Former U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona on December 20, 2024 (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is among the MAGA Republicans who faced federal criminal charges during Donald Trump's first presidency; in 2017, he pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his communications with Sergey Kislyak, then Russian ambassador to the United States. Now, 16 and one-half months into Trump's second presidency, Flynn is drawing vehement criticism from MAGA Republicans for registering as a foreign agent.
The New Republic's Edith Olmsted reports, "Far-right blogger Scott McMahan posted a Foreign Agents Registration Act form Monday that was dated October 2025, and stated that Donald Trump's former national security adviser was now making $100,000 per month from the Republic of Srpska. The confederated entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina is run by Milorad Dodik, a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin."
On X, formerly Twitter, McMahan, posted, "Dodik's proximity to Putin is not conjecture. Dodik personally met with Putin on Russia's May 9 Victory Day. Putin said, 'It's very important that you all think alike ... we commonly advocate for a more fair world order ... free of any external intervention.'"
McMahan isn't the only MAGA Republican who is commenting on Flynn registering as a foreign agent.
MAGA influencer Sebastian Gorka tweeted, "A reminder: When I joined the first Trump administration, I was asked to sign two documents. In one I promised to not work as a lobbyist for a decade. In the second, I promised to never work for another government. I was happy to do sign both. I presume GEN Flynn also signed similar documents."
Phillip Buchanan, who goes by Catturd on X and has 4 million followers on that platform, responded to McMahan's tweets, posting, "100,000 per month?"
Olmsted comments, "If MAGA is upset that Flynn is working on behalf of a Russian ally, just wait until they realize all the ways Trump has stuck his neck out for Putin — and he's doing it for free!"
Despite the criticism from McMahan, the far-right Flynn is known for being a longtime Trump loyalist and an aggressive defender of the U.S. president. Much of the right-wing criticism of Flynn during Trump's first presidency came not from MAGA, but from a combination of Never Trump conservatives, neocons and libertarians.
Trump was only two days into his first presidency when Flynn, on January 22, 2017, became national security adviser. But he didn't stay in that position long, stepping down on February 13, 2017 because of the Kislyak controversy.
In December 2017, Flynn reached an agreement with then-special counsel Robert Mueller, pleading guilty to one count of lying to the FBI about his communications with Kislyak and agreeing to cooperate with Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the United States' 2016 presidential election."