Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is calling for Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago staff to be subjected to polygraph tests after a series of press reports about the incoming president’s cabinet picks.
Flynn, who briefly served in the Trump administration, made the remarks on X/Twitter on Tuesday in response to a tweet by controversial far-right activist Laura Loomer.
“It would be very easy to catch someone doing this. Give everyone that is there a one question poly (this is very easy to do). Ask them one question, “have you communicated with any media outlets in the past week?” You’ll see the leaks disappear,” Flynn said in response to a tweet by Loomer, a hard-right conspiracy theorist who traveled with Trump on the campaign trail.
On Monday, The New York Times reported that Trump had nominated Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio to serve as his secretary of state. CNN reported that he’d also selected South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Both of the outlets cited unnamed sources familiar with the president’s thinking.
Reacting to news of the apparent leaks, Loomer wrote on X: “Why are people inside Mar-a-Lago leaking Trump’s possible cabinet picks to the media? Not a good sign that things are being leaked already. People should be respecting President Trump’s privacy and the privacy of the transition team.”
The leaks came as Trump announced several of his cabinet picks this week, including his incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and United Nations Ambassador Elise Stefanik.
It’s unclear if Flynn himself will make a political comeback in Trump’s second administration.
The retired US Army general was appointed as Trump’s first national security adviser in 2017, despite outgoing president Barack Obama having reportedly warned Trump against hiring Flynn.
However, Flynn lasted only weeks, resigning amid a media storm over claims he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with the then-Russian ambassador to the US, Sergei Kislyak, despite multiple official denials. Trump said he had fired Flynn because he had “lied” to the vice-president, Mike Pence, and the FBI about his contacts with Kislyak.
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI officials in late 2016 about the conversations as part of a plea deal although he later sought to withdraw his guilty plea. Trump went on to pardon him before leaving office.
In May 2023, Trump vowed to bring him back while speaking at the “ReAwaken America Tour” hosted by Flynn.
“You just have to stay healthy because we’re bringing you back. We’re going to bring you back,” Trump said. “We’re proud of you, general. I knew it from day one — you’re really somebody very special.”
The former aide has been one of the lead proponents of Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims. He’s continued repeating Trump’s unfounded claims since exiting the administration and encouraged his former boss to seize voting machines and order the military to demand another vote in certain states.
Loomer is known for spreading conspiracy theories about 9/11 being an inside job and for her anti-Muslim rhetoric. She aired a conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio eating domestic pets a day before Trump said it in his one debate with Kamala Harris. City officials said there was no evidence to support the claims.
Some Republicans blamed Loomer for the remark and grew concerned about her closeness to the campaign after she started flying on Trump’s plane and attending events, including one to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. At a news conference in September, Trump said: “I don’t control Laura. Laura has to say what she wants. She’s a free spirit.”
Trump will continue to make appointments ahead of Inauguration Day on January 20, 2025. On Monday, he demanded that anyone hoping to secure the coveted Senate majority leader spot agree to recess appointments, allowing him to bypass Congress’s votes on each of the nominations, a hallmark of the country’s democratic process.
