Mike Flynn Shares Press Release Calling For Trump To “Suspend The Constitution” For New Election

December 3, 2020, 11:16 am

Michael Flynn, the recently pardoned three-week national security advisor for Donald Trump, shared an alarming message on Twitter Tuesday from something called the “We the People Convention.” The press release, titled “WTPC Calls for Trump to Declare Limited Martial Law,” not only does that but also calls for a temporary suspension of the entire U.S. constitution so that the one-term president can hold a new election.

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“When the legislators, courts and/or Congress fail to do their duty under the 12th Amendment, you must be ready Mr. President to immediately declare a limited form of Martial Law, and temporarily suspend the Constitution and civilian control of these federal elections, for the sole purpose of having the military oversee a national re-vote,” wrote TEA Party leader Tom Zawistowski.

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Big pro-authoritarian energy in Trumpland today:

The president’s (recently pardoned) former national security adviser, Mike Flynn, shared a message encouraging President Trump to “temporarily suspend the Constitution,” impose martial law and “silence the destructive media.” pic.twitter.com/cQh0wl7oWw

— Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 2, 2020

The press release is actually announcing that these words were published in a full-page paid advertisement the organization bought in the right-wing paper The Washington Times. Apparently, for the sake of freedom, Zawistowski is begging Trump to seize total power and suspend constitutional freedoms with the assumption that he’ll give up that power after the military-run election.

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He also thinks the new election should only allow people with photo ID “to prove residence” to vote, of course, which would leave out the millions of people who are homeless including all who lost their homes during the pandemic Trump let ravage the nation. To defend this, Zawistowski lists a number of surprisingly fascist-sounding actions taken by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

“Lincoln ordered hundreds of Northern newspapers that spoke against him to be shut down and their owners and editors arrested,” he listed. “Lincoln ordered the arrest of Ohio Congressman Clement Vallandigham for the crime of speaking out against him.”

Sounds like Republicans may want to reconsider calling themselves the “Party of Lincoln.”

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I feel like the presidents recently pardoned former national security advisor calling for a military coup and martial law to overturn an election should be bigger news.

— Tim Miller (@Timodc) December 2, 2020

So, now we have moved on the constitutional coup stage of right-wing madness. Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell have started talking about suspending the constitution (the one the right-wing has been pretending to love my whole life) and declaring martial law. They’re not kidding.

— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 2, 2020

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The ad also makes numerous disproven or fantastical claims about Democrats being socialists and armies of “well-funded, armed and trained marxists in ANTIFA and BLM” waiting to do their bidding. In reality, anti-fascist and BLM activists have primarily battled with Democratic leaders in their fight to end police brutality.

What would have likely been dismissed as the ravings of a fringe group now has some concerned after being promoted on Twitter by Flynn, who also tagged several outspoken right-wing pundits. He included a number of Fox News anchors and contributors, however, which might no longer be the way to play it if you want Trump’s attention.

“This is a direct public call for a coup,” wrote retired professor Mary Buggie-Hunt. “This is way beyond ‘pro-authoritarian energy’. This is a public message to Trump from a recently pardoned henchman to seize power using the military and to re-create the US as a totalitarian state. This is dangerous.”

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*First Published: December 3, 2020, 11:16 am