CNN is now seeking a court-backed “forensic search” of personal electronic devices belonging to a brother of Michael Flynn and that brother’s wife amid a lawsuit from the Flynn family members challenging some of the network’s reporting on the family’s usage of a slogan also used by adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory.
QAnon is a far-right system of thought arguing there is some kind of secret group among prominent Democrats and others in popular culture engaging in shocking acts like cannibalism and worship of Satan. It’s a particularly egregious example of low information literacy and a lack of concern for further developing one’s adeptness with information found online colliding into a potentially dangerous movement, considering the violence already perpetrated by figures believing in the nonsense, whether that’s seen in the cases of certain Capitol rioters, far-right extremists whose cases have involved family violence, or talk of an attack on someone or some organization supposedly perpetrating the imaginary atrocities. As for the Flynns, they said — on camera, “Where we go one, we go all,” which is also used by QAnon adherents.
The lawsuit from Michael’s brother John, who also goes by Jack, now evidently rests on a complaint of CNN supposedly portraying the Flynns in a so-called false light. As the discovery process moves forward, in which parties to the lawsuit are meant to be gathering relevant information in the form of depositions and evidence, the Flynns are proving resistant. “Plaintiffs’ counsel has said he has not — and will not — search additional messaging platforms containing potentially responsive documents on his clients’ cell phones, despite confirming that his clients communicated on these platforms,” CNN lawyer Katherine M. Bolger said. That’s counter-productive!
“A forensic search is warranted here given the serious doubts created by Plaintiffs’ incomplete document productions and failure to produce responsive documents and communications unless confronted by the document via a third party production,” Bolger added. “Finally, Plaintiffs’ counsel has admitted that Plaintiffs have either deleted or no longer have access to some documents and communications that are relevant to this matter and were created when they were contemplating this litigation.”
Bolger raised the possibility of seeking sanctions against the plaintiffs’ side. Fundamentally, the idea that CNN was veering rhetorically out of bounds in characterizing the Flynns as at least sympathetic to QAnon is not credible, although a judge who’s handled the case — U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods — previously concluded that it wasn’t the right stage for the judge to be making conclusions based on the evidence itself and thereby allowed portions of the case to continue moving forward, for now. Perhaps the Flynns are worried about the possibility of some of their communications undercutting their case. There are already social media posts available from Flynn family members showing support for QAnon on their part.
