Critics worry after Trump security chief fuels conspiracies

Yet Flynn, Trump's incoming national security adviser, has gained prominence in Republican politics by fueling conspiracy theories and Islamophobic rhetoric that critics warn could create serious distractions — or alienate allies and embolden enemies — if it continues.

Less than a week before the election, the elder Flynn tweeted a link to a story that falsely claimed Clinton emails contained proof of money laundering and sex crimes with children, among other illegal activities.

Flynn also promoted conspiracy theorists, some of them white supremacists, throughout the campaign even as he emerged as Trump's highest profile national security adviser.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said Tuesday that Flynn's willingness to promote fake news "raises profound questions about his suitability for this important position."

The role of national security adviser has varied by administration, but usually centers on coordinating the policy positions of the secretaries of state and defense, the attorney general and other members of a president's team.

"If the national security adviser is going to be the direct conduit between the president and the national security world, of course it's a concern that that adviser is being taken in by conspiracy theories and fake news," said Tom Nichols, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, where Flynn obtained a master's in national security and strategic studies in 2001.