海角大神

Trump's national security adviser pick promotes 'fake news,' too

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's son persisted in promoting a conspiracy theory that inspired a gunman in Washington, D.C. But the elder Flynn is no stranger to conspiracy theories himself. 

First Look

The Trump transition team fired the son of Lt. General Michael Flynn 鈥� the president-elect鈥檚 pick for national security adviser 鈥� on Tuesday, after Gen. Flynn鈥檚 son tweeted that the fake-news story, which had inspired a gunman to storm a Washington, D.C., pizzeria, had yet to be 鈥減roven false,鈥� and re-shared another post claiming that the arrested gunman was an actor.

But the incident has intensified criticism of Flynn the elder, who has long shared his son鈥檚 predilection for conspiracy theories, as he stands ready to step into a cabinet position of unparalleled influence on President-elect Donald Trump. Unlike other cabinet positions, Flynn's appointment is not subject to Senate approval.

Throughout the campaign, Flynn routinely tweeted links to fake news articles, particularly those promoting baseless theories about the Clintons, and promoted or tagged 鈥渁lt-right鈥� (a white supremacist movement) and white nationalist figures. And after becoming director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012, subordinates at the agency compiled a list of what they dubbed 鈥溾�� 鈥� false statements of dubious origin that his staff would privately try to dissuade him from repeating in public, according to The New Yorker.

That tendency to lean on faulty information has caused a growing number of Republican national-security officials to voice public doubts.

鈥淭he national security adviser on the instincts of the president, and it remains to be seen if Mike can do that,鈥� said former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden, in an interview with The New York Times.

As national security adviser, Flynn will attend Trump鈥檚 daily intelligence briefings and senior staff meetings, in addition to overseeing the White House鈥檚 National Security Council, a 400-person department dedicated to recommending policy to the president. His office will be just down the hall from the Oval Office.

Democrats were immediately critical of the selection when it was announced in November. And on Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D) of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that Flynn鈥檚 promotion of fake news "raises profound questions about his suitability for this important position," according to the Associated Press.

"Someone who is so oblivious to the facts, or intentionally ignorant of them, should not be entrusted with policy decisions that affect the safety of the American people," he told The New York Times.

The conspiracy theory backed by Flynn鈥檚 son that precipitated the standoff in Washington, D.C., claimed that the pizzeria, Comet Ping Pong, was the home of a child sex slave ring run by Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief. 聽

鈥淭he false rumor first surfaced on the online message board 4Chan and quickly spread to Twitter and Reddit, where a discussion thread titled #PizzaGate attracted 20,000 subscribers,鈥� wrote 海角大神鈥檚 Gretel Kauffman on Monday. 鈥淚n the weeks since, Comet Ping Pong's owner, employees, and others affiliated with the restaurant have been on the receiving end of endless social media harassment and hundreds of death threats.鈥�

"What happened today demonstrates that promoting comes with consequences," said the restaurant鈥檚 owner, James Alefantis, in a statement on Sunday. "I hope that those involved in fanning these flames will take a moment to contemplate what happened here today, and stop promoting these falsehoods right away."聽

On Tuesday, vice president-elect Mike Pence acknowledged that Flynn鈥檚 son had been part of the transition team, helping with scheduling and administration, but about whether a security clearance had been granted.

"Whatever the appropriate paperwork was to assist him in that regard, Jake, I'm sure was taking place," he told CNN's Jake Tapper.

This report contains material from聽the Associated Press.