Michael Flynn Retreats After Pushing Myanmar Coup Conspiracy Theory To Reinstate Trump

Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser of Donald Trump, is backtracking his words after gaining traction with supporters of the former president as he promoted talk of a Myanmar-style coup to get Trump back into the White House.

Flynn made a proclamation about the possibility of a Myanmar-style coup happening in the U.S. to get Trump back in office as soon as August during a QAnon conference over the weekend.

Flynn was Trump’s first national security advisor, serving in the role for 22 days before he resigned. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about communications with Russia’s ambassador and the U.S. He was pardoned by Trump in November.

During the conference, Flynn was asked by an audience member, “Why what happened in Myanmar can’t happen here?”

Flynn responded: “No reason. I mean, it should happen here.”

A video caught the moment, which saw Conspiracy theorists cheering on not only the question but Flynn as well, suggesting there is support for a violent takeover of the federal government.

Back in February, the Myanmar military seized control over the country where it held leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint captive, claiming the country’s election was a fraud.

As many as 800 people were killed in the takeover of the government.

Some people supported Flynn’s idea, telling CNN that “the election was stolen from us,” referring to the 2020 presidential race against Trump and Biden.

CNN reported on Sunday that Flynn later said that his words were twisted during the QAnon conference and that he was actually not calling for a coup.

Despite the show of support for Flynn’s conspiracy theory, many on Twitter were criticized the former Army general.

One user on social media said, “It’s not a game. This is real life with real consequences,” while another user of the site bashed his followers, saying, “Among supporters who cannot locate Myanmar on a globe?”