A timeline of Michael Flynn’s troubles with the Obama and Trump administrations
A retired U.S. Army general who served 24 days in the White House is at the center of a yearlong saga spanning two presidencies — and possibly indicating a brewing scandal.
Michael Flynn lost jobs under Presidents Trump and Obama and is now yet another point of tension between the two leaders.
As of this week, Flynn's actions have managed to mix conflicts with Trump, Obama, Russians and a former acting attorney general into one big storm that might also be related to the Trump campaign's alleged Kremlin ties.
Here's how it has all gone down so far:
April 17, 2012: President Barack Obama nominates Flynn, a U.S. Army lieutenant general who led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as the 18th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Flynn takes over in July and, as part of his appointment, is given top-level security clearance.
April 30, 2014: Flynn announces his retirement from the DIA about a year earlier than expected. Media reports reveal that Flynn was effectively forced out over his combative management style and clashes over his attempted overhaul of the agency. The New Yorker later reports that DIA subordinates mocked Flynn for his loose relationship with the truth and said he spewed so-called "Flynn facts." Flynn will become a vocal critic of Obama.
December 10, 2015: Flynn attends a Moscow gala for the Russian state-run news outlet RT, where he is seated next to the nation's president, Vladimir Putin. Flynn gets paid $33,750 for his hour-long talk at the event.