Michael Flynn Gets Payout As Justice Department Addresses ‘Historic Injustice’

The Justice Department has reportedly agreed to pay President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, roughly $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit over his prosecution during the Russia collusion investigation. 

The settlement, announced Wednesday, resolves a malicious prosecution case Flynn filed in Florida against the DOJ. Flynn argued that FBI agents entrapped him during the investigation, which found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential election. 

“Today, after ten years of fighting, I have reached a settlement agreement with the United States Government in my case regarding the Russian Hoax FBI lawfare against me,” Flynn said in a statement. “Nothing can fully compensate for the hell that my family and I have endured over these many years — the relentless attacks, the destruction of reputations, the financial ruin, and the profound personal toll inflicted upon us all. No amount of money or formal resolution can erase the pain caused by a prosecution that should never have been brought.”

A Justice Department spokesman called the settlement an “important step in redressing” the “historic injustice.” 

“This Department of Justice will continue to pursue accountability at all levels for this wrongdoing. Such weaponization of the federal government must never be allowed to happen again,” the spokesman said. 

The DOJ did not disclose the exact settlement amount. The New York Times reported it at $1.25 million, while the Associated Press reported it as $1.2 million.

Flynn was charged during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to FBI agents about a phone call with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. He later sought to withdraw his plea, arguing he had been misled by federal agents. Trump pardoned Flynn in November 2020.

Flynn’s attorney, Jesse Binnall, said the agreement reflects acknowledgment that his client “was seriously wronged.”

“General Flynn is an American hero and he and his family should have never been put through this hell,” said Binnall. “That they had the courage to stand firm and fight back against the extremists in the Mueller investigation should be a testament to the strength of American character.”