Former Trump aide Michael Flynn’s family has come under scrutiny for allegedly pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a legal defense fund. This fund was originally set up to aid Flynn during a federal investigation related to the 2016 election. The revelations came to light during a defamation case involving CNN, where Flynn’s sister testified about the money. Flynn himself also gave a sworn deposition in the case. The defamation suit was filed by Flynn’s wife and sister-in-law, who claim that CNN associated them with the QAnon conspiracy theory, causing them harm. CNN has asked for the suit to be dismissed, arguing that the family was connected to QAnon and took advantage of their ties to raise funds from its supporters. The lawsuit is based on a 2021 CNN report that showed a two-second clip of Flynn participating in a QAnon-related event. The report primarily focused on the conference and not the Flynns themselves. Other members of the Flynn family have also sued CNN over the same issue. CNN has declined to comment on the matter. Flynn’s attorney stated that they will respond to the lawsuit according to the court’s schedule and in their opposition brief.
Michael Flynn served as Trump’s national security advisor for a short duration before resigning due to reports that he had misled White House officials about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. Flynn was involved in the James Comey and Robert Mueller investigations and later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. The Department of Justice moved to dismiss the case before Flynn’s sentencing, and he was subsequently pardoned by Trump in 2020. Over the years, Flynn has promoted various conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election and COVID-19, becoming increasingly associated with QAnon.
The Flynns participated in the viral #TakeTheOath movement in 2020, which encouraged supporters to recite the federal oath of office followed by the QAnon-associated slogan “Where We Go One, We Go All.” Flynn shared a video of himself and his family taking the oath at a barbecue. CNN’s filing emphasized that their report on QAnon followers did not mention Lori or Valerie Flynn by name and only briefly mentioned Michael Flynn’s connection to the movement. However, CNN argued that the family was still linked to QAnon due to their fundraising efforts from the QAnon community to support Flynn’s legal defense fund from 2018 to 2021.
According to the filing, Flynn’s sister Barbara Flynn Redgate, who was the trustee for the defense fund, testified that she didn’t mind accepting money from individuals who used QAnon hashtags as long as it was directed to the legal defense fund. After paying Flynn’s lawyers with the fund money, Barbara received approximately $265,000, and the remaining amount was paid to Michael Flynn. CNN argued that Flynn’s prosecution and subsequent pardon from Trump garnered support from QAnon followers, who acted like “groupies” towards him. The network questioned the true purpose of the lawsuit, suggesting that it may be a tactic to target CNN rather than seek emotional vindication.
Valerie Flynn’s separate lawsuit, which was later consolidated with Lori’s, alleges that CNN’s coverage implied her allegiance to QAnon and associated the Flynn family with a “violent extremist group.” The suit highlights the damaging nature of such accusations and compares it to being called a communist in the 1950s or a Nazi sympathizer in the 1940s.
