Army probe of Michael Flynn could cost him 'tens of thousands of dollars': report

Donald Trump supporter and QAnon devotee Michael Flynn is facing accountability from the U.S. Army despite the presidential pardon he received in November.

"The Defense Department's internal watchdog has concluded a long-delayed investigation into Michael Flynn, defense officials said Friday, sending its findings to the Army in a case that could bring tens of thousands of dollars in financial penalties for former president Donald Trump's first national security adviser," The Washington Post reported Friday.

"The investigation focuses on Flynn's acceptance of money from Russian and Turkish interests before joining the Trump administration, a potential violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause. With few exceptions, U.S. officials, including retired service members like Flynn, are prohibited from accepting money or gifts from foreign governments. Flynn retired from the Army as a three-star general in 2014," the newspaper reported. "The inspector general's investigation, opened in April 2017, was put on hold for more than three years amid a broader scandal that included a criminal investigation of Flynn by the Justice Department — part of what would become the investigation of Trump's first presidential campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election led by former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III."

The watchdog office closed its investigation one week after Biden took office.

"Transmission of the investigation to the Army, which has not been previously reported, leaves military officials grappling with how to handle a politically polarizing officer who in recent months alarmed the Pentagon by falsely suggesting to Trump that, as commander in chief, he could declare martial law and force a "rerun" of the presidential election in swing states that went for President Biden. Such a move could have plunged the nation into an unprecedented crisis," the newspaper reported.