Twitter CEO Elon Musk restored Michael Flynn’s account on the microblogging site on Friday. The verdict arrives a year after the infamous January 6 attack.
Quick Facts
- Flynn, previously a national security adviser, was one of the most scandalous 2020 election deniers
- He was banned from Twitter two days after the deadly insurgence for “coordinated harmful activity”
- Before his suspension, Flynn posted conspiracy theories and false claims about the 2020 election results
The former Trump advisor, who had more than 1 million followers started spreading internet slander in the aftermath of the insurrection. According to him, Covid-19 was a hoax designed to crush the 2020 elections.
He is a devout Christian who advocated for it to be the only religion practiced in the United States in November 2021. On Thursday, Flynn shared that he was still suspended from the platform through a podcast.
Why was Michael Flynn Banned from Twitter?
Twitter decided to ban a few accounts for spreading information about the right-leaning QAnon conspiracy theory. So prominent QAnon figure Michael Flynn and other Donald Trump supporters were not allowed on the platform anymore.
“The accounts have been suspended in line with our policy on Coordinated Harmful Activity,” the company shared. The company admitted that it would resort to harsh measures if any content posted on the site initiates offline harm.
The accounts solely dedicated to posting QAnon content were permanently banned in the aftermath of the uprising. Flynn, who served as an Army lieutenant general and Trump’s national security advisor, lied to FBI agents about his exchange with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S.
That was before Trump, who pardoned Flynn in November 2022, was elected four years ago. These permanent suspensions were declared among the highest-profile bans that the company ever imposed to fight against misinformation and utterances of violence.
Before that, the company took strict action against thousands of QAnon-related profiles in July 2020. Some accounts were tough to spot but Flynn was an active participant in perpetuating political propaganda. He is a popular member of the QAnon community and a video of him pledging an oath to QAnon in July circulated widely on the internet.
Flynn was a proactive propagator of the conspiracy theory, reiterating the “where we go one we go all” slogan and sharing references about the problematic theory on Twitter. He had close relations with Trump as they collectively tried to overturn the presidential election results.
Why did Elon Musk reinstate Flynn back on Twitter?
Elon Musk is receiving constant backlash for reinstating Flynn’s account on Twitter. The far-right propagandist thanked the Twitter CEO for allowing him back on the platform.
After Flynn’s podcast appearance Roger Stone, a known ally of Trump spoke against the ban and asked the billionaire to reinstate Flynn through a tweet.
On Friday afternoon, Flynn’s account was restored on the Twitter timeline. Twitter users immediately lashed out at Musk and criticized the timing of his decision. “ZERO coincidence that Twitter restored Misha [Russian flag] Flynn’s account today, January 6, of all days,” shared Dena Grayson, former Democratic candidate for Congress.
Ever since Musk took over the social media giant in October 2022, Musk has been battling allegations about being partial toward right-wing groups and politicians despite his stance on promoting neutrality and “free speech.”
Musk was probed by several media outlets and newsletters for answers. However, he did not respond to or answer any of the insiders’ questions about the reason for the reinstatement, policy, and timing. Twitter’s communications department which ceased operations after Musk’s takeover in October, did not write back to emails.
“I would like to say a personal thank you @elonmusk for all he does to protect our basic human rights, especially our freedom of speech,” Flynn shared. “To everyone who offered their strong voices of support to bring me back, thank you! God bless America.”
