Michael Flynn’s brother attended key Pentagon meeting amid Capitol riot despite Army denials

The brother of former national security adviser Michael Flynn has admitted attending a key meeting amid the Capitol riots despite repeated denials from the Pentagon.

Army Lt. Gen. Charles A. Flynn told The Washington Post that he was present for the Jan. 6 meeting at which the Pentagon pushed back against the idea of deploying National Guard troops to protect Congress from rampaging supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Flynn asserted that he was only briefly in the meeting and left because he thought then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy was about to take action.

“I believed a decision was imminent from the Secretary and I needed to be in my office to assist in executing the decision,” Flynn told the paper.

The Army repeatedly denied that Flynn was present at the meeting, which was a key turning point in the failed response to the storming of the Capitol.

The scrutiny over the meeting comes as Congress investigates perhaps the biggest security failures in modern American history, when thousands of rioters were able to overwhelm badly outnumbered Capitol Police and effectively take over the seat of American democracy.

Flynn is the Army’s deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and training, a post that makes it not surprising he was present at the meeting.

But his key role raises eyebrows since his controversial brother had called on Trump to declare martial law to overturn the results of his election loss to President Joe Biden.

Michael Flynn, who was granted a pardon by Trump after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI during the probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, addressed a crowd of protesters the night before the riots.

There is no indication that Charles Flynn shares his brother’s views, and top brass have defended him as a capable and loyal soldier.