Michael Flynn Sues Government For ‘Wrongful And Malicious’ Prosecution
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has filed a lawsuit against the federal government for “wrongful and malicious” prosecution, and is seeking damages for the blatant harassment and smears he has faced.
Flynn’s attorneys filed the lawsuit on Friday with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, citing the government’s false claims that the former Trump administration national security adviser was a traitor to his country.
“As a direct and proximate result of Defendant’s actions, General Flynn suffered harm,” his attorneys wrote in the filing. “He was falsely branded as a traitor to his country, lost at least tens of millions of dollars of business opportunities and future lifetime earning potential, was maliciously prosecuted and spent substantial monies in his own defense.”
The lawsuit stems from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) prosecution of Flynn over an interview with the FBI in 2017. While Flynn was essentially forced into pleading guilty, he later requested to withdraw the plea agreement after exculpatory evidence emerged that exonerated him.
The DOJ began the entire saga by falsely claiming that Flynn was a “secret Russian agent,” then “entrapped him on a completely bogus perjury charge,” according to Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
“When he resisted, they threatened to hurt his son until he signed a confession,” Carlson added.
Ultimately, Flynn was pardoned by former President Trump after the DOJ asked to dismiss the charges against him.
The retired three-star lieutenant general, who served in the U.S. Army for three decades and even served in the Obama administration as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), is now fighting back against the deep state that came after him.
Flynn asserts that the DOJ was fully aware that their prosecution against him lacked merit — citing a DOJ motion written by then-U.S. Attorney Timothy Shea admitting that the case against him could not be proven “beyond a reasonable doubt” because the FBI interview was likely not “conducted with a legitimate investigative basis.”
“The Government is not persuaded that the January 24, 2017 interview was conducted with a legitimate investigative basis and therefore does not believe Mr. Flynn’s statements were material even if untrue,” Shea wrote. “Moreover, we [sic] not believe that the Government can prove either the relevant false statements or their materiality beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Flynn’s legal team cited this DOJ motion in their filing.
“The DOJ therefore admitted that they should never have brought this prosecution against General Flynn because the interview that formed the basis of the criminal information should never have happened and, even though it did happen, it was not a proper basis for the felony charge,” his legal team wrote.
The lawsuit names the United States of America as a defendant.
Flynn is seeking compensatory damages, along with his legal fees and any other court-determined relief. The damages will be determined by the court, though Flynn expects them to exceed $50 million.
In a post on Truth Social, Jesse Binnall of the Binnall Law Group — the law firm representing Flynn in this case — has denounced the federal government’s “politically motivated persecution of an American hero.”
“What the Deep State did to General Flynn should never be done to another American, ever,” Binnall added.
