The Truth About Michael Flynn
Then you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
After a roller-coaster ride of a legal battle, Ret. US Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is set to be exonerated following the Department of Justice’s motion to dismiss, ending their prosecution. Flynn, who pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI in December 2017, moved to withdraw his guilty plea almost 2 years later in January 2020.
Now as the entire debacle comes to a close, it’s important to look back at what led to the investigation, what has been revealed during the prosecution, and why understanding this case is important to every American citizen.
Michael Flynn served 33 years in the US military and was a distinguished intelligence officer. He was promoted as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012 by then President Barack Obama. After what have been described as internal conflicts, Flynn was essentially fired in 2014. It is well known that he clashed and was disapproving of Obama and his national security team’s approach to the Middle East; particularly, their policy regarding Syria, counterterrorism, and the use of drone strikes. He is also well known for criticizing the war in Afghanistan. In November 2015, his statements to the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction sparked what are now known as the Afghanistan Papers. In November 2016, after Obama reportedly urged President-elect Donald Trump to not hire Flynn, he was nominated as National Security Adviser for the Trump transition team.
It’s a standard practice for transition teams to establish relations with other nations as they prepare to take office. And in late December 2016, Flynn, acting as incoming National Security Adviser, conducted two bilateral phone calls with senior Russian diplomat Sergey Kislyak. In those phone calls, a myriad of topics were discussed to build the framework for a refreshed US — Russia partnership, as one administration began to replace another. It’s crucial to recognize the general shift in foreign policy that was taking place under the Trump administration, which was one of the main pillars of the Trump campaign leading up to the 2016 election. In contrast to the Obama administration, the Trump team sought to deescalate tensions and conflict between the US and Russia because it’s simply not in either nation’s interest. Furthermore, they viewed Russia as a geo-strategic asset moving forward, rather than an existential threat. This slight repositioning by the US towards Russia is significant because it facilitates cooperation where collective interests are aligned (e.g. counterterrorism, global security).
In early January 2017, the FBI was finished investigating Flynn in its counterintelligence operation — Crossfire Razor. They found no evidence suggesting he had been compromised and began to close the investigation. Then, they decided to reverse course after discussions between top White House, intelligence, and national security officials concerning the broader Crossfire Hurricane operation. Explicitly, Joe Biden is noted to have brought up the “Logan Act,” Obama says to “have the right people on it [Flynn case],” and James Comey points out that the Flynn — Kislyak calls “appear legit.”
Based off of this evidence, the Logan Act violation was used as the pretense to reopen the investigation into Flynn, although they knew he was clean. The Logan Act, established in 1799, prohibits unauthorized negotiations by US citizens with foreign governments. But Flynn was obviously not just any ordinary citizen — he was the incoming National Security Adviser. Regardless, the FBI chose to interview Flynn about his calls with Kislyak, even though they already had the transcripts of those calls. Ostensibly, their underlying motive was to catch Flynn in a perjury trap. Following the interview, FBI agents did not think Flynn was intentionally misleading them, and emphasized that he was cooperative throughout the investigative process. Additionally, Comey testified to the House Intelligence Committee that he didn’t know if Flynn was lying, and reiterated that the agents “saw nothing that indicated to them that he knew he was lying to them.” Flynn’s communications were framed as nefarious and possibly treasonous acts once they were leaked to the mainstream media. Moreover, the suspicion surrounding Flynn gave the media the fodder to further its neo-McCarthyist agenda. It’s nothing short of a political hit job. No matter your political leanings, what’s clear is that the far-reaching investigation into collusion has been intentionally used by the media to undermine the Trump administration. Consequently, minimizing the prospects of improving relations between the US and Russia.
Russia-gate has been one of the main talking points of every major news network for the past four years. The Flynn case, specifically, has been a key element to the overall anti-Russia narrative. It was partly used to justify the Mueller investigation that found nothing related to collusion and spent millions of dollars. An all too familiar return-on-investment for the American taxpayer. Unsurprisingly, there is absolutely no evidence to this day that supports the baseless claims made endlessly by former intelligence community officials (now turned “objective analysts”), media experts, and politicians. Illustrating how little accountability there is in the modern media world.
What’s so interesting about the corrupt investigation and politically driven prosecution of Michael Flynn is that it has become so “paradoxically depoliticized” by its high-profile nature that the question of — whether Flynn should be prosecuted or not — is no longer an evidentiary question, but an ideological question. Similar to Russia-gate, and other propaganda, evidence is replaced by belief and that belief is dictated by your political party affiliation. It’s tribalism at its finest. If the American people want to break free from their ideological conditioning, they will have to rid themselves of their political labels and challenge the axioms of their worldview.
Sometimes, political beginnings deserve political endings. The truth about what happened to Michael Flynn is that nobody is safe from prosecutorial injustices and a rigged system, no matter who you are. In a world inundated with lies and disinformation, knowing the truth is a gateway to freedom.
