The Railroading of Michael Flynn: Eight Years and Still No Justice

Eight years ago today, General Michael Flynn was fired—not for any wrongdoing of his own, but because of a lie. It took another four years to expose that lie, and yet, eight years later, no one has been held to account.

As we continue to seek long-overdue accountability, it’s worth revisiting what Democrats, the media, and deep state operatives did to Flynn. It is a story of staggering treachery, deception, corruption, and lies.

The Setup

In the summer of 2016, General Flynn was at the height of his career. He had become a trusted advisor to then-candidate Donald Trump and was even considered for vice president—a role in which he would have been a far more loyal and steadfast choice than Mike Pence.

But his fortunes changed when the Clinton campaign launched a hoax painting Trump as a Russian agent. The FBI and CIA knew the claims were false because they knew where the hoax originated, as did President Obama. Yet the FBI still opened a fraudulent investigation into Trump’s campaign on July 31, 2016. Flynn quickly became a primary target—both as a means to sabotage Trump’s campaign and, given his trusted role, as a stepping stone to take down Trump himself.

A year earlier, Flynn had attended a public event in Moscow, fully approved by U.S. intelligence agencies. The event marked RT’s 10th anniversary and was in no way covert or suspicious. Yet, in the hands of a corrupt media and intelligence apparatus, it was twisted into something nefarious.

Another manufactured smear came from longtime deep state operative and FBI informant Stefan Halper, who falsely claimed that Michael Flynn had been compromised by a Russian spy named Svetlana Lokhova. Halper alleged that he saw them leave an event at Cambridge University together. In reality, it never happened—and Halper couldn’t have known either way because he wasn’t even there. Like everything else in the Russiagate saga, the claim was pure fabrication.

The FBI’s Fraudulent Pursuit

Armed with these falsehoods, the FBI sought to destroy Flynn. They even issued National Security Letters—warrantless surveillance tools that require no court approval—against him. We only learned of this in late 2020 when emails revealed that corrupt FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, later convicted for fabricating evidence against Trump advisor Carter Page, was involved in obtaining the National Security Letters on Flynn.

Yet, despite their best efforts, the FBI couldn’t make anything stick. Lower-level agents, perhaps recognizing the deceit, moved to shut down the investigation in November 2016. But due to an “administrative error,” the case was never formally closed—conveniently allowing FBI Director James Comey to revive it after a January 5, 2017, Oval Office meeting where then-Vice President Joe Biden suggested targeting Flynn under the Logan Act for having spoken to the Russian ambassador in Washington.

The Logan Act, a rarely enforced and likely unconstitutional law prohibiting private diplomacy, was an absurd pretext. Flynn, as incoming National Security Advisor, was expected to speak with foreign officials—including the Russian ambassador. He even had a government-issued phone and email account at the time.

Comey, far more cunning than Biden, knew Logan Act charges wouldn’t hold up. So he pivoted—deciding to entrap Flynn in a perjury trap. On January 24, 2017, Comey sent corrupt FBI agent Peter Strzok into the White House to interview Flynn under false pretenses. Comey later bragged about bypassing normal protocols, saying it was only possible because the administration was so new.

The goal was never to get at the truth but to manufacture a lie. Comey claimed Flynn had lied to the FBI about discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador—except, as would be revealed years later, Flynn never discussed sanctions at all. Even Strzok’s notes, hidden for years, confirmed he hadn’t even asked Flynn about them. The entire claim was pure fiction.

Comey then enlisted acting Attorney General Sally Yates to push the lie. Yates told White House Counsel Don McGahn that Flynn had lied to the FBI. Strangely, it never occurred to McGahn to demand the transcript of Flynn’s call—something that would have immediately exposed the falsehood. Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, a Pence pick, likely had access to these materials and knew exactly what was happening—yet he remained suspiciously silent.

Mueller’s Extortion Scheme

Four years later, under immense legal pressure from Sidney Powell—who had replaced Flynn’s original lawyers—the Department of Justice (DOJ) was finally forced to release the call transcripts, proving Flynn never lied about sanctions. But by then, it was too late—Flynn had already been railroaded.

Robert Mueller’s special counsel team, desperate to justify their fraudulent probe, had charged Flynn in 2017 with lying to the FBI. Facing financial ruin, mounting legal bills, and threats to prosecute his son, Flynn ultimately pled guilty under duress. His original lawyers, either incompetent or complicit, never bothered to obtain the call transcript, which would have exonerated him instantly.

Adding to the corruption, the supposedly “randomly assigned” judge in Flynn’s case, Rudolph Contreras, was a close friend of Peter Strzok. Strzok had even boasted about their friendship in text messages, expressing hope that Contreras wouldn’t recuse himself. Only at the last moment, as Flynn was about to be sentenced, did Contreras step aside.

But things got even worse when Judge Emmet Sullivan—an openly partisan Trump critic—took over. Sullivan made Flynn’s life hell, clashing repeatedly with Powell. Even after the DOJ dropped the case—because the transcript made clear there was no case—Sullivan refused to dismiss it. In an unprecedented move, he effectively appointed himself both judge and prosecutor, dragging the case out for months in a blatant effort to ruin Flynn.

Ultimately, President Trump had to intervene, issuing Flynn a pardon to finally end the ordeal. But it was a deeply unsatisfying conclusion. Being “pardoned” for a crime one never committed is no justice at all. It marked the end of a nightmare but not the end of the story.

No Accountability

Eight years later, the people responsible—Comey, Strzok, Yates, Obama, Sullivan, and many others—have faced no consequences. It may be too late to put them in prison, but the truth must be known. History must record what actually happened. The Flynn case was not just an injustice—it was a warning of how far the deep state will go to maintain its grip on power.

Justice is also owed to the Flynn family, who have suffered far too much for far too long. And the hoax is not over. The DOJ is still pursuing charges against Ekim Alptekin, whose only “crime” was hiring Flynn’s firm—a move Mueller’s team and the DOJ weaponized to pressure him into fabricating stories about Flynn, which they could then use to force Flynn into lying about Trump. When Alptekin refused, Mueller hit him with obscure foreign agent charges. These baseless charges must be dropped, and Alptekin deserves a full apology.

Just as damning—yet ignored by the media—is that Joe Biden’s brother, James, offered to make Alptekin’s legal troubles disappear if he paid $3 million to hire Obama’s former Attorney General, Eric Holder.

Meanwhile, the DOJ is still grappling with the fallout from lying to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to obtain a spy warrant on Trump campaign advisor Carter Page. And how are they handling this ongoing scandal? By continuing to lie about the origins and extent of the Russia collusion hoax.

There must be a total and unambiguous mea culpa—a formal admission from the DOJ that the entire affair was a fabrication. From Flynn’s firing to the fraudulent Mueller investigation, every step was unjust, unlawful, and an absolute travesty.