Disgraced former Trump aide Michael Flynn sparks outrage by saying US must have only one religion

Former national security adviser says there should be ‘one religion under God’ and brands Nancy Pelosi ‘Pontius Pilate’

Disgraced former Donald Trump aide Michael Flynn has sparked outrage by saying that the US must have only one religion.

Mr Flynn, who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, called for a single religion on stage at the “Reawaken America” conference in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday night – an event featuring a flurry of Trump loyalists and anti-vaxx doctors.

“If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion," he said.

"One nation under God, and one religion under God.”

Mr Flynn faced an instant backlash for his comments with critics saying he “hates the constitution” and warning about history repeating itself with the Holocaust.

“Michael Flynn hates the US Constitution,” tweeted Preet Bharara, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Fred Guttenberg, gun safety activist and the father of Parkland massacre victim Jaime Guttenberg, said that Mr Flynn’s comments proved why people need to be educated about “things like race in America and the Holocaust”.

“I am assuming when Michael Flynn tells his GQP followers we need to be a nation with ‘one religion’ he probably is not thinking Judaism,” he tweeted.

“And so, it begins. Maybe teaching history about things like race in America and the Holocaust do matter.”

California Rep Ted Lieu suggested that Mr Flynn “would fall asleep in Church class” and said he was thankful that the US is not a theocracy – a type of government where one religious body holds unlimited power.

“I’m Catholic and do we really want government to force everyone to go to confession? I got baptized in college and those Church courses were soooo long. Michael Flynn would fall asleep in Church class,” he tweeted.

“Sure glad we live in a Constitutional Republic instead of a theocracy.”

Ron Filipkowski hit out at Josh Mandel, an Ohio state treasurer who is running for the Senate, after he came out in support of Mr Flynn.

"We stand with General Flynn,” Mr Mandel tweeted on Saturday.

“Mandel’s grandfather survived the Holocaust,” pointed out Mr Filipkowski, a Florida attorney who resigned from Governor Ron DeSantis’ 12th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission in protest at the treatment of data scientist whistleblower Rebekah Jones, who claimed she was told to manipulate Covid-19 data by Florida health officials.

At the “Reawaken America” tour, Mr Flynn also branded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “Pontius Pilate” – the Roman official who ordered Jesus’ crucifixion – and called Steve Bannon’s indictment for contempt of Congress an "abuse of freedom of speech”.

“I just did a media hit with Tucker Carlson for his show this evening and we talked about this nonsense going on with what I call the insurrection crucifixion and Nancy Pelosi is the Pontius Pilate,” he said.

“She’s the Pontius Pilate. This is a crucifixion of our First Amendment, freedom to speak, freedom to peacefully assemble.

"It’s unbelievable."

He claimed: “Steve Bannon was indicted today for freedom of speech, basically for abuse of freedom of speech.”

Mr Bannon, a former White House strategist under Mr Trump, was indicted on Friday for contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with a subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot.

He was subpoenaed to appear for a deposition and to hand over documents related to the violent insurrection on January 6 where Mr Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn the result of the presidential election.

Earlier this month, Mr Flynn was also sent a subpoena by the committee to testify about an Oval Office meeting he attended last December about pushing the false claims that the election was stolen from Mr Trump.

Mr Flynn worked as Mr Trump’s first national security adviser before being fired just 25 days into the administration for misleading then-Vice President Mike Pence and lying to the FBI.

He pleaded guilty twice to lying to federal investigators about his communications with Russia.

Mr Trump granted him a full pardon before leaving the White House.

Mr Flynn is also known for having pushed several conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and the presidential election.

He continues to push the “Big Lie” that the election was stolen from Mr Trump, even after this has been disproven.

He has also claimed, without any evidence, that Covid-19 vaccines are being added to salad dressings.