In the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, a sprawling web of activists, lawyers, political operatives, and self-styled investigators emerged to challenge the results.
Among them was Arizona resident Staci Burk—once a committed “Stop the Steal” advocate—whose story offers a revealing window into the inner workings of that movement.
Burk is a very strong woman. She has survived domestic violence, stalking, the death of a child, and suffers from a pulmonary arterial hypertension, a potentially deadly disease.
But she is not giving up in her battle against the abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of retired Lieutenant General Michael (Mike) Flynn.
This blog post explores Burk’s journey, her connections to Flynn’s orbit, and the broader implications for understanding how Flynn may have been the architect of January 6, an allegation that has never been proven.
Background
Staci Burk, a former school board member and law student from Arizona, became deeply involved in election fraud claims following the 2020 vote. Like many others in the movement, she promoted allegations of irregularities—most notably the claim that ballots were secretly flown into Phoenix.
Her activism quickly drew her into a larger network that included high-profile figures such as Sidney Powell and Flynn himself as she became embroiled in a series of events involving alleged election fraud and personal security threats.
Mike Flynn’s Role In The Story
- Flynn, a retired lieutenant general and former National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, had by late 2020 become one of the most visible champions of election fraud claims. Though officially outside government, his influence within pro-Trump circles remained significant.
- According to Burk and multiple investigative reports, Flynn—along with Powell—helped connect her to a security organization known as 1st Amendment Praetorian (1AP), founded by former Green Beret Robert Patrick Lewis. The group had previously provided security for Flynn and other allies. This is the group that moved into her house until she fled.
The “Protection” That Raised Questions
Members of 1AP reportedly stayed in her home for several weeks under the premise of protecting her from threats tied to her election investigations. Flynn’s brother, Joe Flynn, publicly acknowledged the deployment, stating that a team had been sent to “watch over her.” But according to Burk, the situation quickly deteriorated.
She later alleged that:
- The security presence became coercive rather than protective
- Threats may have been exaggerated—or even manufactured
- Her phone was taken and later traced to Washington, D.C., around January 6
Burk began secretly recording conversations, growing increasingly suspicious that she was not being protected—but managed.
Timeline of Events
The chronology, as relayed by Raw Story, is as follows:
- Shortly after November 3, 2020: Burk received a tip from a FedEx supervisor in Seattle regarding illegal ballots. She shared this information with state Rep. Kelly Townsend and Congressman Andy Biggs.
- November 7, 2020: A separate tip circulated among Trump partisans about illegal ballots on a Korean Air jet (flight HL 8230) at Phoenix Sky Harbor. Burk contacted Townsend about these new claims and was put in touch with Three Percenter leader Marko Trickovic.
- November 9, 2020: Two unidentified men disabled the security system at Burk’s home in Florence, Arizona. Burk reported the security breach to the Florence police on November 10, though the department later closed the incident due to a lack of reasonable suspicion for further investigation.
- November 16, 2020: Burk met with Scott Koch, a private security contractor who claimed to be an Oath Keeper. During a recorded conversation, Koch claimed he saw ballots being unloaded from the Korean Air flight and shipped via UPS and FedEx.
- Late November 2020: Associates of Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell pressured Burk to provide an affidavit regarding Koch’s “confession.”
- December 4, 2020: A security detail tied to retired Lt. General Michael Flynn (the 1st Amendment Praetorian group) replaced Burk’s previous security and moved into her home.
- December 25, 2020: Jim Penrose, an investigator for Sidney Powell, informed Burk that the entire Korean Air ballot story was “completely fabricated” and that Koch had admitted to lying.
- Sometime between late December 2020 – early January 2021: Members of the Flynn-linked security team stole Burk’s cell phone, which was later tracked to the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., around the time of the January 6 Capitol attack.
- Early January 2021: Fearing the security team that was supposed to protect her, Burk fled her own home.
The Lawsuit
Staci Burk’s lawsuit alleges that Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell orchestrated a conspiracy to physically and psychologically manipulate her into acting as a “pawn” for 2020 election interference claims. The lawsuit is officially titled Staci Burk v. Kelly Townsend, et al. (sometimes referred to as Burk v. Shattuck et al. depending on the specific court docket). While the original litigation began in 2022, it was significantly amended in July 2023 to include Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell as primary defendants.
Here is a summary of the core allegations:
1. Forced Imprisonment and Terror
Burk claims she was effectively held hostage in her own home by a security team dispatched by Flynn. These individuals, allegedly members of the far-right group 1st Amendment Praetorian (1AP), are accused of “gaslighting” and terrorizing her to ensure she remained a cooperative witness for their election fraud narratives.
2. The “South Korean” Ballot Theory
A central piece of the suit involves the “South Korean airplane” conspiracy. Burk alleges she was pressured by Flynn’s associates to promote the debunked claim that a plane carrying fraudulent foreign ballots had landed in Arizona. She now contends she was coerced into spreading these falsehoods.
3. Exploitation and Conspiracy
The lawsuit frames Flynn and Powell as the leaders of a broader effort to use Burk as a tool for political gain. Key legal claims include:
- Conspiracy: Alleging a coordinated effort to violate her rights.
- False Imprisonment: Being kept in her home against her will under the guise of “protection.”
- Emotional Distress: Suffering psychological harm from the alleged intimidation tactics used to keep her quiet.
4. Legal Context
This case is a significant escalation from Burk’s previous litigation. While she was originally a proponent of election fraud claims, this lawsuit marks a sharp pivot where she identifies as a victim of the very movement she once supported, claiming that high-level figures used private “militia-style” security to control her.
Status
As of March 2026, the lawsuit—formally titled Staci Burk v. Kelly Townsend, et al.—remains in a state of appellate abeyance following a series of dismissals in the lower court.
While the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona dismissed the primary claims against Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell, and other defendants in late 2023 and 2024 for failure to provide sufficient evidence of a racketeering conspiracy, Burk subsequently appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. That appeal (Case No. 24-5273) is currently “stayed” or paused, as the appellate court is waiting for the District Court to issue final rulings on Burk’s remaining post-judgment motions, including her requests for reconsideration and attempts to add new evidence to the record.
Consequently, the case is effectively in a legal holding pattern, with the high-profile defendants having secured initial dismissals that Burk is now fighting to overturn.
A Possible Link to January 6
Perhaps the most explosive aspect of Burk’s claims is her assertion that individuals within Flynn’s orbit were connected to planning and coordination efforts tied to January 6.
“I audio recorded evidence proving Stone and Flynn were overseeing the organizing and directing of J6. This wasn’t some big secret. As below from January 3, 2021, the Military Times was talking about ‘Flynn’s Insurrection.’ Right after this article (below), I contacted the FBI and told them I had a recording proving coordination for events of J6.” They said we will let you know if we want the recording and then never responded. Seems odd if he narrative we have been fed is true, right?” – Staci Burk, X, March 27, 2026 https://x.com/staciburk/status/2037592273970774244?s=20
Burk has said she recorded discussions suggesting logistical planning and shared—or attempted to share—this information with authorities. While these claims remain contested and not fully verified in court, they align with broader reporting that Flynn-affiliated networks overlapped with key figures involved in January 6 mobilization.
Why would Burk’s assertion be explosive if true? Because they would point to Flynn as the architect of a structured effort to overturn the election rather than merely a vocal supporter of election challenges.
Thus far, media reporting and congressional investigations consistently stop short of Michael Flynn as the singular architect of the January 6 attack. Instead, they position him as a key node in a wider network of actors working to overturn the 2020 election—particularly in the critical weeks between mid-December and early January. His role appears less operational on the day itself and more strategic, ideological, and connective across different arenas: the White House, activist networks, and security-adjacent groups.
The most consequential episode tied to Flynn is the December 18, 2020 Oval Office meeting, widely reported by outlets such as The New York Times and Axios and later examined by the House Select Committee. During this meeting, Flynn—alongside Sidney Powell—reportedly urged President Trump to invoke emergency powers, including martial law, to:
- Deploy the military to seize voting machines in contested states
- Oversee a rerun of the election under federal control
White House counsel and senior officials rejected these proposals, but the episode is often treated in investigative accounts as a critical escalation point, where previously fringe ideas were brought directly into presidential deliberations.
Flynn’s proximity to the “Stop the Steal” movement and related organizational hubs has also drawn sustained scrutiny. He appeared at or near the Willard Hotel “War Room,” where Trump allies coordinated legal and political strategies to contest the election results.
Reporting has also highlighted his associations with groups operating in the gray zone between political activism and paramilitary organization:
- Members of the Oath Keepers reportedly served as Flynn’s security at public events in late 2020
- The January 6 Committee examined his ties to the 1st Amendment Praetorian, a group involved in providing security for pro-Trump rallies and later implicated in broader mobilization efforts
While these links do not establish direct command over violent actors, they situate Flynn within overlapping networks that helped translate election denial into organized action.
Another line of inquiry concerns Flynn’s potential influence over military decision-making. As a retired general and former National Security Advisor, Flynn maintained relationships within the defense establishment—including with his brother, General Charles Flynn.
Investigations and testimonies, including allegations by D.C. National Guard official Col. Earl Matthews, have raised questions about:
- Delays in National Guard deployment on January 6
- Whether internal communications were later misrepresented to Congress
As of early 2026, watchdog groups such as CREW continue to pursue records that might clarify whether Flynn exerted informal influence over defense officials during the crisis. No definitive public evidence has established direct intervention, but the issue remains contested.
Flynn’s response to these inquiries has been legally cautious and politically assertive. During his March 2022 deposition before the House Select Committee, he invoked the Fifth Amendment repeatedly, declining to answer even broad questions about the legitimacy of the election or the justification of the violence.
More recently, a March 2026 Department of Justice settlement—resolving Flynn’s claims of malicious prosecution related to the Russia investigation—has been used by Flynn and his allies to reinforce a broader narrative of political persecution. He has leveraged this outcome to cast doubt on all subsequent scrutiny, including investigations tied to January 6, despite the issues being substantively distinct.
Taken together, the available evidence only supports a characterization of Flynn not as an operational commander of the Capitol assault, but as an influential advocate for extra-constitutional measures and a bridge figure linking elite political strategy with grassroots—and at times militant—mobilization. His documented significance lies in how he helped legitimize and circulate extreme remedies within both formal and informal channels, contributing to the broader ecosystem that made January 6 possible.
That is why Burk’s claims are important.
Harassment, Intimidation and Personal Destruction
Burk’s story took a dramatic turn as she distanced herself from the movement she once championed.
“They use LIES to preemptively destroy credibility if there is any risk whatsoever that person might know the truth about them or their crimes. That’s exactly what they did to me. It’s criminal witness tampering on steroids! Then they deflect and claim that it’s the ‘deep state’ that’s doing it. They literally ARE the ‘deep state.’” – Staci Burk, X, March 27, 2026 https://x.com/staciburk/status/2037668739798450540?s=20
She has since described the experience as life-altering, accusing key figures—including Flynn—of manipulation, intimidation, and using intermediaries to carry out questionable actions.
For example, Burk recorded a phone call she received from “MK” who warned her about being targeted. It is dated April 13, 2022.
MK: “Now and in the future, you know? It ain’t necessarily over. Shit happens.”
Staci: “You think I’m still gonna get killed?”
MK: “Well, I don’t know.”
Staci: “Don’t you think if I was gonna get killed, I would’ve been killed by now?”
MK: “Yeah, sometimes it’s inconvenient. You know, it just depends on what you do, and what you don’t do.”
Staci: “What do you mean?”
MK: “Well, if they think you’re a threat… or if they don’t… Might be the difference. Right now, everybody knows ain’t nothing gonna happen. Of course, I knew that way back then.”
Staci: “You were telling me I would like to get killed back then.”
MK: “Because you always record what everybody says and put shit out there. You follow people around and take pictures.”
Staci: “I wasn’t doing that back then.”
MK: “You talk a lot publicly and that’s what makes you a target.”
Staci: “I talk a lot publicly. But I wasn’t recording anybody until after the election. So that didn’t make sense. I wasn’t recording until all that stuff started.”
MK: “Well, I’m just saying, you know what you did. You know what you didn’t do. You just gotta put yourself in the other guy’s shoes.”
Staci: “Which guy?”
MK: “Yeah, exactly.”
MK: “No, seriously, like which guy? Seriously, that’s what I’m saying. Which one? Because you know there was a number of people you ruffled their feathers. If you put anybody in jeopardy of prison time or… You know, might hurt them financially or whatever. People get itchy. People don’t think clearly. They just think about the easy way.”
Source: https://x.com/SuaSponte_1776/status/1775856024668311588?s=20, April 4, 2022
What she once believed to be a legitimate cause, she now characterizes as deeply deceptive.
Burk writes that she saw saw what they were really doing, caught them on tape, told them so, and they tried to destroy her life and kidnap her family to make sure those tapes never saw the light of day.
She claims it started when she contacted Jake Hoffman, member of the Arizona House of Representatives, and told him that the evidence she had led to the conclusion that Flynn was trying to tank President Trump.
“Would love a better explanation from Flynn why after in 2019, during the Ukraine impeachment scandal, I told Arizona House Member Jake Hoffman (who happened to be in the West Wing sitting next to Trump when I called him) that I had stumbled across information that led me to believe that Flynn was part of a concerted effort to sabotage Trump. (Here is the link to this March 26, 2026, tweet by Burk; the subsequent quotes continue it: https://x.com/staciburk/status/2037228456304664755?s=20
The response from Hoffman, who apparently mentioned Burk’s claim to Trump, was that Trump saw Flynn as the target.
“A couple days later Hoffman told me that Trump believes Flynn was a target of the deep state.
Subsequently, Burk says, she was singled out and eventually “kidnapped and held hostage” because Flynn and his allies (like Sidney Powell) allegedly wanted to physically enter and take over the Maricopa County Election Center before the 2020 election results were officially signed and finalized (“certified”).
Since they couldn’t just walk in, they needed a powerful legal “skeleton key.” Staci says they wanted to use her to lie and say that foreign countries were hacking the Arizona voting machines. This could have served as a basis for the judge issuing a FISA warrant to bypass local police and seize the election equipment under “national security grounds.”
Since she did not have the proof, they wanted her to make it up or lie.
“Shortly after that I was targeted, stalked, and my family and I were eventually kidnapped and held hostage when the effort to exploit me to secure a FISA warrant using fabricated evidence to seize the Maricopa County Election Center before certification FAILED….”
Burk says the Flynn effort didn’t work, not only because she refused to play along, but because she had secretly taped them.
“….not only did I REFUSE to cooperate in the way that Flynn and his allies wanted, but I secretly audio recorded the unfolding effort because it was so bizarre.”
At the time that Burk taped the Flynn team, she did not know that they were allegedly dishonest operators. She sincerely thought that the tapes would help them. So she revealed their existence.
“Not knowing what they were trying to do, and thinking they would have wanted the audio recording to support the claims they were making, I disclosed that I secretly recorded what happened.
As soon as Burk disclosed the existence of the tapes, the Flynn network claimed she was at life-threatening risk, and allegedly kidnapped and held her and them hostage.
“That sent Flynn and his allies into a panicked frenzy resulting in my family and me being kidnapped and held hostage for months and gaslit (claiming my family and me were in imminent danger and needed their “security detail” to save our lives)…
Burk claims that influential people were involved, that it wasn’t just a street-level o peration:
“These heavily armed former FBI, law enforcement, and military intelligence agents at the direction of an Arizona Senator, Flynn, and Powell, terrorized my family and me for months doubling down on the lies, contradicting each other in true crazy making style…
Not only that, but the Flynn network of media representatives turned her into a kind of representative, against her will.
“…while using Powell and Flynn’s podcasters and talking bobble heads to put me at the center as a scapegoat of their efforts to grift and double down on the manufactured lies.
Burk points to a tape of Mike Flynn’s brother allegedly mischaracterizing the situation as good intentions gone bad.
“Here is General Flynn’s brother Joe Flynn twisting and distorting the narrative as he tried to confuse and deflect from the truth” (and then she points to Joe Flynn’s video).
But first, someone posted a recorded conversation between Staci and Joe Flynn. It is dated April 4, 2024.
In the conversation:
- Staci Burk says: “Your brother (Mike Flynn) sent them (the Praetorian Guard) to my house.”
- Joe Flynn responds: “Keep my brother’s name out of this.”
- Staci Burk repeats: “I talked to your brother, and your brother said he was sending the Praetorian Guards.”
- Staci Burk says later: “I had only been dealing with your brother.”
- Joe Flynn subsequently says: “Are you threatening me?” To which Staci responds “I’m not threatening you, Joe.”
- Joe Flynn later says, in response to Staci asking if they were “throwing her under the bus” or planning to: “We don’t throw people under the bus, unless they’re the f–ing enemy.”
Here is Joe Flynn, Mike Flynn’s brother, describing what he knew about Stacy Burk’s experience. He characterizes her as a volatile witness and claims he tried to help her by providing free security and offering reimbursement for damages, but the situation devolved into a “botched mess” due to the security team’s incompetence and the witness’s own erratic behavior, leading to a frustrated outburst that she recorded.
“Staci Burke, if I remember correctly, came to our group when we were just after the elections. Our team, which was led by Sidney Powell, was collecting affidavits from people who had hard evidence of election fraud and malfeasance and all kinds of different things. If I remember correctly, Stacy had some information about ballots being shipped over, flown in from Korea into Seattle into Phoenix airport. She may have worked at the airport in Phoenix or knew somebody at the airport that saw something or something like that. So she filled out an affidavit. She told our people — and I wasn’t directly involved a lot with Stacy in the beginning of this — she told the people that she was working with on our team that she felt her life was threatened and that she needed security out in Phoenix, out in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. (Emphasis added.)
“At the time, we were working with 1st Amendment Praetorians. We worked with them for a very short period of time just after the election while we were participating in the rallies in Washington, and their team provided General Flynn, myself, Sidney, Patrick, and a few others security. She requested that, by the way. They provided that security free of charge at the time — we didn’t have any money, so that was a benefit for not having to pay that money. So as I understand it, we sent a team out to watch over her out in Phoenix. (Emphasis added.)
“There was some kind of issue where she kept fleeing her apartment without telling the security guys, (emphasis added) and so the security guys started to freak out and so on and so forth. I guess there was an incident where one of them took her phone when she fled, (emphasis added) which was stupid — a very stupid thing for that person to do. Then she reached out to me a number of times saying, ‘Hey, you guys…’
“And I guess somebody had promised to put a security system in her house or her apartment or something like that, and the security guys came and they screwed it up. It was just a botched sort of mess. So she called me prior to the phone call that she recorded of me. She reached out to me and was all upset, and she said, ‘You know, this incident happened.’ I said, ‘Well, it relates to the phone — you really need to talk to 1st Amendment Praetorians because I have no idea who did what. I wasn’t there and they’re responsible for that.‘ (Emphasis added) As it related to the security system, I told her whatever damages were done to your house or anything, please send me an invoice and I’ll have you reimbursed. And I told her that a number of times. (Emphasis added) I remember having phone calls about her with that. And that phone call she recorded was the last phone call I had with her with regards to this issue.
“I did lose my temper. I lost my temper, I got frustrated, lost my temper — and I shouldn’t have. But then, you know, Stacy never really followed through with any of the receipts to help her get reimbursed, and it was a mess. So that conversation I had with her — there was the last time I heard from her. I heard some other stuff that she fled, she went to the Mexican border, she was doing some things, but you know, what I try not to get involved in drama of other people. I felt badly that I lost my temper with her. Clearly she recorded that, put it out on the internet. So I’m explaining to you what I remember happening. It was one of those things — I’m not saying it’s good or bad — it was just that she caught me at a moment in time when I was in a bad, frustrated mood.”
Her lawsuits against figures such as Flynn, Powell, and Doug Logan were largely unsuccessful, often dismissed on procedural or evidentiary grounds. But legal outcomes do not necessarily resolve the broader narrative questions her experience raises.
The Importance of Burk’s Phone
According to reporting by Raw Story, Members of the 1st Amendment Praetorian (1AP) and those working with the Flynn and Powell teams wanted Staci Burk’s phone for several reasons related to their investigations into the 2020 election and their concerns regarding security and surveillance.
- The team was interested in anything that might provide proof of foreign election interference, which they hoped to use as justification for the National Guard or law enforcement to seize control of voting machines. Burk was the primary contact for a “whistleblower” (a FedEx supervisor in Seattle) who claimed to have evidence of illegal ballots. Sidney Powell’s assistant, Carissa Keshel, explicitly told Burk that they needed this “piece of the puzzle” to help “piece together the whole story”. (Note: Jim Penrose, former NSA, dismissed the whistleblower’s claim to Raw Story in August 2022 — “there’s nothing there.”)
- Penrose suggested that Burk’s habit of recording her phone conversations was a liability. He noted that the people she recorded fit into high-level “power structures” and implied that securing the phone was more important than other security concerns she had. He told Burk that “the phone’s going to be taken care of” and that he intended to do forensics on the device.
- Members of her security detail, Brandon Pittman and Richard Chichester, suggested to Burk that her phone might have been hacked, allowing “bad actors” to track her location. This concern was used as a justification for wanting to bring the phone to a “nominal security state”.
- Burk herself eventually came to believe that an incident where she was followed by black SUVs on Christmas Day was staged specifically to scare her into surrendering the phone. She noted that when the SUVs appeared, it seemed to “line up a little too conveniently” with the security team’s claims about her phone being tracked.
Despite Burk’s refusal to hand over the device because it contained protected patient data from her work as a nurse, Chichester and Pittman eventually took the phone from her hands by force. It later turned up at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., which served as a “command center” for efforts to overturn the election.
The Bigger Picture
Burk’s account highlights the murky intersection of activism, political influence, and informal networks that defined the post-election period.
Key takeaways include:
- The existence of loosely organized but interconnected groups operating across states.
- The role of high-profile figures like Flynn in amplifying and potentially coordinating efforts.
- The use of private security and quasi-paramilitary groups in political contexts.
- The difficulty of proving coordination or intent in court, even amid troubling allegations.
Conclusion: A Story Still Unfolding
The story of Staci Burk is not just about one individual—it’s about the ecosystem that emerged around the 2020 election and culminated in January 6.
While definitive proof of Michael Flynn as an “orchestrator” remains unestablished in court, the patterns described by Burk and others suggest a level of organization and influence that warrants continued scrutiny.
At minimum, her experience underscores how quickly grassroots activism can become entangled with powerful networks—and how difficult it can be to untangle truth from manipulation once inside.
Written with the help of AI.
Writing by Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal 
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