A Glimpse Inside Michael Flynn’s Holy War

October 18, 2022

Patrice Taddonio

Michael Flynn spent decades fighting wars overseas, from Central America to Iraq to Afghanistan.

Now, the retired three-star general is fighting a war at home.

The new documentary from FRONTLINE and The Associated Press, Michael Flynn’s Holy War, traces that transformation, showing how Flynn has become a leader in a political movement that’s attracting election deniers, conspiracy theorists and extremists from around the country.

Based on more than a year of reporting by award-winning director Richard Rowley (American Insurrection) and AP correspondent Michelle R. Smith, the documentary examines the movement’s volatile mix of politics and conspiracy theories — and its efforts to put its brand of Christianity at the center of American civic life and institutions.

As the above excerpt from the documentary shows, this ideology — known as Christian nationalism — was on display at the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, where camouflage and tactical gear mingled with Christian imagery.

“This idea that this was spiritual warfare, it’s not even an undertone,” says Denver Riggleman, a former military intelligence officer and Republican congressman from Virginia who was the senior technical advisor to the Jan. 6 House select committee. “It was almost, uh, right out and hit you in the face that this was religious warfare and really that is the baseline of this, is this good against evil apocalyptic message.”

After the 2020 election, Flynn championed false claims about voting fraud and became a chief promotor of the “stop the steal” effort, which culminated in the Jan. 6 attack. The documentary shows how Flynn framed the fight in terms of God, patriotism and politics, vocally spreading his Christian nationalist message both before and after Jan. 6.

When the Jan. 6 House select committee asked Flynn if the violence at the Capitol that day was justified and if he believed in the peaceful transfer of presidential power, Flynn pleaded the fifth.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the committee, tells FRONTLINE and the AP in the above excerpt, “We are under siege by a movement that has proven itself willing to engage in violence to overthrow our elections and our institutions.”

Flynn has said he is fighting a “spiritual battle” to “save America” against enemies including “the left, the socialists, the Marxists, the communists.” In a video responding to the AP and FRONTLINE’s reporting, he said he was being subject to a misinformation campaign.

He also took issue with the term “Christian nationalism”: “They are projecting what they are on us. And so this idea of Christian nationals, it’s like we’re a bunch of Nazis from world, from the 1930s or something. That’s not — that is so far from the truth,” he said. “I want people to go back to two documents. One is the Bible and one is the Constitution. And you cannot dispute those.”

For the full story on how Flynn’s influence has only grown since Jan. 6, 2021, watch Michael Flynn’s Holy War, premiering at pbs.org/frontline and in the PBS Video App Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 7/6c, and on PBS stations (check local listings) and FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel at 9/8c. The documentary, which is supported by Preserving Democracy, a public media reporting initiative from The WNET Group, is a FRONTLINE production with Midnight Films, LLC in partnership with The Associated Press. The director and writer is Richard Rowley. The producers are Paul Abowd and Jacqueline Soohen. The reporters are Michelle R. Smith, Paul Abowd and Richard Rowley. The correspondent is Michelle R. Smith. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.