Did Mike Flynn launder campaign money through a venture capital firm?
It would be irresponsible not to speculate!
A friend and associate of Ret. Lt. Gen Michael Flynn worked on two major projects for the former national security advisor and one of them might result in him being called into testifying at a hearing.
According to a Washington Post investigative report, Jon Iadonisi used one of his companies to help Flynn with an investigation on behalf of a Turkish government ally. At the same time, Iadonisi was doing work for the Trump campaign. According to a source familiar with the arrangement, he was tasked with managing a key social media project.
Trump’s FEC reports reveal he paid $200,000 on Dec. 5 to Colt Ventures, a Dallas venture-capital firm that listed Iadonisi’s company VizSense as a client after The Post called to inquire. Colt Ventures was founded by Darren Blanton, who met frequently with Steve Bannon while Bannon was working for the Trump campaign. However, a White House official claimed that Bannon is “not aware of any of these companies or contracts.” Yet, a person familiar with the matter said that Colt Ventures personally provided Bannon with a report that detailed the work they’d done for the campaign.
Trump campaign ED Michael Glassner said that Colt Ventures was paid for a social media project that involved “millennial engagement” through video content in the final month of the campaign. However, the payment went to the venture capital firm and not to VizSense for the digital work. Also, VizSense isn’t located in Dallas where Cold Ventures is, They office out of an Alexandria, VA office suite that was once shared by the Flynn Intel Group.
It’s typical for political consultants and vendors to hire people to manage specific projects, but it is illegal for a campaign to avoid disclosure by paying a company that has nothing to do with the recipient of the cash, the FEC’s former general counsel and head of enforcement told The Post.
There’s more in the WaPo piece:
In a 2015 interview with the Dallas Morning News, Iadonisi said VizSense helps clients track online video performance and identify which social-media users drive the most traffic. He said he witnessed the power of viral media firsthand while serving in Iraq.
“We know of a lot of bad guys who were killing my friends, and they were really good at making viral videos,” Iadonisi said. “These videos catalyze, and now we can look at data.”
Iadonisi, who worked with the CIA as a Navy SEAL, according to an online biography, has close ties to Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general with whom he served in Iraq. His LinkedIn page features an endorsement from Flynn, who called Iadonisi “one of the best problem solvers I have ever worked with” and “an incredible asset for any organization.”
In late December, the official VizSense account tweeted praise of Flynn, writing that he “is going to construct an NSC that is custom built for what America needs to be first!@DanScavino @GenFlynn @realDonaldTrump.”
Flynn declined to comment through his attorney.
