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Trump 'is telling people he will be reinstated as president by August'
Daily Mail
June 1, 2021
Former President Donald Trump is telling people that he will be reinstated as president by August according to a report, after his original National Security Advisor Michael Flynn said a Myanmar-style coup 'should happen'.
The New York Times' Maggie Haberman commented Tuesday on a CNN story that showed Trump supporters expressing support for a Myanmar-style coup to bring Trump back.
'Trump has been telling a number of people he's in contact with that he expects he will get reinstated by August (no that isn't how it works but simply sharing the information),' the journalist wrote on Twitter.
Haberman added that Trump has been 'laser focused' on election audits - including the state Senate Republican-led one in Maricopa County, Arizona, as well as another audit expected in Georgia's Fulton County - as the Manhattan district attorney has convened a grand jury that is expected to decide whether to indict the former president.
Trump lost legal protections afforded to the president once he left the White House in January.
He's continued to falsely push that he didn't lose the 2020 race to President Joe Biden.
Supporters have glommed on to that message, with a number of Trump fans sporting 'Trump won' flags at a large boat parade in Florida over Memorial Day weekend.
And some of his allies have given Trump's most vehement supporters false hope that he could be reinstated.
Over the weekend, lawyer Sidney Powell told an audience in Dallas that Trump could be back.
'It should be that he can simply be reinstated, that a new inauguration day is set,' she said to cheers. 'And Biden is told to move out of the White House. And President Trump should be moved back in.'
Powell is known for spreading a number of conspiracy theories to Trump supporters about the 2020 race.
The Washington Examiner's Byron York, sharing Powell's comments and Haberman's tweet, speculated there could be problems for Trump if the former president brought reinstatement up publicly.
Trump is expected to start holding rallies this month, including in the swing states of Florida, Georgia, Ohio and North Carolina.
'If Trump brings this up in public, will likely increase number of Republicans who say they are ready to move on,' York said.
Flynn was forced to backtrack on comments he made at the same Dallas conference Powell appeared at this weekend.
The retired general, who briefly served as national security adviser under Trump, made the comments in response to a question from an audience member at a conference organized by supporters of the QAnon conspiracy in Dallas, Texas.
The man said he was a 'simple Marine' and asked 'why what happened in Myanmar can't happen here?'
'There's no reason', Flynn responded as the audience cheered. 'I mean, it should happen — that's right.'
Response to the exchange was furious, with some calling for his court martial.
On Monday Flynn issued a frantic backtrack in a post on messaging app Telegram.
He wrote: '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 said his comments had been misconstrued, adding, 'I am no stranger to media manipulating my words and therefore let me repeat my response to a question asked at the conference: There is no reason it (a coup) should happen here (in America).'
On Monday Army Col. Yevgeny 'Eugene' Vindman tweeted, 'With these seditious remarks Comrade Flynn may have crossed the line for recall to active duty and court-martial. As a JAG I’m qualified and also happy to prosecute this case.'
Vindman is the twin brother of Alexander Vindman, who was a key witness in Trump's impeachment over comments he made to the Ukrainian President.
Both sat on the National Security Council before being fired shortly after the trial.
Steve Vladeck, a professor in federal law at the University of Texas also wrote on Twitter that even retired Flynn was subject to the Army's Uniform Code of Military Justice.
'The constitutionality of jurisdiction over retirees for post-retirement offenses is something we’re currently challenging in the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces & the D.C. Circuit,' he tweeted.
Myanmar's military-led coup saw the country's democratically-elected government overturned.
Military chief Min Aung Hlaing was installed as the country's leader with the junta killing hundreds of civilians.
Others also took to social media to blast Flynn's remarks.
'Hello SecDef! Can we get a Court Martial? Call him back to duty and then dishonorably discharge him. My tax payer dollars shouldn’t be paying for his benefits,' wrote one.
'Wow. It don’t get much more traitory than this,' added another.
'Why isn't Michael Flynn behind bars of fomenting a treasonous insurrection against the United States? Surely treasonous words are not covered by Trump's pardon,' asked Muriel Burrows.
'Recall General Michael Flynn to active duty immediately for purposes of court-martial. This must be done ASAP.' tweeted Jeannette Stone.
'I think now might be a good time to call retired officer Michael Flynn back to active duty, court martial and strip him of his rank and benefits for conspiracy and committing seditious acts against the United States,' said another.
'Michael Flynn is clearly an enemy of the USA. Let's honor our veterans this Memorial Day by arresting this unamerican traitor.'
'Minimar? sounds like dude has been spending too much time at the minibar,' joked one Twitter user who noticed Flynn's mispronunciation.
'We now return you to the Republican coup, already in progress . . . THIS is why the GOP wants to block every investigation into the January 6th attack on the Capital: Because it starts and ends with them,' said DC Lascelle.
'Flynn hopefully will be prosecuted under 18 U.S. Code § 2385 Astonishing if someone holding the rank of General in the United States Army who was also a National Security Advisor can get away with calling for a Myanmar-style coup,' wrote another user.
'FBI please arrest this man. He is asking Americans to turn against their government!', demanded another Twitter follower.
In the past, QAnon supporters have aired their support for a coup to take place that would see Trump be placed back at the White House.
The intrview Haberman shared from CNN showed Trump supporters advocating for a military coup to take over and 'redo' the election, remove 'puppet president' Biden and hold a new inauguration for Trump.
Trump pardoned Flynn last Thanksgiving.
Flynn's conviction for lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation was wiped following the presidential pardon.
In 2017, Trump fired Flynn after just weeks on the job after it was revealed he did not disclose his contacts with Russia's former ambassador to the US to Vice President Mike Pence.
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