President Donald Trump has appointed Gen. Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser and a leader in the extremist QAnon conspiracy theorist movement, to serve on an advisory board for West Point military academy.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social account, fulfilling a promise he made to Flynn in 2023 that he would bring him back into the federal government if he won the election.
Flynn posted a video in 2020 showing himself and a small group taking the QAnon oath, emphasizing the QAnon catchphrase “where we go one, we go all.” Flynn was also banned from posting on Twitter in 2021 for violating the site’s policy at the time against accounts “solely dedicated to sharing QAnon content” (under current owner Elon Musk, such content is no longer prohibited).
QAnon is a fringe conspiracy movement that believes in the myth that a secret group of pedophiles within the federal government is kidnapping children. QAnon supporters have promoted the mythology that Trump is leading a revolution against this “deep state” group. QAnon adherents have been involved in various crimes, including murder, assassination plots, and kidnappings.
Flynn served as Trump’s national security adviser and was removed from his position after he lied to then-Vice President Mike Pence about conversations he had with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the agency’s investigation into Russian interference in favor of Trump during the 2016 election. Pence rescinded his guilty plea and was pardoned by Trump.
Trump also appointed pro-Trump propagandist and bigot Charlie Kirk to serve on the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors, as well as Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville who impacted military families by holding up a series of promotions in 2024.
Trump personal aide Walt Nauta, who was indicted along with Trump in special counsel Jack Smith’s classified documents case, was appointed to the Naval Academy Board of Visitors. Smith dropped the charges after Trump won the election.
The appointments follow in the footsteps of several Trump actions that have hurt the armed forces and veterans. Trump purged longtime diversity clubs from military academies, has allowed Musk’s DOGE group to disrupt research on military protection equipment, and has purged employees from the Veterans Administration, adversely affecting veteran health care.
Republished with permission from Daily Kos.
