Secretary of Defense
Among the Republican defense officials who could join the Trump
administration is *Top Trump confidante *
retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, the former director of the Defense
Intelligence Agency, would need a waiver from Congress
to become defense secretary, as the law requires retired military
officers to wait seven years before becoming the civilian
leader of the Pentagon. But Trump’s chief military adviser is likely to
wind up some senior administration post, potentially
national security adviser.
*In retirement, Flynn was described by the Washington Post as "not
hostile to Russia,"[21] while Michael Crowley of Vox **
**described Flynn as having "an odd affection for Russia and its
authoritarian government."[22]**
**
**After retiring from service with the U.S. government, Flynn began
appearing semi-regularly as an analyst on RT, a Russian state-owned **
**English-language news outlet.[21][22][23] In 2015, Flynn attended a
gala dinner in Moscow in honor of RT, where he was seated next **
**to the Russian president Vladimir Putin.[23] Before attending the
event, Flynn gave a paid talk on world affairs to a group; Flynn **
**defended the Russian payment in an interview with Michael
Isikoff.[23][24] Journalist Michael Crowley of Politico reported that **
**"At a moment of semi-hostility between the U.S. and Russia, the
presence of such an important figure at Putin's table startled" U.S.
officials.[23]*
