Donald Trumpβs onetime national security adviser Michael Flynn warned at an Arizona campaign event that governors may soon βdeclare war.β
He also said that β90% of federal agenciesβ should be eliminated.
The far-right extremist pushed his theories in a speech earlier this week at a campaign event for Trump-endorsed, QAnon-supporting election denier Mark Finchem, whoβs running for Arizona secretary of state.
βJust lock βem up,β Flynn exclaimed, apparently referring to federal agencies he wants shuttered.
βStatesβ rights,β he added. βDid you know that a governor can declare war? A governor can declare war. And weβre going to probably see that,β Flynn warned.
It wasnβt clear what situations might convince governors to βdeclare warβ in Flynnβs scenario β possibly if theyβre unhappy with the result of presidential elections in a democracy. The last time governors tried that, it launched a civil war they didnβt win.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution states that it is Congress that has the power to βdeclare war,β to βraise and support armies.β For the U.S. to wage war, Congress has to pass a resolution in both chambers, then present it to the president, who shall then direct the military as βcommander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States,β according to Article II, Section 2.
Flynn left the Trump administration within weeks after he was named national security adviser because of his lies about connections to Russia amid the investigation into Kremlin interference into the 2016 presidential election.
He later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his Russian ties during Trumpβs campaign and transition into the White House. He was sentenced to prison, but Trump pardoned him in 2020.
Flynn, who earlier this month claimed βIsraelisβ are attempting to inject robotics into Americans to turn them into cyborgs, has been appointed a βpoll watcherβ for midterm elections by the Republican Party in Sarasota, Florida. Heβll be joined by a leader of the local Proud Boys militia, which aims to overthrow the U.S. government. (Flynn last week said he heard salad dressings were being laced with COVID vaccines.)
Critics are furious that Trump pardoned Flynn β and that he continues to collect a military pension while he appears to oppose everything the military is sworn to protect.