知情人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，司法部已与唐纳德·特朗普总统的前国家安全顾问迈克尔·弗林达成协议，向他支付约120万美元，以解决这位前将军提起的诉讼，声称他在特朗普第一届政府期间是政治起诉目标。
该和解协议远低于弗林在2023年首次提起诉讼时最初寻求的5000万美元赔偿，但仍可能引发人们的疑问，即弗林是否因继续口头支持特朗普总统而获得了有利的结果。
一名联邦法官此前在2024年驳回了弗林的诉讼，此前他曾动议驳回拜登执政期间司法部提起的诉讼，此前他裁定弗林未能满足表明他是恶意诉讼受害者的基本要素。但在特朗普总统重返办公室后，弗林的律师试图恢复他们的案件，司法部在去年的一份文件中披露，它一直在与他的法律团队进行和解谈判。
司法部发言人在一份关于和解的声明中说，“那些煽动俄罗斯勾结骗局和交叉火力飓风的人滥用权力误导美国人民，玷污特朗普总统及其支持者的声誉。今天由司法部达成的和解是纠正这一历史不公的重要一步。”
弗林的律师没有立即回应ABC新闻就和解金额发表评论的请求。
弗林此前对前特别顾问罗伯特·穆勒提出的指控认罪，他在2017年1月在白宫接受采访时，就他与时任俄罗斯大使谢尔盖·基斯利亚克的联系向美国联邦调查局特工撒谎。
前司法部长威廉·巴尔领导下的特朗普司法部随后在2020年撤销了该案，在一份文件中严厉批评了美国联邦调查局在调查弗林时的行为，并认为针对他的案件本来就不应该提起。
此举面临华盛顿特区一名联邦法官的一些抵制，该法官质疑该部门放弃起诉的动机，特朗普总统后来在弗林2020年竞选失败后对他发出了全面赦免。
自第一届特朗普政府下台以来，弗林一直与特朗普的核心圈子保持密切联系，同时向他在社交媒体上的大量粉丝推广一系列阴谋论。
根据调查1月6日国会大厦袭击事件的众议院选举委员会(theHouse select committeethat)收集的信息，弗林是敦促特朗普在2020年大选后夺取投票机的顾问之一，并在媒体露面时表示，特朗普应该动用军队，在他已经输掉的州“基本上重新进行”选举。
DOJ to pay ex-Trump adviser Michael Flynn $1M to settle malicious prosecution suit: Sources
The Justice Department has reached an agreement with President Donald Trump's former national security adviserMichael Flynnto pay him roughly $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the former general claiming he was politically targeted for prosecution during Trump's first administration, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
The settlement is well below the $50 million in damages Flynn initially sought when he first filed the lawsuit in 2023, but will still likely fuel questions as to whether Flynn received a favorable outcome due to his continued vocal support for President Trump.
Afederal judge had previously thrown out Flynn's lawsuit in 2024 following a motion to dismiss the suit filed by the Justice Department during the Biden administration, after ruling that Flynn had failed to meet essential elements showing he was a victim of malicious prosecution. But Flynn's attorneys sought to revive their case after President Trump returned to office, and the department disclosed in a filing last year that it had been engaged in settlement talks with his legal team.
A Justice Department spokesperson, in a statement regarding the settlement, said, "Those who instigated the Russia Collusion Hoax and Crossfire Hurricane abused their power to mislead the American people and tarnish the reputations of President Trump and his supporters. Today’s settlement, secured by this Justice Department, is an important step in redressing that historic injustice."
Attorneys for Flynn did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ABC News on the settlement amount.
Flynn previouslypleaded guiltyto charges brought by former special counsel Robert Mueller for lying to FBI agents during a January 2017 interview in the White House about his contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
The Trump Justice Department under former Attorney General William Barr then moved to drop the case in 2020, in a filing that sharply criticized the FBI's conduct in investigating Flynn and argued that the case against him should never have been brought.
The move faced some pushback from a Washington, D.C., federal judge who had questioned the department's motives in dropping the prosecution, and President Trump later issued afull pardonfor Flynn in the wake of his 2020 election loss.
Since his ouster during the first Trump administration, Flynn has retained close connections with Trump's inner circle while pushing a range of conspiracy theories to his substantial number of followers on social media.
According to information gathered by theHouse select committeethat investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Flynn was among a number of advisers who urged Trump to seize voting machines after the 2020 election and said in media appearances that Trump should use the military to "basically rerun" elections in states that he had lost.
