OPINION: Flynn’s post office box holds more than his mail

The average post office box can hold letters, magazines, oil change coupons, all sorts of things. Even secrets, if you really cram them in there.

And so we return to the Ellenton Post Office, where another curious discovery has been made, only this time it involves not only the Arizona election “audit” and Sarasota’s Cyber Ninjas, but former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn and a previously-cloaked “consulting” company eligible to receive federal funding, bid on federal contracts and conduct business with international governments.

The company is called Resilient Patriot, and it is run by the retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and his son Michael G. Flynn Jr. But before we look at what this particular for-profit entity does, let’s start with where it is.

Resilient Patriot was incorporated in Virginia in 2017 and moved to Florida on Dec. 28, 2020. Michael G. Flynn Jr. is the sole officer listed with the state, and his address is a P.O. Box in Ellenton.

Oddly enough, it is the same P.O. Box Gen. Flynn lists as a board member of America’s Future, a nonprofit that gave nearly $1 million to Cyber Ninjas, the Sarasota computer security company in charge of the voter fraud audit in Arizona.

Ninja charity: OPINION: Sarasota charity latest link to Donald Trump's lie

The Big Lie: OPINION: Cyber Ninjas' connection to Big Lie runs far, deep and dangerous

Ellenton Post Office: OPINION: Michael Flynn's curious ties to Cyber Ninjas, QAnon and the Ellenton post office

No one else on the board of America’s Future, which registered in Florida just two months ago, lists the Ellenton P.O. Box as their address, including Flynn’s brother Joseph. Both Michael and Joseph Flynn live in Englewood. Michael Flynn Jr. lives out of state.

So what does Resilient Patriot do exactly? On his LinkedIn page, Michael Flynn Jr. says it is a consulting, advising and mentoring business, and he is president.

Joseph Flynn, meanwhile, told the Associated Press in 2017 that his brother started Resilient Patriot, and the company was advising private equity firms. Michael Flynn, at the time, needed money as he was at the center of Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election.

Resilient Patriot, however, appears to be more than a “mentoring” company. Much more.

First, Resilient Patriot shows up on the U.S. government’s System for Award Management registration database. According to its website, a SAM registration is required for “any entity to bid on and get paid for federal contracts or to receive federal funds.”

The physical address is listed in Alexandria, Va., and the mailing address is the post office in Ellenton for some reason.

Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser in the Trump White House, is listed as CEO, and the company was registered on Feb. 8, 2019.

Under “Registration Purpose,” it says: “All Awards.”

Who are the Cyber Ninjas? Sarasota cyber security company leading controversial Arizona election audit

More opinion: Tying Sarasota's Cyber Ninjas to Donald Trump's White House

Catch up: OPINION: The Cyber Ninjas move in mysterious ways

And: OPINION: EDC of Sarasota County should have seen the Cyber Ninjas coming

Resilient Patriot also possesses a NATO Commercial and Government Entity Code. This means the company is allowed to conduct business with international governments.

And why should this be of any particular concern? Because Gen. Flynn kind of has a past.

He, of course, pleaded guilty to making false statements to federal agents concerning his contacts with Russia, though he was given a full pardon by Donald Trump in 2020.

In 2017, he retroactively registered as a foreign lobbyist for work his company, Flynn Intel Group, did for a company from Turkey during the presidential campaign. He was paid $530,000 while the country of Turkey benefited. Michael Flynn Jr. was in charge of Flynn Intel Group.

In 2015, Flynn was paid $45,000 to attend a dinner in Moscow, where he sat next to Vladimir Putin. His son also was there.

Just to recap: You have a P.O. Box in Ellenton connected to Gen. Michael T. Flynn and a company called America’s Future.

You have the same P.O. Box connected to Michael T. Flynn and his son and a different company called Resilient Patriot that is registered to bid on government contracts, receive federal funds and do business internationally.

And, you have a company from Sarasota called Cyber Ninjas “auditing” presidential ballots in Arizona and receiving nearly $1 million from America’s Future to do it.

So what does it all mean?

Something.

Contact columnist Chris Anderson at chris.anderson@heraldtribune.com. Please support local journalism by purchasing a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Michael Flynn’s new tie to Trump’s big lie | Opinion