Donald Trump offered the role of national security adviser to retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Flynn is best known for his vocal insistence that Islamist militancy poses an existential threat to the United States. The former intelligence officer has said that fearing Muslims is “rational,” falsely claimed that Shariah law is taking root in the U.S., and claimed that Islam is a “malignant cancer.”
If he accepts, Flynn, a stalwart supporter of the President-elect who served as his primary national security adviser during the campaign, will play an essential role in shaping Trump’s military and foreign policy.
Flynn was fired by the Obama administration in 2014 after serving two years as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. While the retired general wrote in his 2016 book “The Field of Fight” that he was forced out by “censors” unhappy with his intent focus on the threat of Islamic terrorism, CNN reported that his combative management style led to his dismissal.
This bombastic personality prompted a few mini-scandals during the presidential election.
Flynn said this summer that Islam is a political ideology disguised as a religion, shared fake news stories, and issued an apology after retweeting a blatantly anti-Semitic post.
