U.S. Army – Deep Left Field

An inspector general for the Department of Defense has found that disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn violated military protocol and must face punitive action for accepting money from a foreign government that included sitting next to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a 2015 dinner.

The Washington Post reports that Flynn took hundreds of thousands of dollars from Turkish and Russian sources:

Investigators determined that Flynn received nearly $450,000 from Turkish and Russian interests in 2015, including for an appearance in Moscow alongside President Vladimir Putin, but found no records that he had sought government approval beforehand. Their findings are detailed in a January 2021 memo to the Army released through the Freedom of Information Act on Thursday.
The Army notified Flynn in a May 2 letter, obtained by The Washington Post, that it would seek to recoup $38,557.06 from him, zeroing in on money and in-kind compensation he received for a gala dinner celebrating the 10th anniversary of RT, the Kremlin-run news agency. Putin sat beside Flynn at the event and later told NBC News that he “didn’t even really talk to” him.

Craig R. Schmauder, an Army lawyer, wrote in a letter to Flynn informing him of the punishment that his failure “to obtain the approvals of the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of State resulted in a violation of the Emoluments Clause.”

“When there is a finding that a military retiree has violated the Emoluments Clause, the United States Government may pursue a debt collection.”

In May, Flynn admitted that he would indeed be facing punishment for his actions, remarking:

“Yeah, it means something, but at the end of the day, this country means a heck of a lot more than what they will do to me.”

Flynn could potentially face other actions if the Army inspector general determines that his connections to Russia — along with his calls for martial law to be imposed after it became clear that Donald Trump had lost the 2020 presidential election — were serious enough to warrant that he be court-martialed and stripped of his rank, which would also mean a forfeiture of his military pension.

Former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn doesn’t have to worry about going to prison for lying under oath thanks to a pardon from his good friend, failed, one-term president Donald Trump, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to get off scot-free for playing footsie with the Russians.

According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Army is looking to punish Flynn for his failure to reveal that he received $45,000 from a Kremlin-controlled media organization. In return for the money, Flynn agreed to sit next to Russian president Vladimir Putin at a dinner held in 2015:

“The investigation focuses on Flynn’s acceptance of money from Russian and Turkish interests before joining the Trump administration, a potential violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause. With few exceptions, U.S. officials, including retired service members like Flynn, are prohibited from accepting money or gifts from foreign governments. Flynn retired from the Army as a three-star general in 2014.”

Army officials are also said to be upset by Flynn’s remarks about the 2020 election being stolen from Trump. Flynn even went so far as to suggest that Trump — acting as commander in chief — could declare martial law and order a “redo” of the election in key swing states where President Joe Biden triumphed over Trump.

If they choose, the Army could penalize Flynn financially:

Defense Department guidelines warn that it ‘may pursue debt collection’ if a retired service member does not secure approval to accept foreign payments before doing so.

In other words, all of the money Flynn earned working for Russia or other countries would have to be paid back to the Pentagon because he failed to disclose the payments he received.

Considering all the harm Flynn has done to the United States, it’s a shame the Army can’t just lock him up and also collect the ill-gotten money.