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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.
Former President Donald Trump is spotted in front of Trump Tower in New York last week. Trump has been telling people he expects to be reinstated as president by August, according t The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman
The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman tweeted Tuesday morning that former President Donald Trump has been telling people he expects to be reinstated as president by August
The former president lost legal protections once he left office in January, with Haberman reporting that Trump is pushing the idea of reinstatement as he faces potential indictment over his business dealings
Haberman also reported that Trump has been ‘laser focused’ on audits happening in Arizona with another expected in Georgia, as the former president continues to push the ‘big lie’
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.
The former first couple paid their respects as MAGA fans took to the water in Jupiter, Florida , for a boat parade
The huge flotilla of boats with a sea of Trump flags takes part of the parade in Jupiter, Florida
Staunch Trump ally Roger Stone posed with his trademark peace sign alongside wife Nydia as boaters drifted by. Nydia was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer last week
‘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).’
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national adviser walked back comments he made over the weekend in which he supported the idea of a military coup similar to Myanmar’s happening in the U.S.
Flynn made the comments at a conference organized by supporters of the QAnon conspiracy in Dallas, Texas
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.
Army Col. Yevgeny ‘Eugene’ Vindman said that Flynn’s comments could lead to a court martial. He is the twin brother of Alexander Vindman, who served as a key witness in Trump’s Ukraine impeachment trial
Federal law professor Steve Vladeck said that even retired, Flynn was subject to the Army’s Code of Military Justice
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.
President Trump pardoned Flynn last Thanksgiving. Flynn’s conviction for lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation was wiped following the presidential pardon. Pictured in 2016
Who’s who in New York criminal probe into Trump
New York state has opened a criminal investigation into former US president Donald Trump (pictured November 2020)
A Democratic prosecutor nearing the end of his term, a loyal lieutenant of the Trump family and a lawyer determined to sink his former boss: AFP details some of the players in New York’s criminal probe into Donald Trump.
Cyrus Vance
The 66-year-old Democrat has been Manhattan District Attorney since 2010. He was the first to launch a criminal investigation into the Republican ex-president.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance (pictured May 2020) has doggedly pursued Donald Trump, winning a years-long battle to obtain his tax records and deploying significant human and financial resources to the politically sensitive investigation
Vance, whose father was US Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter, has sometimes been accused of a reluctance to prosecute the rich and powerful.
He delayed filing charges against disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein before securing a landmark conviction last year.
Vance has doggedly pursued Trump, though, first by winning a years-long battle to obtain his tax records and secondly by deploying significant human and financial resources to the politically sensitive investigation.
He has announced that he will not run for a fourth term when his current one expires in December, and many observers expect him to go out with a bang by filing what would be the first indictment against a former US president.
Letitia James
The Democrat became the first Black woman to become New York state attorney general in 2018.
Since then, the 62-year-old has forged a reputation as a combative and independent prosecutor, filing countless civil actions against large companies, particularly tech giants, and the National Rifle Association (NRA).
In addition to Donald Trump, Letitia James (pictured August 2020) is also investigating New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations and his response to the coronavirus pandemic
When Trump was in the White House, James launched dozens of civil actions against his government.
She is also investigating New York’s powerful Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations and his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
James has been cited as a possible successor to Cuomo, particularly if her investigation forces him to resign.
Allen Weisselberg
The 73-year-old is the Trump Organization’s long-serving chief financial officer and one of the family’s most loyal servants.
He began as an accountant for Trump’s father’s company before joining the Trump Organization as financial controller in the 1980s when Donald established himself as a Manhattan real estate mogul.
Allen Weisselberg, pictured standing behind former president Donald Trump and his son Donald Jr. in January 2017, has served as the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization since the 1980s
Weisselberg has been around for all of Trump’s entrepreneurial adventures, including when his Atlantic City casinos went bust.
According to Barbara Res, a former executive vice president at the Trump Organization, Weisselberg ‘thought Trump was a god,’ she told the Daily News.
Investigators believe Weisselberg knows all of the Trump family secrets and have been putting pressure on him for months to cooperate with their investigation.
Observers are closely watching whether Weisselberg will turn against his former boss.
Michael Cohen
Trump’s ex-personal lawyer was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 for tax evasion and violating campaign finance laws relating to Trump’s 2016 vote win.
Cohen was one of Trump’s closest henchmen for a decade, once proudly boasting that he was prepared to ‘take a bullet’ for the real estate mogul-turned-president.
Michael Cohen, pictured March 2021, openly rejoices in former boss Donald Trump’s legal troubles on Twitter and through his podcast
He turned against his former boss, though, deciding to collaborate with federal investigators in Manhattan.
During a Congressional hearing in February 2019, Cohen alleged — among other things — that Trump regularly undervalued or overvalued his assets, both with banks and insurance companies.
Cohen openly rejoices in Trump’s legal troubles on Twitter and through his podcast ‘Mea Culpa.’
Source: AFP
‘We want Trump to declare an insurrection and call us up as the militia’: Oath Keepers founder rallied Capitol rioters on a conference call on November 9 – just six days after the election, new indictment reveals
The founder of far-right militia Oath Keepers started rallying men who eventually stormed the Capitol January 6 as far back as November 9, after Biden won the election, telling them on a conference call: ‘We want Trump to declare an insurrection and call us up as the militia. Let the fight start there.’
The new details were included in an indictment against four rioters – Joseph Hackett, 50, Jason Dolan, 40, William Isaacs, 21, and another, unnamed defendant, filed on Monday.
They are among 16 Oath Keeper members who have been charged so far. The others are Thomas Caldwell, 65, Donovan Crowl, 50, Jessica Watkins, 38, Sandra Parker, 60, Bennie Parker, 70, Graydon Young, 54, Laura Steele, 52, Kelly Meggs, 52, Connie Meggs, 59, Kenneth Harrelson, 40, Roberto Minuta, 36, Joshua James, 33, Joseph Hackett, 50.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has not been charged, but he was mentioned repeatedly in the newly unsealed indictment as ‘Person One’. It’s unclear why he has not been arrested.
According to prosecutors, on November 9 – after the election was called for Biden -Rhodes told the men in an online GoToMeeting conference call: ‘We’re going to defend the president, the duly elected president. Because if you don’t, guys, you’re going to be in a bloody, bloody civil war and a bloody…insurrection, or you can call it a war or fight.
‘I’m willing to sacrifice myself for that. Let the fight start there. That will give President Trump what he needs, frankly.
‘If things go kinetic, good. If they throw bombs at us and shoot us, great, because that brings the president his reason and rationale for dropping the Insurrection Act.”
‘I do want some Oath Keepers to stay on the outside, and to stay fully armed and prepared to go in armed, if they have to…So our posture’s gonna be that we’re posted outside of DC, um, awaiting the President’s orders. . . . We hope he will give us the orders.
‘We want him to declare an insurrection, and to call us up as the militia.’
By then, claims from Trump’s camp about voter fraud were widespread and millions thought he’d been robbed of victory.
Over the coming months, members of the group allegedly plotted the attack.
Watkins is said to have recruited people in Ohio, telling them he was organizing a week-long training camp and saying: ‘I need you fighting fit by inauguration.’
On November 17, when asked what his prediction was for the coming year, Watkins allegedly told a recruit: ‘I can’t predict. I don’t underestimate the resolve of the Deep State.
‘Biden may still yet be our President. If he is, our way of life as we know it is over. Our Republic would be over.
‘Then it is our duty as Americans to fight, kill and die for our rights.’
The men who have been arrested continued to exchange texts and emails until the riot.
Rhodes encouraged them online, according to the indictment.
On January 4, he posted online: ‘It is CRITICAL that all patriots who can be in DC get to DC to stand tall in support of President Trump’s fight to defeat the enemies foreign and domestic who are attempting a coup, through the massive vote fraud and related attacks on our Republic.
‘We Oath Keepers are both honor-bound and eager to be there in strength to do our part.’
In another, he said: ‘As we have done on all recent DC Ops, we will also have well armed and equipped QRF1 teams on standby, outside DC, in the event of a worst case scenario, where the President calls us up as part of the militia to to assist him inside DC.
‘We don’t expect a need for him to call on us for that at this time, but we stand ready if he does (and we also stand ready to answer the call to serve as militia anytime in the future, and anywhere in our nation, if he does invoke the Insurrection Act).’
Despite his alleged role in organizing the men who have been charged, Rhodes has not.
He claimed in March that he and other Oath Keeper members were the victims of a conspiracy.
‘I may go to jail soon, not for anything I actually did, but for made-up crimes,’ he said.
This superseding indictment, part of a larger federal government criminal conspiracy case, now includes a total of 16 Oath Keepers. The other 12 co-defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors have said in recent weeks that other members of the militia group planned to commit violence and brought firearms into the city.
The Oath Keepers accept anyone, the recent court filing notes, but ‘explicitly focus on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement, and first-responder personnel.’
Senate Republicans last week voted down a House-passed bill that would create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack.
Democrats were unable to override a Republican filibuster placed on the bill during a Friday vote of 54 to 35, with 60 votes needed.
Republican Sens. Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman and Ben Sasse voted alongside 48 Democrats.
The bill is now essentially dead – though Democrats may launch other investigations and some are ongoing in Senate committees.
Last month, a founding member of the far-right group Oath Keepers has pleaded guilty to two felony charges over the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
Jon Ryan Schaffer, 53, struck a plea deal with prosecutors Friday, becoming the first person charged in relation to the attack to plead guilty.
Schaffer was initially slapped with six charges over the violent incident, but pleaded guilty to two charges as part of the deal: obstruction of an official proceeding and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Police said Schaffer – who hails from Indiana – was armed with bear spray when he barged into the Capitol following a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally held earlier in the day.
As part of the plea deal, Schaffer has agreed to cooperate with investigators – prompting rumors he may ‘turn’ on some of his fellow Oath Keeper members.
The Oath Keepers are a far-right, anti-government militia group who claim they have a membership of around 35,000.
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