Michael Flynn Russia Contacts
🔵 Foreign Interference & Disinformation ·
Jan 20, 2017
Summary
Incoming National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had multiple undisclosed contacts with Russian officials during the transition. While seated at Trump’s inauguration speech, Flynn texted a business associate that Russian sanctions would be ‘ripped up,’ referencing a private nuclear deal. Flynn had previously asked Russian Ambassador Kislyak not to retaliate against Obama-era election sanctions and to block a UN vote on Israeli settlements, both undisclosed foreign contacts that violated the Logan Act. Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about these contacts, the first major charges of the Mueller investigation. He later withdrew his guilty plea and Trump pardoned him in November 2020, ending the case against him. Flynn filed a lawsuit against the government seeking compensation for what he described as ‘malicious prosecution’ and, in March of 2026, Trump’s DOJ settled the case in his favor for approximately $1.2 million.
Key Figures
Donald Trump, Robert Mueller, Michael Flynn
Institutions Involved
Sources
- Michael T. Flynn Guilty Plea
- Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election
- United States v. Flynn (1 -17-cr-00232)
- Justice Department settles lawsuit from Trump ally Michael Flynn for $1.2 million - AP source says