Former White House national security adviser Mike Flynn is under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller for his work on an unfinished documentary film financed by a Turkish businessman.
The documentary, per a report from the Wall Street Journal, was to be a hit piece on exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in rural Pennsylvania.
Gulen has been accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of orchestrating the failed July 2016 coup.
Former national security adviser Mike Flynn’s involvement in financing a documentary produced by a Turkish businessman is being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller
Mueller is investigating how Flynn Intel Group gave $530,000 to the production, which was to be a hit piece on exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in rural Pennsylvania and has been accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of orchestrating the failed July 2016 coup.
Flynn, 59, was fired from his White House role in February, after he had only served for 24 days.
Information emerged that he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his contact with Russian officials during the 2016 Presidential Election.
Mueller’s investigation is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign team and foreign operatives.
Flynn has been accused of concealing his financial ties to foreign interests.
Flynn’s lawyers, as of this past week, are no longer cooperating with the White House.
Political analysts believe that this means that Flynn’s team is trying to broker a deal with Mueller.
Flynn was to help finance the film to the tune of $530,000 through his Flynn Intel Group.
The United States has not agreed to extradite Gulen, citing insufficient evidence. Pictured are US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shaking hands
Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin, who heads consulting firm Inovo, was producing the film.
Alptekin, an ally of Erdogan, previously told Reuters he hired Flynn to provide research on how Gulen is ‘poisoning the atmosphere’ between Turkey and the United States.
The Journal previously reported that Flynn wanted his organization’s involvement in the film kept under wraps.
A freelance journalist who did work for VICE named David Enders and a former CNN anchor named Rudi Bakhtiar were hired to work on the documentary.
Both have been contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in connection with the film, the Journal reports.
The documentary was to look at how Gulen (pictured) is, according to one of the film’s producers, ‘poisoning the atmosphere’ between Turkey and the United States
Both have also said that they were misled about the true nature of the film.
Alptekin characterized the film as a ‘”60 Minutes” kind of’ documentary and another consulting group, per the Journal, was to promote the film to be shown on a channel such as PBS.
Production on the film was halted in November 2016, the same month that Flynn was tapped to become Donald Trump’s national security adviser.
Flynn is also under investigation for an alleged plot to forcibly extradite Gulen to Turkey.
The United States has resisted pressure from Turkey to extradite Gulen, citing insufficient evidence.
He and his son were allegedly offered $15million to orchestrate the action.