Michael Flynn says Myanmar-like coup ‘should happen’ in US

Michael Flynn, former national security adviser in the Trump administration, appeared to call for a Myanmar-like coup to take place in the U.S. during a conference in Texas attended by many supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

MarketWatch reports that Flynn made the remarks while speaking at the conference in Dallas, which was called “For God & and Country Patriot Roundup.” In a video shared online, someone from the audience asks Flynn, “I want to know why what happened in Myanmar can’t happen here?”

This question elicited a round of cheers from the audience.

Once the crowd quieted, Flynn responded, “No reason. I mean, it should happen here.”

Here is the video of former national security advisor Michael Flynn saying that he thinks a coup like the coup in Myanmar should happen in the US. pic.twitter.com/7mGYjfXg18

— Mamie (@MC_Hyperbole) May 30, 2021

Myanmar’s military seized power and overtook the country’s democratically-elected government in February. Since the coup, hundreds have been killed by Myanmar security forces and thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators have been detained according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Flynn was former President Trump’s first national security adviser before being fired in 2017. In November, Trump issued Flynn a full pardon after he pleaded guilty to lying in special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s Russian collusion investigation.

In December, after Biden had been declared the victor of the presidential election, Flynn suggested that Trump should deploy the military to “rerun” the 2020 election. During an appearance on conservative news network Newsmax, Flynn suggested that Trump seize every voting machine in the country and deploy the military to swing states where Biden won.

CNN notes that QAnon followers are distinctly enamored with the idea that Trump will use the military to regain power in the U.S. Many believed that he would declare martial law on Inauguration Day to prevent Biden from assuming the office.

According to CNN, Flynn also falsely claimed at the Dallas event that “Trump won. He won the popular vote, and he won the Electoral College vote.” Since leaving the Trump administration, Flynn has become a major figure in the QAnon movement, posting content related to the conspiracy theory on social media.