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Fact Check

FEC filing listing Michael Flynn as Trump VP is not legitimate | Fact check

Portrait of Hannah Hudnall Hannah Hudnall
USA TODAY

Corrections & Clarifications: This story was updated July 10 to correct that the filing in question was submitted to the Federal Election Commission, but it was not a legitimate submission from the Trump campaign. The rating was changed from Altered to False.

The claim: Image shows Michael Flynn chosen as vice president pick on Trump FEC filing

A July 3 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a supposed Federal Election Commission statement of candidacy form for former President Donald Trump. Michael Flynn is listed as Trump's "vice president" on the filing.

The post garnered more than 300 likes in two days. Similar versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The form was not filed by Trump and has been flagged as illegitimate by the FEC. The former president hadn't picked a running mate as of July 5.

No Trump vice president pick

Speculation about who Trump will pick as his candidate for vice president has been growing for months as the election inches closer. His announcement is expected by the start of the Republican National Convention on July 15 but could happen sooner.

But claims that he has already named Flynn, his former national security adviser, as his running mate are false.

Trump's most recent FEC filing from April 17 does not list a vice president.

The form shown in the post was flagged by the FEC and included on its "false and fictitious filings" list, and it was not put on the public record, as noted by Christine Neville, president and CEO of the campaign finance company Premiere Political Compliance. The FEC list includes two other fraudulent filings listing Flynn as Trump's vice president as well.

The form in question also doesn't have a filer's name attached to it on the FEC website, nor does it appear in Trump's list of campaign filings. The form includes a typo in the political party section, an incorrect address for the Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee and names with titles that differ from Trump's previous filings.

Kenneth Mayer, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pointed out that the form in question wasn't submitted by Trump's principal campaign committee, Trump for President 2024, either. He said if it were real, Trump would have had to disband the existing committee or submit an amended statement of organization and candidacy form.

"There is no reason for this to occur now, prior to the actual nomination," Mayer told USA TODAY in an email. "Trump will surely get whomever he wants, but it hasn't been formally ratified by the convention."

Myles Martin, an FEC spokesperson, told USA TODAY that the commission has a process for handling filings potentially containing false information, but anyone can file an FEC report by simply verifying their email address. The form submission page is open to the public but, according to Martin, includes a popup warning that any fraudulent statements are punishable by law.

Flynn debunked the claim in an X post soon after the supposed form emerged on social media.

"I just saw two unauthorized FEC filings referencing my name," reads Flynn's post. "They are fake news! I don’t know anything about them, and my office has alerted the FEC."

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USA TODAY reached out to Trump's campaign team and the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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