Michael Flynn
Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn is a notable figure in American military and political history, having served over three decades in the United States Army, primarily in military intelligence. Born in December 1958 in Rhode Island, Flynn held various leadership roles throughout his military career, including significant positions during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and served as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) from 2012 to 2014. He became national security adviser to President Donald Trump in January 2017 but resigned less than a month later due to controversies surrounding his communications with Russian officials.
Flynn's political career accelerated after his military service, as he became a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s policies and transitioned into a supporter of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. Following his resignation from the White House, Flynn faced multiple investigations related to his foreign contacts and ultimately pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. His case drew significant attention amid broader inquiries into Russian interference in the 2016 election. After being pardoned by President Trump in 2020, Flynn has remained an influential figure in far-right circles, promoting various conspiracy theories and engaging in a Christian nationalist movement. He continues to be active in public speaking and has leveraged his experiences for financial opportunities.
Michael Flynn
Retired US Army lieutenant general
- Born: December 1958
- Place of Birth: Fort Meade, Maryland
Education: University of Rhode Island; Golden Gate University; United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and United States Naval War College
Significance: Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn had a successful career in the United States Army before becoming the national security adviser to President Donald Trump in January 2017. However, Flynn resigned after serving less than one month as national security adviser, following reports he had failed to give accurate information to Vice President Michael Pence and other White House officials about the nature of his contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Background
The sixth of nine children, Michael Thomas Flynn was born in December 1958 to Helen and Charles Flynn. He grew up in Middletown, Rhode Island, and served as student body president and cocaptain of the football team during high school. After graduating from Middletown High School in 1977, he enrolled at the University of Rhode Island. There he joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program. In 1981, he graduated from the university with a degree in management science.
Flynn continued his education during his career. He earned a master of business administration in telecommunications from Golden Gate University; a master of military arts and sciences from the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and a master of national security and strategic studies from the United States Naval War College.
Military Career
Flynn began his military career, which would span more than three decades, immediately after graduating from the University of Rhode Island when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in military intelligence. His first assignment was as a paratrooper of the Eighty-Second Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In 1983, he served as a platoon leader for Operation Urgent Fury in the invasion of Grenada. In 1994, he was the chief of joint war plans in Haiti for Operation Uphold Democracy.
In 2001, Flynn became the assistant chief of staff, Eighteenth Airborne Corps, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Throughout the early 2000s, he served in a variety of leadership positions in military intelligence in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, including intelligence directorships at US Central Command, the Joint Special Operations Command, the Joint Staff, and the International Security Assistance Force–Afghanistan. In these roles, he helped to disrupt al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks. In September 2011, he joined the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as an assistant director.
President Barack Obama nominated Flynn to be the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in April 2012. Flynn served two years before resigning approximately one year before he was scheduled to depart. Reports varied as to why Flynn resigned, with some citing poor management and a failure to adapt to the shift of the agency’s focus after more than a decade of war in the Middle East. Flynn stated he was forced out due to a difference of opinion in how to combat terrorism and other national security threats, with Flynn advocating a more aggressive approach against Islamic militants than that of the Obama administration.
Political Career
After leaving the DIA, Flynn founded the Flynn Intel Group, a consulting firm in Alexandria, Virginia, in the fall of 2014. He also became a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s military policies, particularly its antiterrorism strategies. As a consultant, Flynn took on several assignments for foreign governments that later drew scrutiny. These included lobbying for the Turkish government, working for a company called Inovo BV that sought to undermine a political opponent of Turkey’s authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and accepting a paid speaking engagement with RT, an English-language television network sponsored by the Russian government.
Flynn also became highly critical of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. Despite being a registered Democrat, Flynn became a strong supporter of Republican candidate Donald Trump. By February 2016, he was serving as an informal adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign. He later became Trump’s chief adviser on national security issues. Flynn helped promote Trump’s messages on social media, in speeches, and at rallies. Flynn’s book, The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War against Radical Islam and Its Allies, coauthored with Michael Ledeen, was published in mid-2016. The book describes what he saw as an ideological world war being fought and his vision for how the United States should eradicate radical Islamism through more aggressive warfare and diplomacy and by cultivating an alliance with Russia.
For some time, the media speculated that Trump might choose Flynn as his running mate. Although that prediction proved false, president-elect Trump named Flynn as his national security adviser, a position that does not require Senate approval, in November 2016. Flynn was sworn in on January 22, 2017. Within days, government officials announced an investigation into Flynn’s communications with Sergey Kislyak, then the Russian ambassador to the United States, to determine if they discussed Russian sanctions imposed in December 2016. Flynn initially denied discussing sanctions with Kislyak, but later admitted some discussion. The White House faulted him for misleading Vice President Michael Pence and other top White House officials about the nature of those discussions. Flynn subsequently resigned on February 13, 2017, after twenty-four days in the role—the shortest tenure of any national security adviser.
In 2017, congressional members and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened multiple investigations into the Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election. These investigations examined Flynn’s foreign ties, financial dealings, and related activities. After he was directly questioned by the FBI and the investigation expanded even further under Special Counsel Robert Mueller, it was determined that Flynn had lied to the FBI about a number of points. By December, it was announced that he had come to an agreement with Mueller to cooperate in providing information on the case, and he pleaded guilty to one count of lying. Though Flynn was scheduled to receive sentencing in 2018, this phase was delayed both that year and in 2019. Having made changes in his legal team that included bringing in lawyer Sidney Powell in 2019, by early 2020 Flynn had filed for a withdrawal of his guilty plea based on accusations that prosecutors had not upheld the condition of the agreement pertaining to serving time in prison. Flynn's legal team had also questioned the conduct of the FBI and the legitimacy of the investigation into their client, and following the release of previously sealed documents, the Department of Justice requested to drop the case in May, but this request was denied. Flynn was pardoned by President Trump in November 2020. Flynn brought a lawsuit against the US government in March 2023 for $50 million for wrongful prosecution.
He promoted a number of far-right ideologies and conspiracy theories throughout the Trump administration and the years after Trump lost re-election. Flynn was also a prominent speaker at many rallies supporting Trump's claims that the election was unfair or manipulated. In 2022, he was reported to be the center of a Christian nationalist movement, giving more than sixty speeches for the cause in 2021 and 2022.
Flynn parlayed his Trump connections into financial opportunities. He and his sons made a speaking tour in early 2024, charging up to $200 for people to meet Flynn. A movie documenting his rise and fall with allegations of shadowy enemies were often featured at such events.
Impact
After Flynn left the White House, new revelations came to light about his contacts with foreign interests. In March 2017, Flynn registered with the US government as a foreign agent, belatedly conceding that lobbying efforts he had undertaken in 2016 may have benefited the Turkish government. Flynn requested immunity in exchange for testifying to the Senate Intelligence Committee, although his request for immunity was denied. Flynn subsequently refused to testify in front of the committee in both May and September 2017. Over time, he remained one of the most high-profile figures representing ongoing debates revolving around the potential for foreign interference in American governance.
Personal Life
Flynn married Lori (Andrade) Flynn shortly before graduating from the University of Rhode Island in 1981. They have two sons, Michael and Matthew.
Bibliography
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Schmidle, Nicholas. “The Mounting Pressure on Michael Flynn.” The New Yorker, 23 Sept. 2017, www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-mounting-pressure-on-michael-flynn. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.
Smith, Michelle. “Former Trump Adviser Michael Flynn ‘At the Center’ of New Movement Based on Conspiracies and Christian Nationalism.” PBS, 7 Sept. 2022, www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/former-trump-adviser-michael-flynn-at-the-center-of-new-movement-based-on-conspiracies-and-christian-nationalism. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.