Flynn friend: ‘Trump insisted’ he serve in administration

An historian close to Michael Flynn said Thursday that President Trump “insisted” he serve as national security adviser even as his transition team was warned that the retired lieutenant general was under investigation, according to a new report.

Michael Ledeen, who co-authored the book “The Field of Flight” last year with Flynn, told The Daily Beast that Flynn didn’t seek nor want the top security position.

“He did not want to be National Security Adviser,” Ledeen said. “He didn’t want to be in the government. He wanted to go back to private life.”

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“But Trump insisted on it,” Ledeen continued. “He likes him, he trusted him, he was comfortable with him.”

The comments came after The New York Times reported Wednesday evening that Trump’s transition team was told ahead of his inauguration that Flynn was under investigation for working as an undisclosed lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign.

Ledeen, who with Flynn co-authored a book about Islamic militancy, said the retired general is “a very talented man” who made major contributions to military intelligence. 

“He revolutionized U.S. military battlefield intelligence and was attempting to do the same thing at [the Defense Intelligence Agency] when he was fired for telling the truth under oath,” Ledeen told ABC News for a story published Wednesday.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey to let “go” of his investigation into Flynn a day after the national security adviser resigned, leading to questions about motives and timing.

Trump fired Comey last week amid an ongoing FBI investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election and any ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow.