WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Justice Department settled a lawsuit with Michael Flynn for roughly $1.2 million, according to a person familiar with the matter. Court papers filed Wednesday do not reveal the settlement amount.

Flynn and the Justice Department notified a federal judge in Florida on Wednesday that they had reached a settlement. The settlement resolves a 2023 lawsuit in which Flynn sought at least $50 million, alleging malicious prosecution and abuse of process.

"This Department of Justice will continue to pursue accountability at all levels for this wrongdoing. Such weaponization of the federal government must never be allowed to happen again," a Justice Department spokesperson said.

Flynn celebrated the settlement, praising the Justice Department led by Attorney General Pam Bondi and saying that the original case against him should never have been brought. Flynn said the settlement demonstrates that the current Justice Department under the leadership of President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Blanche, and other departmental leaders is committed to holding partisan actors accountable.

A judge dismissed Flynn's lawsuit in 2024. During the Biden administration, the Justice Department pressed a judge to dismiss Flynn's complaint.

Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about discussions with Russian diplomat Sergey Kislyak. During a phone conversation with Kislyak, Flynn advised Russia to be even-keeled in response to punitive measures and said the countries could have a better conversation after Trump became president.

Flynn later sought to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing that federal prosecutors had acted in bad faith and breached their agreement by seeking prison time. In 2020, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the case, asserting that the FBI had no basis to interview Flynn about Kislyak and that any statements he made during the interview were not material to the FBI's broader counterintelligence probe.

The Justice Department pointed to internal FBI notes showing that agents had planned to close the investigation weeks before interviewing Flynn about Kislyak. President Donald Trump pardoned Flynn, ending the court case.

Flynn served as national security adviser to President Donald Trump during the latter's first term. He resigned after less than a month in office after it was revealed that he had lied to Vice President-elect Mike Pence and administration officials about conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition.