# Charles Flynn Lieutenant General Charles A. Flynn is a career U.S. Army officer and the younger brother of [[Michael Flynn]]. On January 6, 2021 he was the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and was in the room for the Pentagon's contested deliberations over deploying the D.C. National Guard -- a presence the Army initially denied. [[Dave Troy]] cites him in the [[The Octopus]] / [[January 6 Capitol Attack]] context as a modern instance of official obfuscation around politically sensitive military involvement. ## January 6 During the [[January 6 Capitol Attack]], Flynn was present for a key call in which D.C. officials and Capitol Police urgently requested Guard support. The Defense Department's initial timelines did not list him, and the Army initially denied his involvement; after Washington Post reporting, Flynn confirmed he was in the room and the Army acknowledged it (January 21, 2021). Reporting indicates Flynn and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt advised against immediately putting uniformed Guard troops on the Capitol grounds. On January 25, 2021 he was named the next commander of U.S. Army Pacific, taking command that June. ## Epistemic status Flynn's presence, the Army's initial denial, and his subsequent command are documented. Whether he deliberately delayed the Guard or misled Congress is contested allegation -- most forcefully in Col. Earl Matthews' memo charging that Flynn and Piatt "repeatedly misrepresented" the timeline -- which Army leaders dispute. Present that as a named accuser's allegation, not established fact, and avoid implying coordinated obstruction tied to his brother. ## See also - [[The Octopus]] - [[January 6 Capitol Attack]] - [[Michael Flynn]]