Son of incoming national security adviser is fired from Trump transition team after promoting fake news
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn introduces Donald Trump at a Sept. 7, 2016 campaign event at the Union League in Philadelphia, Pa. (Bastiaan Slabbers/Zuma Press/TNS)
December 7, 2016
Michael Flynn Jr. has been let go from President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team after spreading online conspiracy theories on Twitter.
He is the son of Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Gen. Michael Flynn.
“The younger Michael Flynn was helping his father with some administration and scheduling duties early on in the transition process, and he is no longer involved with transition efforts,” spokesman Jason Miller said in a teleconference Tuesday.
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After an armed gunman fired a rifle in Washington’s Comet Ping Pong restaurant on Sunday in anger over a false child-sex trafficking rumor, Flynn Jr. continued to promote the so-called PizzaGate conspiracy theory that inspired the shooting.
The pizzeria has fended off threats since the story erupted about a month ago.
As Flynn Jr.’s tweets attracted national attention Monday, news broke that he had a government email, suggesting he was part of the Trump transition team — though Vice President-elect Mike Pence denied it on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Tuesday.
The elder Flynn has also spread false stories.
A week before the election he promoted a rumor on social media that Hillary Clinton was involved with sex crimes involving children.
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(c) 2016 Los Angeles Times
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