Michael Flynn was still lobbying for his controversial Middle East nuclear plant from the White House

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pushed a controversial nuclear plant project in the Middle East during his brief White House tenure, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The plan, which once involved Russian companies, proposed the construction and operation of "dozens of nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East."
Flynn had advised U.S. companies interested in the project while he was still in the private sector, but according to his White House disclosure forms, he cut off involvement in December 2016. In actuality, Flynn continued his work on the project, advocating for former senior U.S. military officers who were promoting the project on behalf of U.S. companies, and pushing his staff to meet with the companies involved in the project, the Journal reported.
Flynn's involvement with the nuclear project reportedly continued even when he was advised to step back. Former National Security Council staffers said that Flynn and the former military officers' communications happened "outside normal channels." One staffer told the Journal that Flynn's actions were "highly abnormal" and "not the way things were supposed to go."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The report comes on the heels of the revelation that Flynn failed to note in his security clearance forms his trip to the Middle East to explore this nuclear power project and his contacts with Israeli and Egyptian government officials.
Flynn resigned from the Trump administration in February after it emerged that he'd misled Vice President Mike Pence about his conversation with a Russian ambassador.
Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
ICE agents take down Lady Justice | June 21 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include ICE, Donald Trump as a lion tamer, and ordering from the Bible
-
5 editorial cartoons about ICE raids
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on ICE raids, harvesting Big Macs for Donald Trump, and what to do when Stephen Miller shows up at the front door
-
Grilled radicchio with caper and anchovy sauce recipe
The Week Recommends Smoky twist on classic Italian flavours is perfect to grill, drizzle and devour
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores