The Justice Department has reached an agreement with President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn to pay him roughly $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the former general claiming he was politically targeted for prosecution during Trump’s first administration, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
The settlement is well below the $50 million in damages Flynn initially sought when he first filed the lawsuit in 2023, but will still likely fuel questions as to whether Flynn received a favorable outcome due to his continued vocal support for President Trump.
A federal judge had previously thrown out Flynn’s lawsuit in 2024 following a motion to dismiss the suit filed by the Justice Department during the Biden administration, after ruling that Flynn had failed to meet essential elements showing he was a victim of malicious prosecution. But Flynn’s attorneys sought to revive their case after President Trump returned to office, and the department disclosed in a filing last year that it had been engaged in settlement talks with his legal team.
A Justice Department spokesperson, in a statement regarding the settlement, said, “Those who instigated the Russia Collusion Hoax and Crossfire Hurricane abused their power to mislead the American people and tarnish the reputations of President Trump and his supporters. Today’s settlement, secured by this Justice Department, is an important step in redressing that historic injustice.”
Attorneys for Flynn did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ABC News on the settlement amount.
Flynn previously pleaded guilty to charges brought by former special counsel Robert Mueller for lying to FBI agents during a January 2017 interview in the White House about his contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
The Trump Justice Department under former Attorney General William Barr then moved to drop the case in 2020, in a filing that sharply criticized the FBI’s conduct in investigating Flynn and argued that the case against him should never have been brought.
Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn looks on before President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Justice Department, March 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The move faced some pushback from a Washington, D.C., federal judge who had questioned the department’s motives in dropping the prosecution, and President Trump later issued a full pardon for Flynn in the wake of his 2020 election loss.
Since his ouster during the first Trump administration, Flynn has retained close connections with Trump’s inner circle while pushing a range of conspiracy theories to his substantial number of followers on social media.
According to information gathered by the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Flynn was among a number of advisers who urged Trump to seize voting machines after the 2020 election and said in media appearances that Trump should use the military to “basically rerun” elections in states that he had lost.
