Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser is now the subject of a wave of negative headlines over his peddling of conspiracy theories on Twitter. The tweets of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn have been relatively tame since Trump picked him, but by Politico's count, he has pushed "dubious factoids at least 16 times since Aug. 8." One recent example is from Nov. 2 when he tweeted a fake news story saying that police had linked Hillary Clinton and staffers to pedophilia and money laundering, among other things: "U decide - NYPD Blows Whistle on New Hillary Emails: Money Laundering, Sex Crimes w Children, etc...MUST READ!" Flynn's son, Michael G. Flynn, is even less restrained. The younger Flynn has served as his father's chief of staff and is a key adviser to him.
After a gunman opened fire in a DC pizza shop Sunday because of online stories saying that Clinton was running a child-sex ring inside, the younger Flynn—who had previously pushed the "Pizzagate" allegations—kept the story alive, notes the New York Times. "Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story," he tweeted. "The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many 'coincidences' tied to it." Like his father, the younger Flynn now has an email address ending in .gov, suggesting he will be part of the new White House. (CNN has far more details on the tweets of Flynn's son here.) Another of the elder Flynn's tweets pointed to wild rumors that Clinton aide John Podesta belonged to a blood-drinking cult. The Times points out that in his new role, Flynn will have to sift "fact from speculation and rumor" as he helps Trump decide how to respond to crises. (More Michael Flynn stories.)
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