Mike Flynn joining lobbying firm after pleading guilty in Russia probe
Months after pleading guilty to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian official, former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn is joining a newly launched firm to head up its global consulting and foreign lobbying efforts. Flynn is currently awaiting sentencing, so it's unclear how that might affect his new role.
Flynn is joining the new consulting firm Stonington Strategies as its "director of global strategy," which means he will "direct the firm's business development and provide strategic consulting on international military, intelligence and peacekeeping activities," the firm said in a statement. The firm is being launched by lobbyist Joey Allaham and Republican strategist and lobbyist Nick Muzin. According to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported Flynn's new gig, Muzin and Allaham worked on behalf of the Qataris until last month.
Flynn admitted last year he was paid for consulting work for the Turkish government while he was on the Trump campaign.
"We are proud to welcome General Flynn to our firm and are delighted to be able to draw on his years of military and national security experience to better serve our clients," Muzin said in a statement. "The general's uniquely American story and his commitment to national security, freedom and counter-terrorism are an inspiration to millions of Americans, and we are excited to work with him to promote these values around the world."
Flynn was ousted from the White House in February 2017 after he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his contact with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, and he pleaded guilty in December of last year to lying to the FBI about those same contacts with Kislyak.
Flynn's son, Michael Flynn Jr., will also be joining Stonington Strategies. Flynn Jr., who worked on Mr. Trump's presidential transition team, has become known for his controversial social media posts, including tweets about #Pizzagate. #Pizzagate is a debunked conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton, sex trafficking, and a Washington, D.C. pizzeria.
"Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story. The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many 'coincidences' tied to it," Flynn Jr. tweeted on December 4, 2016.
CBS News' Olivia Andrzejczak Gazis and Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.