Mike Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, lobbied for Turkey during campaign
Flynn retroactively registers as a foreign agent, revealing work done on behalf of the Turkish government
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Michael Flynn (Credit: Getty/Ein McNamee)Gen. Mike Flynn, the former White House national security adviser who resigned last month for misleading government officials, registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department on Tuesday for lobbying work he did on behalf of the Turkish government during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Flynn registered with the Justice Department’s Foreign Agent Registration Unit, claiming $530,000 worth of work from August through November that “could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey.” It was filed by a lawyer on behalf of the former lieutenant general and intelligence chief.
Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, U.S. citizens who lobby for a foreign government must disclose their work to the Justice Department. Willfully failing to register is a felony, although the Justice Department rarely pursues such cases. Lobbying firms routinely get back in compliance by retroactively registering and disclosing their work.
A Turkish businessman who hired Flynn’s consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group Inc., told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the amended filings were done after “political pressure.” He told the AP that he did not agree with Flynn’s decision to file the registration documents with the Justice Department.