‘Boldface fabrication’: General Michael Flynn denies he endorsed Myanmar-style coup in America in viral video

Trump’s former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, denied reports that he supports the idea of a military-style coup in the US, accusing the media of “twisted reporting” of his comments.

“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,” Flynn posted on what is purportedly his Telegram channel on Monday.

The retired US Army lieutenant general, known for his unwavering support for former President Donald Trump, appeared to suggest that remarks he made at a recent conference in Dallas were intentionally misconstrued by the media, as it rushed to seize on the clip.

In the short video filmed over the weekend, and which began making the rounds on Monday, Flynn was asked by a supporter “why what happened in Myanmar can’t happen here.”

"No reason, I mean,” Flynn responded, before adding: “It should happen here.”

“No reason, that’s right,” he said further. As Flynn was responding to the question, he was constantly interrupted by loud cheers from the crowd. 

While the footage provoked an angry backlash from the general’s liberal critics, who accused him of endorsing a military coup, Flynn said on Telegram that he in fact rejected the notion.

The former national security advisor claimed that he said: “There is no reason it (a coup) should happen here (in America),” when responding to the question.

Flynn fired back at the media for what he called “a boldface fabrication based on twisting reporting at a lively panel at a conference of Patriotic Americans who love this country.”

Flynn’s critics, however, were not convinced by the general’s attempt to set the record straight, suggesting he was “attempting to gaslight his way out of this,” and that he was “backtracking” from his endorsement of a coup.

Flynn took to Parler to share a similar message in his defense, while his former attorney, Sidney Powell, blasted the reports as “fake news taken out of context and grossly magnified to the point of distortion.” 

Both Flynn and Powell have been banned from Twitter as part of a post-January 6 riot crackdown targeting proponents of the QAnon conspiracy theory. 

The military coup in Myanmar in February led to the ouster of the country’s de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking mass protests that triggered a heavy-handed police response. More than 800 people were killed during the crackdown on the protests, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, while the official death toll stands at around 300 protesters and 50 police officers.

Flynn served as national security advisor to Trump before he was accused of and later charged with lying to the FBI over his contacts with Russian officials. While Flynn initially made a plea agreement with the prosecution, he later moved to withdraw the guilty plea, claiming he had been entrapped by the FBI. Flynn was eventually pardoned by Trump in November of last year.

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