DOJ settles Michael Flynn lawsuit; payout reported around $1.2M

The Justice Department has reached a settlement with former Trump National Security Advisor

Michael Flynn, ending his lawsuit over what he called a wrongful prosecution

Flynn sued the Justice Department in 2023, seeking at least $50 million

and arguing he was improperly targeted during the Russia investigation. He had been charged in 2017 with lying to the FBI about contacts with the Russian ambassador

later pleaded guilty and was pardoned by President Trump in 2020. The lawsuit claimed Flynn was, quote, falsely branded as a traitor

and said he lost tens of millions of dollars in business opportunities

while spending heavily on his defense. Court filings show both sides agreed to drop the case

with Flynn receiving settlement funds. Documents do not list a dollar amount, but the Associated Press reports

the payout is about $1.2 million. The Justice Department says the settlement helps address what it calls a historic injustice tied to the Russia investigation

Flynn had been a central figure in that probe, which examined contacts between Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 election

He cooperated with the late special counsel, Robert Mueller, before later trying to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing prosecutors acted in bad faith

Flynn served less than a month as national security advisor before getting fired in 2017

but has remained a close ally of President Trump