11-17 Gallego Flynn Letter
Uploaded by
Congressman Ruben Gallego11-17 Gallego Flynn Letter
Uploaded by
Congressman Ruben GallegoNovember 17, 2021
The Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Secretary Austin:
I write to draw your attention to the seditious actions taken by retired Lieutenant General Michael
Flynn, the former National Security Advisor under the Trump Administration, and to ask that he be held
accountable by the Department of Defense (DoD) and stripped of any military benefits he receives due to his
encouragement of and involvement in violent attempts to overturn our democratic process.
Over the past months, Mr. Flynn has made inflammatory and deeply troubling comments, including
suggesting the United States military seize voting machines and deploy its capabilities to swing states. He
encouraged the DoD to enact national security emergency powers following the election and, although he
walked back his comments later, Mr. Flynn also appeared to call for the U.S. military to conduct a coup in a
similar manner to what took place in Myanmar. Finally, just this week, reporting suggests that he attempted to
influence at least one DoD official – who used to work for him – to “seize ballots” and otherwise involve the
DoD in the effort to overturn the 2020 election.
These outrageous actions are unacceptable for anyone who currently serves or previously served in
uniform. Any retiree or servicemember who suggests committing treasonous acts such as overthrowing our
democratically-elected government forfeits their moral entitlement to the support of the people of the United
States. In this context, I ask you to rescind Mr. Flynn’s military pension and work with the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs where needed to rescind any other military or veteran benefits that Mr. Flynn may receive through
programs designed to reward honorable service to the nation. Insurrectionists like Mr. Flynn should not enjoy
the benefits meant for those who have honorably upheld their oath to defend this country.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter and to your dedication to the men and women who
serve our country.
Sincerely,
Ruben Gallego
Member of Congress
