Michael Flynn’s Family Sues CNN Over Report Alleging QAnon Affiliation

[IceWizard]

Former national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (Ret.)
speaks at the “Let the Church ROAR” National Prayer Rally on
the National Mall in Washington on Dec. 12, 2020.
(Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)






Michael Flynn’s Family Sues CNN
Over Report Alleging QAnon Affiliation



BY ZACHARY STIEBER
March 26, 2021
Updated: March 26, 2021



Two family members of former national security adviser Michael Flynn sued CNN on Thursday,
asserting a report connecting them to the QAnon movement constituted defamation.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York, and obtained
by The Epoch Times, says CNN’s Feb. 4 video report “falsely accused Plaintiffs of being
‘followers’ and supporters of” QAnon.

The plaintiffs are John Flynn and Leslie Flynn, Michael Flynn’s brother and sister-in-law.

QAnon supporters promote a variety of ideas, including the existence of a so-called deep state
that’s in control of the U.S. government. Some supporters believe that a group of wealthy
globalists are part of a sex trafficking conspiracy involving children, pointing to the charges
against late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as proof.

FBI Director Christopher Wray has described QAnon as “a complex set of conspiracy theories.”

The video story, “CNN Goes Inside a Gathering of QAnon Followers,” featured reporter
Donie O’Sullivan reporting from a gathering in Arizona of people he said support QAnon.


At one point, Sullivan said: “‘Where we go one, we go all,’ an infamous QAnon slogan
promoted by Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.”

In support of the remark, CNN aired a clip from a video that Michael Flynn posted on
social media on July 4, 2020. The video showed members of the Flynn family taking an
oath to the U.S. Constitution before Michael Flynn used the phrase.

The phrase was first engraved on a sailboat owned by President John F. Kennedy and
the video had nothing to do with QAnon, John and Leslie Flynn say.



The CNN sign is seen outside the news network’s headquarters in
New York City in a file photograph.
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)


CNN’s intent to defame is shown by the way the network left out both the oath to
the Constitution and the words “God Bless America,” “fraudulently making it appear
and insinuating that Plaintiffs pledged an oath of allegiance to QAnon,” the suit stated.

“Plaintiffs are not followers or supporters of any extremist or terrorist groups, including
QAnon. CNN falsely attributed to Plaintiffs associations that never existed, actions
Plaintiffs never took, including an oath of allegiance to QAnon, and views Plaintiffs never
held. CNN’s false attributions exposed Plaintiffs to public scorn, ridicule and contempt,
lowered their esteem in the community, causing insult, embarrassment, humiliation
and substantial injury to Plaintiffs’ reputations.”

To this day, plaintiffs have had to defend themselves when asked by friends and
others about the report.

Jack and Leslie Flynn, both of Rhode Island, live in Rhode Island. They enjoyed an
“untarnished reputation” in their community before CNN’s video report,
according to the suit.

The couple is seeking $75 million.

CNN and O’Sullivan didn’t respond to requests for comment.