). "Twitter bans Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell in QAnon account purge". NBC News. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Michelle R. (January 6, 2023). "Michael Flynn restored to Twitter on Jan. 6 anniversary". Associated Press.
- ^ Kaplan, Alex (February 21, 2021). "QAnon supporters and far-right message boards hail Myanmar coup and say the same thing should happen in America". Media Matters for America. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Murphy, Mike (May 30, 2021). "Ex-Trump adviser Michael Flynn says Myanmar-like coup 'should happen' in U.S." MarketWatch. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Perrett, Connor. "Michael Flynn denies suggesting a Myanmar-style military coup should happen in the US". Business Insider.
- ^ Gilbert, David (May 31, 2021). "QAnon's Wildest Moments From Their Massively Disturbing Conference". Vice News. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ "Former Trump advisor Michael Flynn says coronavirus a conspiracy to distract from election". The Independent. May 22, 2021. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022.
- ^ Ankel, Sophia. "Former Trump advisor Michael Flynn claims the COVID-19 pandemic was fabricated to distract from the 2020 election". Business Insider.
- ^ Josephs, Leslie (May 22, 2021). "Covid vaccine passports: Everything we know so far". CNBC.
- ^ Christine Hauser; Amanda Holpuch (December 26, 2023). "Michael Flynn's Rhode Island Hall of Fame Inclusion Prompts Resignations". The New York Times.
- ^ "Michael Flynn's ReAwaken roadshow recruits 'Army of God'". AP NEWS. October 7, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ Sommer, Will (October 8, 2021). "Michael Flynn to QAnon Believers: I'm Not a Satanist!". The Daily Beast – via www.thedailybeast.com.
- ^ Wehner, Peter (October 25, 2022). "The Desecrations of Michael Flynn". The Atlantic.
Since then, the "ReAwaken America" Tour has averaged more than a gathering a month. Charisma News, which is aimed at Pentecostals and charismatics, is a sponsor.
- ^ Hardy, Elle (August 23, 2022). "The Right-Wing Christian Sect Plotting a Political Takeover". The New Republic.
Another series of live rallies, the Reawaken America Tour sponsored by NAR's key organ, Charisma News, is currently touring the country
- ^ Scully, Rachel (November 13, 2021). "Michael Flynn says of the US: 'We have to have one religion'". The Hill.
- ^ Sharp, Rachel (November 14, 2021). "Disgraced former Trump aide Michael Flynn sparks outrage by saying US must have only one religion". The Independent. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ MacGuill, Dan (December 2, 2021). "'Total Nonsense': QAnon Hero Mike Flynn Appears To Privately Disavow Movement in Leaked Call". Snopes. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- ^ Ram Roston; Brad Heath; John Shiffman; Peter Eisler (December 15, 2021). "The military-intelligence veterans who helped lead Trump's campaign of disinformation". Reuters.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- Swenson, Ali (August 4, 2021). "Report claiming 'excess' Biden votes doesn't show fraud". Associated Press.
- Funke, Daniel (August 10, 2021). "Fact check: No evidence of 8 million 'excess' Biden votes from 2020 election". USA Today.
- ^ Ram Roston; Brad Heath; John Shiffman; Peter Eisler (December 15, 2021). "The military-intelligence veterans who helped lead Trump's campaign of disinformation". Reuters.
- ^ Broadwater, Luke; Feuer, Alan (December 10, 2021). "Jan. 6 Committee Examines PowerPoint Document Sent to Meadows". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021.
- ^ Emma Brown; Jon Swaine; Jacqueline Alemany; Josh Dawsey; Tom Hamburger (December 11, 2021). "Election denier who circulated Jan. 6 PowerPoint says he met with Meadows at White House". The Washington Post.
- ^ Katherine Faulders; Benjamin Siegel (March 10, 2022). "Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn meets with Jan. 6 committee, takes 5th". ABC News.
- ^ Michelle R. Smith, Associated Press (September 7, 2022). "Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn 'at the center' of new movement based on conspiracies and Christian nationalism". pbs.org.
- ^ "Border event with lawmakers to feature speakers connected to QAnon, hate group". January 26, 2023.
- ^ Newkirk, Margaret (October 21, 2022). "Michael Flynn Group Funds Effort to Put Military Vets at Midterm Polls". Bloomberg News.
- ^ Sommer, Will (October 21, 2022). "Flynn Group Recruits Cops, Vets for 'One More Mission'—to Watch Election Sites". The Daily Beast.
- ^ Draper, Robert (February 4, 2022). "Michael Flynn Is Still at War". The New York Times.
- ^ Plunket, Robert (April 22, 2021). "A Look at Boca Royale, Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's New Home". Sarasota Magazine. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ "Flynn joins Sarasota GOP leadership". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, FL. September 9, 2022.
- ^ Anderson, Zac (December 2, 2022). "Jack Brill defeats Michael Flynn-backed challenger to become Sarasota GOP chair". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, FL.
- ^ Jason Morris; Tierney Sneed (November 15, 2022). "Michael Flynn ordered to testify in Atlanta grand jury probe into Trump's election subversion". CNN.
- ^ Jason Morris; Eric Fiegel (December 8, 2022). "Michael Flynn appears before Atlanta grand jury probe into Trump's election subversion". CNN.
- ^ Brumback, Kate (September 8, 2023). "Georgia special grand jury recommended charges against 39 people, including Sen. Lindsey Graham". Associated Press.
- ^ "QAnon is Resurgent on Twitter". Anti-Defamation League. May 22, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ "Former Trump adviser blames Jews for dying in Auschwitz". Jerusalem Post. August 16, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ Price, Michelle L. (May 15, 2023). "Trump tells former adviser Michael Flynn: 'We're going to bring you back'". Associated Press.
- ^ Christine Hauser; Amanda Holpuch (December 26, 2023). "Michael Flynn's Rhode Island Hall of Fame Inclusion Prompts Resignations". The New York Times.
- ^ "Former Trump national security adviser Mike Flynn says he's been a fan of Alex Jones since 2008". Media Matters. January 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Belcher, Sara (May 8, 2020). "Everything to Know About Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's Family". Distractify.
- ^ Michelle R. Smith (October 17, 2022). "How Michael Flynn Goes Local to Spread Christian Nationalism".
- ^ Flynn, Michael T.; Captain Matt Pottinger; Batchelor, Paul D. (January 2010). "Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan" (PDF). Center for a New American Security. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ Landler, Mark; Perlez, Jane (April 4, 2017). "A Veteran and China Hand Advises Trump for Xi's Visit". The New York Times.
- ^ Mitchell, Peter (November 21, 2016). "Top Trump adviser defends Aust dealings". Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016.
- ^ Flynn, Michael T.; Ledeen, Michael (2016). The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-10622-3.
- ^ McCants, Will (July 19, 2016). "Realist or neocon? Mixed messages in Trump advisor's foreign policy vision". Markaz: Middle East Politics & Policy (Brookings Institution blog).
- ^ "Introducing the '5G' war". Politico. December 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Lt. Gen. Flynn retires from DIA, 33-year Army career". Defense Intelligence Agency. Washington, DC. DIA Public Affairs. August 7, 2014. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c Silva, Melissa (February 16, 2016). "Former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, USA and Retired Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn Joins Brainwave Science's Advisory Board". Business Wire. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ "Defense Intelligence Director Honored at Ellis Island Ceremony". DIA Public Affairs. Defense Intelligence Agency. May 14, 2013. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ Cuningham, Henry (November 8, 2012). "Lt. Gen. Flynn named Association of Special Operations Professionals' Man of the Year". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved February 14, 2017.[dead link]
- ^ Suydam, Kellie (October 19, 2015). "IWP marks Silver Anniversary with gala celebration". The Institute of World Politics. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ Borg, Linda (January 21, 2022). "URI trustees vote unanimously to revoke honorary degrees to Michael Flynn, Rudy Giuliani". The Providence Journal.
Further reading
- Priest, Dana (November 23, 2016). "The Disruptive Career of Michael Flynn, Trump's National-Security Adviser". The New Yorker.
- Rizzo, Salvador (May 7, 2020). "Understanding the twists and turns in the Michael Flynn case". The Washington Post.
External links
- Official website
- Michael Flynn on X
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Interviews on Al Jazeera: 19 May 2016; 13 Jan 2016
- Lawfare Podcast Episode #50: DIA Chief Lt. General Michael T. Flynn Speaks at Brookings on Lawfare, published November 30, 2013