Over the last few days there have been reports claiming that former national security advisor and ally of former president Donald Trump, Michael Flynn, called for a Myanmar-like military coup in the United States in what seemed to be a reference to overthrow the existing government.
According to the reports, Flynn made the comments over the weekend at a conference organized by supporters of the QAnon conspiracy in Dallas, Texas, and multiple attendees filmed him endorsing the idea of a military coup similar to the one that happened in Myanmar, presumably to put Trump back in the White House.
However, Flynn later denied making any such comments in a post on his Parler account. "Let me be VERY CLEAR - There is NO reason whatsoever for any coup in America, and I do not and have not at any time called for any action of that sort," he wrote on the right-wing platform and claimed that he actually said, "There is no reason it (a coup) should happen here (in America)."
What Did Flynn Say Exactly?
The remarks in question came during a panel discussion at the"For God & Country Patriot Roundup" in Dallas, Texas, which took place between May 28 and 31, 2021. Two separate video clips show Flynn responding to an audience member's question regarding the possibility of a Myanmar-like situation in the U.S.
"I want to know why what happened in Minamar [Myanmar] can't happen here," the audience member asks, to which Flynn responds, "No reason. I mean, it should happen. There's no reason. That's right."
In February, military leaders in the southeast Asian nation of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), carried out a coup in order to overthrow the government.It was to this that the audience member referred when he asked why "what happened in Minamar [Myanmar] can't happen" in the United States.
Flynn's response - "No reason. I mean, it should happen" - clearly expressed his support, at least in principle, for a military coup in the United States. Therefore, news reports that cited his remarks did not twist or manipulate his words and reported accurately.
