TORONTO -- Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, posted a video on July 4 in which he and others recite the oath of an anarchical group known for peddling unfounded conspiracy theories.
In the 53-second video, Flynn leads a group of six people in taking a modified form of the U.S. Senate's oath of office. The oath ends with the line "where we go one, we go all," which is the motto of the group QAnon.
QAnon got its start in 2017 with a post on the forum 4chan that claimed Hillary Clinton was about to be arrested. Although that did not happen, it led to the creation of the disinformation-pushing movement that claims Trump is attempting to stop various high-profile politicians and A-list celebrities from sexually abusing children.
The group also shares false theories about major news items including elections, mass shootings and the novel coronavirus. It has also seeped into mainstream politics, as three Republican candidates from Congress are sympathetic toward or supportive of the group.
Flynn's video was accompanied by a tweet in which he used the hashtag #TakeTheOath, which is dominated by QAnon supporters, as well as nine American flag emojis and the phrases "Happy 4th of July" and "God Bless America".
A former military lieutenant general, Flynn was Trump's first national security adviser but lasted only a few weeks in the position, resigning after misleading the White House about his dealings with Russia.
