Flynn endorses coup as Trump says he'll be back in office by August
Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, endorsed a military coup this weekend while speaking at a QAnon conspiracy conference in Dallas.
Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, endorsed a military coup this weekend while speaking at a QAnon conspiracy conference in Dallas.
Now that the story has blown up — a former senior White House official calling on Memorial Day weekend for the US military to violently overthrow our government will tend to do that — Flynn is claiming he never endorsed a coup. In his denial, Flynn — who is a convicted liar — never explains why he then said what he said.
The argument is moot because there’s video.
A bit of background before you watch the video. As CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan points out, “talk of a Myanmar-style coup in the United States has been popular among some Trump supporters and QAnon believers for months.” In the video, below, Flynn is specifically asked, to uproarious applause, why what happened in Myanmar, i.e., the military coup, can’t happen here.
Flynn’s response: “No reason. I mean, it should happen here. No reason.”
And lest anyone suggest that the conference was only tangentially about QAnon, or that Flynn didn’t really realize what the conference was about, here’s Flynn holding up, and helping auction off, a QAnon quilt at the same conference:
Adding to the creepiness, Flynn’s brother is an actively-serving general in the Pentagon, and was, according to DOD, involved in the decision-making surrounding the military’s piss-poor response to the Insurrection.
At the same QAnon conference, Trump’s former election lawyer, Sidney Powell argued that Trump should be “reinstated” as a president, and get to serve out the remainder of his second term:
At the same time, the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman reports that Trump has been telling people that he will be reinstalled as president by this coming August.
As for Flynn, if the Pentagon actually cares about its reputation, it can recall Flynn to active duty and attempt to court martial him:
It’s amazing how badly Trump and his cohorts have damaged the credibility of the US military (people Trump called “suckers and losers” for getting killed in action). First, Trump dragged the chairman of the joint chiefs to oversee a violent attack on a peaceful protest outside the White House. Next, for reasons no one has yet figured out, the Pentagon refused to send help for hours — effectively choosing sides — while the entire Congress, and the Vice President, were under deadly assault. And now we have a top former general, who worked in the Trump White House, calling for the US military to overthrow President Biden and install martial law in our country.
You’d think the Pentagon brass might have a position on all of this. Of course, their continued silence suggests that maybe they already do.
One final point. I’m also disturbed at what Flynn’s and Powell’s presence at this event, and the audience’s clear support for a coup, means about the growing intersection between the Republican party and QAnon devotees. The Republicans are now pandering to cultists. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s election wasn’t an aberration, it’s the future.
Russia is openly-supporting the Insurrectionists
Beautiful sunrise over DC
As a palate cleanser, here’s a pretty sunrise over DC yesterday.
Why does Nikki Haley hate our troops?
After criticizing Kamala Harris for tweeting about Memorial Day and not mentioning our troops, future GOP presidential contender Nikki Haley tweets about Memorial Day and doesn’t mention our troops.
Beam me up, Scotty!
How cool is this?
Mmm, Pete
Pete Buttigieg’s husband Chasten tweeted this photo over the weekend. It got noticed.
Deep thoughts
I think that’s it for today. We have a shortened week here in the US, due to the Memorial Day holiday yesterday. The weather is back to glorious here in DC — no more 50s! — just warm and sunny and summerlike. Sashs is pleased, as am I.
See you later this week.
JOHN