Pence aide denies security clearance was requested for Flynn Jr.

A security clearance was not requested for Michael Flynn Jr. "from any agency that provides them," Marc Short, an aide to Vice President-elect Mike Pence told POLITICO on Tuesday.

"I am denying that any security clearance was requested [for Michael Flynn Jr.] from any security agency that handles the clearance," Short said.


Earlier on Tuesday, Pence appeared to indirectly confirm that a security clearance had been requested, in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. Pence repeatedly dodged the question by saying he was aware that Flynn Jr. was helping his father, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who is President-elect Donald Trump's chosen national security adviser.

After being asked seven times, Pence finally said, “Well, whatever the appropriate paperwork was to assist him [retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn] in that regard, Jake, I'm sure was taking place."

Short emphasized that the remark was made in a back-and-forth between Pence and Tapper, and said that Pence was not actually referring to a security clearance when he was talking about "the appropriate paperwork."

It was reported that Michael Flynn Jr. had an official transition email and he was seen walking in and out of Trump Tower. The email is now no longer active.

Flynn Jr.'s apparent firing comes after he repeatedly circulated conspiracy theories online.

One such conspiracy theory was “Pizza Gate," the cause of an armed assault on a pizza restaurant in Northwest Washington, D.C. Stories on fringe websites and social media networks had claimed, falsely, that Hillary Clinton is involved in running a child sex trafficking ring out of the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria.

A man suspected of firing a weapon inside the restaurant, who claimed he thought he was rescuing child sex slaves, surrendered to authorities and was arrested on Sunday.