Michael Flynn and Flynn Jr. Are on Robert Mueller’s Radar
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s son (Michael Flynn Jr.) is being investigated for possible ties with the Russian government in relation to the country’s alleged involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
A special counsel investigation into suspected Russian Interference in the election is being led by Robert Mueller, a former FBI director.
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The Flynn family is quite concerned about Michael G. Flynn, but this isn’t the first time that the family has been in the public eye. Michael Flynn has been in the public eye for decades, known for holding the position of United States Army Lieutenant General. He retired from the military in 2014 after 33 years in service. A few of his military positions involved special operations assignments and he worked on a U.S. counter-terrorism strategy. Flynn also participated in many combat missions.
Flynn then worked as the 18th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under President Barack Obama. He also briefly served as the country’s 25th national security advisor, under President Donald Trump, only staying in this position for a few weeks. Flynn resigned because he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.
Since Flynn has held high-ranking positions, is it possible that he used his power and connections to get his son’s hands dirty? Let’s take a look.
Father and Son’s Work Relationship
When Michael Flynn retired in 2014 from his Army Lieutenant General position, he wasn’t planning on sitting at home or enjoying a nice view from a beach or golf course. Rather, he decided to use his experience to start Flynn Intel Group Inc. The focus of the business was providing intelligence services to businesses and government. He ran the business with his son, Michael Flynn Jr.
One of the firm’s first clients was Palo Alto Networks Inc (NYSE:PANW), a multi-billion-dollar company with a focus on providing security software services. Another deal was signed with Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE), which is known around the world as a software giant. At this point, there were no concerns of any conflicts of interest in the business operations.
In 2015, however, things changed when Philip Oakley was added as a partner in the firm. Oakley was a friend of Flynn and a former army intelligence analyst. At the time, he owned two companies which focused on providing software for defense and intelligence.
Michael Flynn with his son Michael Flynn Jr (Credits: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
With a new partner on board and business growing, so was interest from Russia. In 2015, Flynn took money from Russia for business services that his company provided. He accepted a payment from Kaspersky Lab, which is a Russian research firm that, among other things, works to uncover secrets about Western government entities.
Again in 2015, Flynn received another payment through Russia, this time from Kaspersky Government Security Solutions, Inc., which is Kaspersky Lab’s American division. Another payment was received from Volga-Dnepr Airlines, a Russian airline carrier that has been examined by the United Nations for alleged bribery.
Later, in December 2015, Flynn was paid for a speaking engagement in Moscow that was hosted and financed by RT, a Russian television network funded by the Russian government. During this trip, Flynn Jr. joined his father. The trip included a black tie event that included Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was the first time that that Flynns’ relationship with Russia was shown to the world.
It appears that Flynn Jr. believes he has done nothing wrong, and that he was simply running a business. Here is a tweet stating his innocence:
The SJW are out in full this morning….the disappointment on your faces when I don’t go to jail will be worth all your harassment…
— ????????MFLYNNJR???????? (@mflynnJR) November 5, 2017
What Does All This Mean Legally?
Flynn has worked for the U.S. government in the past, and is very knowledgeable about all of the clearance processes. He did not, however, disclose his relationship or business dealings with Russia to the U.S. government. That disclosure needed to be completed in order for him to hold the national security advisor position, especially since there are U.S. sanctions on Russia. In addition, Flynn did not go through the proper security clearance, since he is a former lieutenant general.
Flynn was also involved in a series of phone calls to Kislyak, before Trump’s transition to becoming president. The conversations were more related to which of the Russia sanctions would still be in place under the Trump presidency.
The issue for Flynn and his son is in regards to the Logan Act, which was passed in 1799. This law bans citizens from negotiating with any foreign governments on behalf of the U.S. government. This rule was put in place by President John Adams in order to not weaken the stands that the U.S. government take with governments around the world. Due to this rule, Flynn resigned from his position as national security advisor to President Donald Trump.
This could result in Flynn spending time in prison. Since Flynn Jr. is also involved in the business, it could mean that he could also spend time behind bars.
Flynn is also alleged to have hidden his past business affairs with Russia, which only makes matters worse, since trust has been broken. Also, Flynn Jr. was known to be at the party that included Putin. There is no telling what more will be uncovered.
What Does the Past Tell Us Regarding Flynn and Flynn Jr ?
History is a good indication of how the future could turn out for Flynn and Flynn Jr. They are not the first ones to be investigated by Robert Mueller and his special investigation team. Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were charged for their actions regarding Russia. Manafort was the chairman and campaign manager of the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign.
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller (Credits: Chip Somodevilla / Staff)
Manafort, however had alleged business dealings with the Russian government. The charges laid against Manafort were for conspiracy against the United States, which included money laundering, failure to report foreign bank accounts, financial activities, and misleading statements. Similar charges were laid against Gates for his actions before and during Trump’s run for the White House.
Both Gates and Manafort surrendered themselves to the FBI. This was only after Mueller and his team took the time to determine whether they had any working relationship with the Russian government, in relation to Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election.
Now Mueller and his team are looking at Flynn and Flynn Jr., and it could just be a matter of time before more details come out and one or both of them face charges.
