{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cardin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/cardin-statement-on-general-mike-flynn-selection-as-national-security-adviser", "Cardin Statement on General Mike Flynn Selection as National Security Adviser", "2016-11-18", "2016", "2016-11", "Democrat", "House", "MD", "Benjamin Cardin", "C000141", "www.cardin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "November 18, 2016\n\t\t\t Cardin Statement on General Mike Flynn Selection as National Security Adviser \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t \u201cThe United States of America deserves a National Security Adviser who can bring precision and focus to the national security threats facing the United States, not biases and baggage from the darkest corners of American political discourse.\u201d\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, released the following statement Friday after President-elect Donald Trump announced Ret. Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn would serve as his national security advisor:\u00a0\r\n\u201cI honor General Mike Flynn\u2019s three decades of service to the United States as part of our Armed Forces. Unfortunately, I have serious concerns regarding General Flynn\u2019s temperament, worldview, and potential conflicts of interest should he serve in one of the highest national security positions in our federal government.\r\n\u201cAs a staunch critic of Russia\u2019s approach to the liberal democratic process, human rights, sovereignty and the rule of law, I am disturbed by General Flynn\u2019s relationships and ties with Russian actors.\u00a0 I am concerned about General Flynn\u2019s relationship with RT, a television network funded by the Russian government and well-known for promoting the Kremlin\u2019s political agenda, but which Flynn has characterized as no different than CNN or MSNBC.\u00a0 General Flynn was paid to attend RT\u2019s 10-year anniversary gala in Russia, where he gave a talk on world affairs and was photographed sitting next to Russian President Vladimir Putin \u2013 a photograph Mr. Putin has used repeatedly to promote his own causes.\r\n\u201cMy concerns with General Flynn are not limited to Russia. I have serious questions about the fact that while General Flynn was sitting in on the classified national security briefings given to Donald Trump since August 2016, his lobbying firm, the Flynn Intel Group, was providing foreign government clients with \u2018all-source intelligence support.\u2019\u00a0\r\n\u201cAnd to say that General Flynn has made inflammatory remarks about Islam understates the severity and insensitivity of his words. He has called the religion of Islam a \u201cmalignant cancer\u201d and claimed that \u201cFear of Muslims is RATIONAL.\u201d At a time when our nation is working with a broad coalition, including Muslim-majority countries, to defeat ISIL and prevent future terrorist attacks, this kind of rhetoric hurts our national security priorities.\r\n\u201cGeneral Flynn has also been involved in controversies that have affected other religions and groups. Earlier this year, he retweeted an anti-Semitic Twitter message, and was later forced to apologize.\r\n\u201cThe United States of America deserves a National Security Adviser who can bring precision and focus to the national security threats facing the United States, not biases and baggage from the darkest corners of American political discourse. I implore President-elect Trump to search further into the deep reserve of seasoned national security professionals and choose someone in whom the American people can place their confidence.\u201d\r\n\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cardin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/cardin-statement-on-general-mike-flynn-selection-as-national-security-adviser"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9919478800147772, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}