The president of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles—one of the two groups that splintered from the late anti-feminist’s organization of the same name—has shown himself to be a supporter of the far-right QAnon conspiracy-theory movement.
Right-wing political operative Ed Martin retweeted Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, using the QAnon hashtag #WWG1WGA, shorthand for the QAnon slogan, “Where we go one, we go all.”
Flynn, who pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian diplomat ahead of Trump’s inauguration, is now trying to reverse his plea with the help of lawyer Sidney Powell. Along with an image of a bald eagle in American flag colors, Flynn tweeted Wednesday, “Over the next Seven Days, leave it all on the field. The enemy uses fear to decrease our hope and limit our victories. Patriots & Freedom will be victorious (ISAIAH 43:1 … “you are Mine”).”
Martin retweeted the former three-star general, adding, “Marching order received, Sir! Onward. #WWG1WGA.”
Marching order received, Sir! Onward. #WWG1WGA https://t.co/FdSkKEbhLv
— Ed Martin #StopTheSteal (@EagleEdMartin) October 28, 2020
QAnon followers believe that Trump is waging a secret war against a “deep state” of satanic pedophiles, made up of leaders in Democratic politics, business, and entertainment. (Some tellings of the conspiracy theory heavily pull on blood libel, alleging that these Satanic pedophiles also use their blood for evil rituals and are cannibals.) Followers believe that any day now, Trump will be successful in rooting out and exposing this deep state, rounding up these traitors with mass arrests and executions of top Democrats and Hollywood figures in what QAnon followers call “The Storm.” The conspiracy theory has become not just a movement but a network that spans multiple social media platforms, with QAnon influencers amassing large followings and entering such disparate spaces as evangelical and dominionist communities as well as sports and wellness.
Flynn has already expressed his support for the QAnon movement, which holds him up as a hero for battling the so-called “deep state.” On July 4, Flynn shared a video of himself and five other people reciting an oath popular among QAnon followers, which includes the phrase “Where we go one, we go all.”
Flynn and Martin appear to have a chummy relationship, with Martin often talking about his friendship with the former general. On Wednesday, after retweeting Flynn, Martin took to Periscope to note that he had been texting with Flynn earlier in the day and referenced Flynn’s tweet.
“He’s meeting with Sidney Powell, and they’re trying to figure out how to get out of this crazy persecution,” Martin said. “General Flynn has been very quiet on his Twitter feed and otherwise, he’s been focused on fighting for his life and his family. And he’s also been fighting for us because of what he’s done to expose the deep state.”
On Tuesday, Martin sent an email blast to his Phyllis Schlafly Eagles subscribers looking back on a speech Phyllis Schlafly made in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. But the subject line, “Eagles Fly Into The Storm,” and the text seemed to hint at a different kind of storm.
“Dear Fellow Eagle,” Martin wrote, “Phyllis said that while other birds will fly away when a storm brews, Eagles are unique because they choose to fly into the storm. Rather than be intimidated by the strong winds, Eagles spread their wings and use the wind to lift them even higher.”
“Right now, America is once again in a storm,” he continued. “We are all weary of a long and treacherous campaign season, but none of the groundwork matters if we don’t stay strong in this final stretch. Election Day is November 3, one week from today. Now is the time for every Eagle to fly into the storm!”
In early October, as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter finally began cracking down on the conspiracy theory, Martin complained, “Big Tech is silencing QAnon, Facebook is silencing QAnon.”
But though tech companies have begun cracking down on the conspiracy theory, the president has chosen not to disavow the movement, choosing to instead praise its followers in a town hall earlier this month.
This post has been updated to reflect that Michael Flynn received three stars from the Army, not four.
