General Michael Flynn torches Folds of Honor founder for exploiting veterans and Gold Star families to enrich himself and his golf resort empire
General Michael Flynn has issued a sharp rebuke of Dan Rooney’s bid for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, exposing the Air Force veteran and Folds of Honor founder for exploiting military service and a veterans’ charity for personal and family enrichment.
Flynn, who served more than three decades in uniform, recognized Rooney’s credentials and military service but drew a firm line between honorable service and what he called self-interested opportunism.
“True service to this nation demands sacrifice, integrity, and unwavering loyalty to the Constitution and the American people,” Flynn stated. “I spent over three decades in uniform defending this Republic so I know what real service looks like. It is not a marketing slogan or a stepping stone to building wealth for you and your family. It is a sacred trust.”
Flynn expressed concern over Rooney’s stewardship of Folds of Honor, the nonprofit he founded to support spouses and children of fallen or disabled service members and first responders. Flynn highlighted a troubling pattern of conflicts of interest that appear to prioritize Rooney’s golf resort developments and family financial interests above all else.
He pointed to public filings showing Rooney personally compensated over $510,000 in 2024, including aircraft leases, club dues, and other perks, with multiple family members on the board. Flynn also cited transactions involving entities such as Patriot Cottages, LLC and FHF Honor Cottage, LLC, which blur the lines between the tax-exempt nonprofit and Rooney’s private Patriot Golf Club businesses.
Flynn referenced specific real estate efforts as evidence of this pattern. Rooney’s team met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ staff well over a year before proposing three golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park using public funds. The plan reportedly employed “historic preservation” language and a Tuskegee Airmen museum angle before collapsing under scrutiny amid secrecy concerns raised by whistleblowers. Similar tactics were allegedly used for the American Dunes project in Michigan.
“Veterans and Gold Star families deserve better than having their pain monetized into country club ventures by those who disingenuously parade around as their advocates,” Flynn said.
The general also criticized Rooney’s public stance during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting a post in which Rooney, masked and receiving the vaccine, urged broad compliance at a time of mandates and demonstrated what he will do as a Congressman when it comes time to make a stand.
Flynn also faulted Rooney for remaining silent on major issues, including 2020 election integrity concerns, lawfare against President Trump and his supporters, and broader fights against the regulatory state and federal overreach.
“That is not leadership. That is calculated caution from a man more interested in protecting his image than confronting the existential threats to our Republic,” Flynn wrote, describing Rooney as a “classic empty suit” who offers military anecdotes but lacks clear positions on border security, military rebuilding, election integrity, parental rights, and dismantling the deep state.
“Dan Rooney is not the man Oklahoma needs in Congress,” he stated. “Voters deserve transparency on his nonprofit entanglements, clarity on where he stands on election integrity, COVID tyranny, the prosecutions of Trump supporters and all other issues. Oklahomans should reject the empty suit and choose a candidate with proven America First conviction who will fight without compromise.”
Rooney has emphasized his combat veteran experience and calls for a “combat veteran’s voice” in Washington but does not live up to his billing under scrutiny. Rooney is the clear choice of the GOP establishment for Oklahoma’s 1st District and should be rejected by MAGA voters.
