Michael Flynn maligned Muslims, shared fake news on Twitter

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who has been asked to serve as Donald Trump's National Security Advisor, on his Twitter accountmaligned the Muslim faith, shared fake news and interacted with far right and anti-Semitic figures.

A CNN review of Flynn's Twitter account found that the retired lieutenant general, who once served as head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, tweeted routinely with members of the so-called alt-right movement -- a far right ideological group whose members primarily use social media as platform to spread their message.

On 15 different occasions, Flynn tagged in his tweets alt-right figure Mike Cernovich, who regularly tweets inflammatory and unfounded conspiracy theories.

Flynn urged his followers to follow Cernovich, tweeting in October, "Follow Mike @Cernovich He has a terrific book, Gorilla Mindset. Well worth the read. @realDonaldTrump will win on 8 NOV!!!", the review said.

Cernovich runs a website called Danger and Play, which has pushed conspiracy theories that the Orlando Pulse shooter did not act alone and that former presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman was part of a sex cult.

Flynn has also shared Islamophobic tweets and sentiments, the CNN review noted.

"In next 24 hours, I dare Arab and Persian world 'leaders' to step up to the plate and declare their Islamic ideology sick and must be healed," Flynn tweeted in July of this year following the terrorist attack in Nice, France.

In February, Flynn made waves when he tweeted it was rational to fear Muslims.

"Fear of Muslims is rational: please forward this to others: the truth fears no questions," Flynn said with a link to a video claiming Islamophobia was rational and that Islam wanted 80 per cent of humanity enslaved or exterminated.

Days before the November 8 election, Flynn tweeted a false story claiming the New York Police Department had found evidence on former US Representative Anthony Weiner's laptop "to put Hillary (Clinton) and her crew away for life".

In October, Flynn retweeted a false claim that UN Agenda 21, a sustainable development programme, would create a one world church where Christianity was prohibited and that choosing nationalism was the only way to stop Clinton.

In July, Flynn linked a picture to a tweet that falsely claimed Clinton was "wearing hijab in solidarity with islamic terrorists".

The picture was from a 2009 trip Clinton took to Pakistan as Secretary of State.

--IANS

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