Former national security adviser Michael Flynn filed a lawsuit requesting a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the Jan. 6 committee and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday.
Flynn's filing with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida seeking declaratory and injunctive relief argues the committee has engaged in "outrageous intrusion" by issuing extensive subpoenas to Flynn and his family, as well as "secret seizure of his and his family’s personal information from their telecommunications and/or electronic mail service providers." The onetime national security adviser denied involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot that precipitated the congressional committee.
"General Flynn did not organize, speak at, or actively participate in any rallies or protests in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, and he of course did not participate in the attack on the Capitol that day," his lawyers argue in the lawsuit.
JAN. 6 COMMITTEE SEEKS 'VOLUNTARY COOPERATION' FROM REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN
Flynn accuses the committee of engaging in "partisan harassment," saying congressional committees do not have "boundless authority to engage in investigations" and expressing concern that cooperating with the subpoenas would violate his First and Fifth Amendment rights.
The Trump ally also suggests that the committee is illegitimate because it did not allow Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to appoint the ranking member of the committee, an argument first made by Alex Jones's lawyers. Although ranking member Liz Cheney is a Republican, she was not appointed by McCarthy.
While Flynn claims he did not attend the rally on Jan. 6, he made public comments on Newsmax musing about how then-President Donald Trump could "rerun" elections in key states. His comments came a day before he attended a meeting on Dec. 18, 2020, to discuss the possibility of declaring a national emergency and seizing voter machines, the Jan. 6 commission alleges.
Here's Michael Flynn on Newsmax saying that Trump could order "military capabilities" to swing states and "rerun an election in each of those states."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 18, 2020
"People out there talk about martial law like it's something that we've never done. Martial law has been instituted 64 times." pic.twitter.com/KNmiAGGiPF
The committee subpoenaed Flynn in November for documents and a deposition, referencing his remarks on Newsmax as part of its justification for subpoenaing him, according to a Nov. 8 press release.
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Flynn's lawsuit follows filings brought against the committee by Infowars founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon is gearing up for a different type of legal battle after Congress voted to hold him in contempt on the committee's recommendation for his refusal to cooperate.
The Washington Examiner reached out to representatives for Flynn, Pelosi, and the committee but did not receive responses.