Michael Flynn

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[[File:Michael_Flynn_(30020745053).jpg|thumb|right|165px|Michael Flynn at a campaign rally for then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump, October 2016.]]
{{uspolitics}}
[[File:Vladimir Putin, Russia Today television channel (2015-12-10) 04.jpg|thumb|right|165px|General Misha dining with Putin and [[Jill Stein]] in 2015]]
{{cquote|Arguably, you sold your country out.|||U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, during criminal sentencing hearings for Flynn<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/im-not-hiding-my-disgust-or-my-disdain-veteran-judge-upends-hopes-of-trump-allies-as-he-spotlights-flynns-misdeeds/2018/12/18/6fe78382-02f1-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html 'I'm not hiding my disgust, my disdain': Veteran judge upends hopes of Trump allies as he spotlights Flynn’s misdeeds] by Carol D. Leonnig & Rosalind S. Helderman (December 18 at 7:42 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>}}
'''Michael Thomas Flynn''' ("General Misha")<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/31/michael-flynn-new-evidence-spy-chiefs-had-concerns-about-russian-ties Michael Flynn: new evidence spy chiefs had concerns about Russian ties: US and UK officials were troubled by Moscow contacts and encounter with woman linked to Russian spy agency records] by Luke Harding et al. (31 Mar 2017 10.01 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref> {{lived|1958}} is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General; he served from 1981–2014, including in [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]]. He was Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012-2014 under President [[Barack Obama]]. After retirement in 2014, he established the [[lobbying]] company Flynn Intel Group (FIN), [[Nepotism|where his son]] (Michael G. Flynn) served as the chief of staff.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mike-flynn-s-son-subject-federal-russia-probe-n800741 Mike Flynn's Son Is Subject of Federal Russia Probe] by Carol E. Lee et al. (Sep 13 2017, 5:00 pm ET) ''NBC News''.</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/18/us/politics/michael-flynn-intel-group-trump.html How Michael Flynn’s Disdain for Limits Led to a Legal Quagmire] by Nicholas Confessore (June 18, 2017) ''The New York Times''.</ref>

During [[Donald Trump]]'s 2016 campaign for president, Flynn served as one of his advisers, and was tasked with improving relations with [[Russia]].<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/michael-flynn-charged-making-false-statements-fbi-documents/story?id=50849354 Flynn prepared to testify that Trump directed him to contact Russians about ISIS, confidant says] by Brian Ross et al. (Dec 1, 2017, 11:06 AM ET) ''ABC News''.</ref> Flynn served as the {{wpl|National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor}} under Donald Trump from January 20 – February 13, 2017, the shortest tenure in the history of that office. Flynn also had a brief advisory role at [[Cambridge Analytica]], which advised the Trump campaign and is alleged to have engaged in illegal behavior.<ref>[https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/16/15657512/cambridge-analytica-christopher-wylie-facebook-trump-russia Cambridge Analytica, the shady data firm that might be a key Trump-Russia link, explained: Why House investigators think this company might have gamed Facebook and helped Russia spread fake news.] by Sean Illing (Updated Mar 17, 2018, 8:37am EDT) ''Vox''.</ref> He currently lives in Englewood, [[Florida]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yoursun.com/englewood/michael-flynn-buys-englewood-home/article_2a43e228-a2ca-11eb-80e1-53fd3c64ae83.html|title=Mike Flynn buys Englewood home|date=2021-04-21|accessdate=2022-12-03|work=Charlotte Sun Newspaper|publisher=Adams Publishers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/politics/2021/04/21/michael-flynn-former-trump-national-security-adviser-buys-home-englewood-florida-boca-royale/7307825002/|title=Michael Flynn, former Trump adviser, buys home in Englewood, Florida|date=2021-04-21|accessdate=2022-12-03|work=Sarasota Herald Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterrecords.com/voter/117377716/michael-flynn|title=Michael Thomas Flynn's Florida Voter Registration|accessdate=2022-12-03|work=Voterrecords.com}}</ref>
==To Russia with love==
FIN was accused in November 2016 by former-[[NSA]] agent John Schindler of receiving money from both Russian [[dictator]] [[Vladimir Putin]] and Turkish dictator [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] via intermediaries.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/donald-trump-michael-flynn-money-putin-erdogan-nsa-worker-claims-a7437041.html Donald Trump's national security chief 'took money from Putin and Erdogan', says former NSA employee: The former general will not require Senate approval to take up the senior security position] by Andrew Buncombe (24 November 2016 16:07 GMT) ''The Independent''.</ref> FIN received $530,000 from Inovo, a [[Dutch]]-based company owned by {{wpl|Kamil Ekim Alptekin}} who is close to Erdoğan; the money was paid for FIN to investigate [[Fethullah Gülen]] who was accused by Erdogan of being behind a [[coup]] attempt.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-mystery-behind-a-flynn-associates-quiet-work-for-the-trump-campaign/2017/05/04/fc86980e-3044-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html The mystery behind a Flynn associate’s quiet work for the Trump campaign] by Matea Gold (May 4, 2017) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

On December 1, 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to the crime of making "materially [[Perjury#Variations on a theme|false statements]] and omissions" (a felony) to the [[FBI]] on January 24, 2017.<ref name=guilty>[https://www.justice.gov/file/1015126/download United States of America v. Micheal T. Flynn] Case 1:17-cr-00232-RC Document 4 Filed 12/01/17</ref> The false statements were with regard to:<ref name=guilty/>
*"Flynn's request to the Russian Ambassador [Sergey Kislyak] that Russia refrain from escalating the situation in response to U.S. sanctions against Russia"
*"Flynn's request that foreign officials vote against or delay a [[United Nations]] Security Council Resolution"
*"Flynn's contacts with foreign government" (specifically [[Turkey]])

In exchange for this deal of pleading guilty to the single criminal charge and under continued threat of being charged with other crimes, Flynn agreed to fully cooperate with investigators.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/12/01/why-we-can-say-with-near-certainty-that-michael-flynn-has-flipped-sides-in-the-russia-investigation/ What probably led Michael Flynn to flip sides in the Russia investigation] by Amber Phillips (December 1, 2017) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Following Flynn's guilty plea, and the judge in the case asking for more information about it, the editorial board of the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', US Representative Darrel Issa, and [[Fox News]]'s Jeanine Pirro all claimed that the judge would expose prosecutorial misconduct and throw out the plea (basically claiming that Flynn was innocent and duped).<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/17/michael-flynn-fbi-conspiracy-theories-suffer-major-setback/ The ‘Michael Flynn is an innocent hero’ conspiracy theory suffers a major setback] by Aaron Blake (December 17, 2018 at 1:22 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Putting a kibosh on that idea, however, was the near-simultaneous unsealing of an indictment against Flynn’s business partners {{wpl|Bijan Kian}} and Kamil Ekim Alptekin for illegally acting as foreign agents of Turkey and conspiring to have [[Fethullah Gülen]] deported from the US to his native Turkey.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/michael-flynns-business-partner-charged-with-illegally-lobbying-for-turkey/2018/12/17/46fb3762-020a-11e9-9122-82e98f91ee6f_story.html Michael Flynn's business partner charged with illegally lobbying for Turkey] by Rachel Weiner, Carol D. Leonnig & Matt Zapotosky (December 17, 2018 at 1:31 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

==Coup plotter==
On November 25<sup>th</sup>, 2020, Flynn was pardoned by Trump during his lame duck period.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55080923 Michael Flynn: Trump pardons ex-national security adviser]</ref>

Flynn publicly suggested that Trump declare [[martial law]] so that the latter could force a 'redo' of the [[2020 U.S. presidential election|2020 election]], which Trump lost.<ref name=lamothe>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/flynn-national-guard-call-riot/2021/01/20/7f4f41ba-5b4c-11eb-aaad-93988621dd28_story.html Army falsely denied Flynn’s brother was involved in key part of military response to Capitol riot] by Dan Lamothe et al. (Jan. 20, 2021 at 5:24 p.m. PST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> The idea later involved his brother, active duty Lt. Gen. Charles A. Flynn, during the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot]]. Michael Flynn has garnered interest for his possible involvement in the attempted [[coup]] on January 6. The Congressional January 6 Committee attempted to interview him but he pleaded the [[Fifth Amendment]] to every question, even to "Do you believe the violence on January 6th was justified morally?"<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/06/28/1108396692/jan-6-committee-hearing-transcript Here's every word from the sixth Jan. 6 committee hearing on its investigation] (June 28, 20226:23 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref>

Flynn has become a central figure in [[QAnon]] and has espoused QAnon messaging,<ref name=lamothe/> and members of his family are 'enmeshed' in QAnon, having sworn the "digital soldier oath".<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/michael-flynn-cnn-qanon-oath-b1879970.html Michael Flynn’s relatives deny using QAnon gesture and claim it was a family ‘statement of support’ in CNN lawsuit] by Nathan Place ( 08 July 2021 18:29) ''The Independent''.</ref><ref>''The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything'' by Mike Rothschild (2021) Melville House. ISBN 1612199291.</ref>{{rp|10}}

On May 30<sup>th</sup> 2021, during a QAnon conference in Dallas, Texas, Flynn was asked by a member of the audience if "what happened in [[Myanmar|Minamar]]{{sic}}" could happen in the United States. This, of course, was referencing [[Burma#The_old_boss_back_in_the_saddle|the military coup]] that happened in Myanmar in February 2021. As [[QAnon]] believers were already participants in a [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot|much more amateurish attempted coup]] on January 6<sup>th</sup> 2021, predictably the audience erupted in cheers at this question. Flynn's response to this seditious wish was "No reason, I mean, it should happen here. No reason. That's right."<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/31/politics/michael-flynn-qanon/index.html "Echoing QAnon forums, Michael Flynn appears to suggest a Myanmar-style coup should happen in the United States"] by Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, 2021 May 31</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-qanon-conference-michael-flynn-b1856843.html "US should have coup like Myanmar, former Trump advisor Michael Flynn tells QAnon conference in Texas"] by Stuti Mishra, Independent, 2021 May 31</ref> Flynn quickly backtracked from these statements the next Monday, complaining that the "[[scapegoat|media]]" was "manipulating my words" and tried to weakly [[retcon]] the above quote into something less seditious.<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-flynn-backtracks-no-reason-coup-in-us-qanon-convention-2021-5 "Michael Flynn denies suggesting a Myanmar-style military coup should happen in the US"] by Connor Perret, Business Insider, 2021 May 31</ref>

On December 18, 2020, days after the [[Electoral College]] had certified [[Joe Biden]] as the winner of the [[2020 U.S. presidential election]], a group of high-level kooks showed up at the White House. The kooks were not officially invited but were let in by a junior staffer and gained access to Trump anyway. The kooks included Flynn, [[conspiracy theorist]] [[Patrick Byrne]], Trump's bogus election fraud lawyer [[Sidney Powell]], disbarred Trump personal lawyer [[Rudy Giuliani]] and others. What ensued was a prolonged and heated exchange between the kooks and White House lawyers. The kooks managed to convince Trump that by various connivances the election could be overturned even though they knew this would have been illegal and/or unconstitutional. Trump was convinced by the kooks and sent out the notorious "be there, will be wild" tweet in the early morning hours of the 19<sup>th</sup>, setting the stage for incitement of the [[coup]] attempt on January 6<sup>th</sup>, 2021.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/07/12/1111123258/jan-6-committee-hearing-transcript Here's every word from the seventh Jan. 6 committee hearing on its investigation] (July 12, 20226:32 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref>

==ReAwaken America Tour==
A few months after the coup attempt failed, Flynn (along with an Oklahoma entrepreneur named Clay Clark and some seed money from [[Patrick Byrne]])<ref name="guardianrenew">[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/30/far-right-project-disinformation-trump-2024-campaign "Far-right project that pushed election lies expands mission as Trump ramps up 2024 campaign"] by Peter Stone, Guardian, 2023 January 30</ref> launched a traveling roadshow called the {{wpl|ReAwaken America Tour||.}} The tour was dedicated to spreading the message of Trump's [[Big Lie]] in parallel with promoting [[Christian nationalism]].<ref name="pbsawake">[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/michael-flynn-reawaken-america-tour/ "Michael Flynn’s ReAwaken Roadshow Recruits ‘Army of God’"] by Richard Lardner and Michelle R. Smith, PBS Frontline (in partnership with the Associated Press), 2022 October 7</ref> These events thus mixed the [[charismatic]] religious fervor found in many [[evangelical]] churches (along with elements used in these worship services such as [[Christian rock|contemporary praise music]] and religious symbols) with nakedly political and/or [[conspiracy theory]] elements that parallel support of Trump's Big Lie, such as support of the [[anti-vaccination movement]], support of [[QAnon]], and opposition of [[Black Lives Matter]].<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1133477897/reawaken-america-brings-together-some-of-the-u-s-most-prolific-conspiracy-theori "The ReAwaken America Tour unites conservative Christians and conspiracy theorists" by Lisa Hagen, NPR, 2022 November 3]</ref><ref name="timesfervor">[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/us/christian-right-wing-politics.html "The Growing Religious Fervor in the American Right: ‘This Is a Jesus Movement’"] by Elizabeth Dias and Ruth Graham, New York Times, 2022 April 6</ref> 

Guest speakers typically include a mixture of far-right and/or conspiracy nutjob figures (such as [[Mike Lindell]], [[Alex Jones]], [[Simone Gold]], [[Sherri Tenpenny]], [[Roger Stone]], and Flynn himself) along with radical [[Dominionist]] "preachers" such as [[Greg Locke]] and {{wpl|Mark Burns (pastor)|Mark Burns.}}<ref name="pbsawake"/><ref name="guardianrenew"/><ref name="flynnonereligion">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/11/19/michael-flynn-alex-jones-feucht/ "Michael Flynn calls for ‘one religion’ at event that is a who’s who of the new Christian right"] by Bob Smietana, Washington Post, 2021 November 19</ref><ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/pro-trump-pastor-cites-bible-suggest-violenceneeded-take-power-1800140 "Pro-Trump Pastor Cites Bible to Suggest Violence Needed to Take Power"] by Fatma Khaled, Newsweek, 2023 May 13</ref> Speeches at this event predictably contained plenty of [[antisemitic]], [[racist]], [[sexist]], and [[homophobic]] rhetoric purportedly in the name of [[Christianity]], along with elements of violence and coded profanities such as "[[Let's Go Brandon]]".<ref name="inquirerawake">[https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/reawaken-america-christian-nationalism-pennsylvania-20221019.html "ReAwaken America proves that Christian nationalism isn’t Christian"] by Rev. Jennifer Butler, Inquirer, 2022 October 19</ref><ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/lets-go-brandon-church-texas-qanon-1649141 'Let's Go Brandon' Chanted at QAnon-Linked Church Event in Texas] by Ewan Palmer, Newsweek, 2021 November 15</ref> 

In May 2023, [[Rachel Maddow]] and [[Media Matters for America]] highlighted that two {{wpl|Rumble (company)|Rumble}} personalities on the ReAwaken America tour (both of whom were aligned with {{wpl|Eric Trump}}), Scott McKay (aka "Patriot Streetfighter") and Charlie Ward, had a long history of making statements that were not just antisemitic, but were pure pro-[[Hitler]] propaganda.<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2023/05/11/gosh-how-do-the-keep-accidentally-hanging-out-with-hitler-fanboys/ "Gosh, how do the Trumps keep "accidentally" hanging out with Hitler fanboys?"] by Amanda Marcotte, Salon, 2023 May 11</ref><ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/diversity-discrimination/eric-trump-tourmate-scott-mckay-claims-jewish-people-are-frauds-and-hitler "Eric Trump tourmate claims Jewish people are frauds and “Hitler was actually fighting the same people that we're trying to take down today”"] by Eric Hananoki, Media Matters, 2023 February 6</ref><ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/eric-trump/hitler-promoting-antisemites-will-speak-trumps-miami-hotel-alongside-eric-trump-lara "Hitler-promoting antisemites will speak at Trump’s Miami hotel alongside Eric Trump, Lara Trump, and other Trump personalities"] by Eric Hananoki, Media Matters, 2023 May 8</ref> 

Despite the clear political element of these events, most of them were held at churches.<ref name="timesfervor"/>

Due to the blatantly naked political (and perhaps even heretical) nature of these events, as well as Flynn's controversial Christian nationalism advocacy of a single nationalized religion for the United States, the event was very controversial even among Christians. Many Christian leaders, as well as Christian groups formed to oppose the rise of Christian nationalism in the wake of [[Donald Trump]],{{efn|Two Christian groups that often have protested ''ReAwaken America'' events are ''Christians Against Christian Nationalism'' (a self-descriptive group founded by Amanda Tyler, the executive director of the {{wpl|Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty}}) and ''Faithful America'' (a [[Progressive Christianity|progressive Christian]] advocacy group)}} have condemned, pushed back, and protested against Flynn's roadshow.<ref name="flynnonereligion"/><ref>[https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2021/november/reawaken-america-tour-faces-pushback-for-politics-in-church-and-call-for-national-religion "Reawaken America Tour Faces Pushback for Politics in Church & Call for National Religion"] by Heather Sells, CBN, 2021 November 17</ref><ref name="inquirerawake"/><ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/christian-groups-confront-pro-trump-rally-this-quote-jesus-1800125 "Christian Groups Confront Pro-Trump Rally With This Quote From Jesus"] by Andrew Stanton, Newsweek, 2023 May 13</ref>

==What goes around comes around==
Despite being one of the main public promoters of the QAnon conspiracy theory, by 2025 Flynn was himself being accused by some QAnon followers of being part of QAnon himself and having orchestrated the botched January 6 attacks on the US Capitol.<ref name=sommer>[https://www.thebulwark.com/p/maga-premiere-conspiracy-theorist-mike-flynn-target-qanon-influencers MAGA’s Premier Conspiracy Theorist Becomes the Target of One: Mike Flynn has long pushed QAnon. But now, the conspiracists are coming after him.] by Will Sommer (Apr 29, 2025) ''The Bulwark''.</ref> Curiously, Flynn regarded this as undesirable attention ("Speaking for myself, the Flynn Family is done being a f’ing pin cushion for the mob (sorry for the Irish). Have a nice day.").<ref name=sommer/><ref>[https://archive.ph/wip/12Jh4 Great question…] by Michael Flynn (7:22 PM · Apr 17, 2025) ''Twitter'' (archived from 29 Apr 2025 19:50:34 UTC).</ref>

==Fascism==
{{main|Fascism}}
Flynn, along with some other MAGA leaders, wrote an endorsement for the book written by noted fascist [[Jack Posobiec]] titled {{wpl|Unhumans|''Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them)''}}<ref>''Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them)'' by Jack Posobiec & Joshua Lisec (2024) War Room Books.</ref> The title would seem to be an only slightly-veiled reference to [[Nazi Germany]]'s term for people deemed as undesirable by the regime, ''Untermensch'' (or "subhuman").<ref>[https://www.unpopularfront.news/p/these-people-are-nazis These People are Nazis] by John Ganz (Aug 06, 2024) ''Unpopular Front''</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/05/opinion/jd-vance-fascism-unhumans.html The Weird Authoritarian Book Blurbed by JD Vance] by Michelle Goldberg (Aug. 5, 2024, 7:00 p.m. ET) ''The New York Times''.</ref> Flynn's book endorsement states:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240709200625/https://www.amazon.com/Unhumans-Secret-History-Communist-Revolutions/dp/1648210856/ Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them)] by Jack Posobiec & Joshua Lisec (2024) ''Amazon'' (archived from July 9, 2024).</ref>
{{cquote|We are now living through an era of irregular warfare. This is a gray-zone [[communist]] [[revolution]] by new means. ''Unhumans'' exposes their battle plans and offers a fifth-generation warfare system to fight back and win.}}

==See also==
*[[Paul Manafort]]
*[[Mueller investigation]]
*[[Trump-Russia connection]]

==External links==
*[https://americanloons.blogspot.com/2024/12/2848-michael-flynn.html Michael Flynn] at the [[Encyclopedia of American Loons]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Michael Thomas}}
[[Category:2021 U.S. coup attempt]]
[[Category:Antisemites]]
[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Crank magnetism]]
[[Category:Criminals]]
[[Category:Fascists]]
[[Category:Florida]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Islamophobes]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Paleoconservatives]]
[[Category:QAnon]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:Sexists]]
[[Category:Theocracy]]
[[Category:Trump administration]]
[[Category:United States politicians]]
[[Category:We're on a mission from God]]
[[Category:Vatniks]]

Categories: 2021 U.S. coup attempt, Antisemites, Anti-vaccination movement, Authors, Christians, Conspiracy theorists, Crank magnetism, Criminals, Fascists, Florida, Homophobes, Islamophobes, Living people, Military, Paleoconservatives, QAnon, Racists, Right-wing activists, Sexists, Theocracy, Trump administration, United States politicians, We're on a mission from God, Vatniks