- Mike Flynn refused to answer when asked under oath whether he believes the violence on January 6 was justified.
- "Can we have a minute?" his lawyer immediately asked.
- Over a minute and a half later, after asking for clarification, Flynn said he pleaded "the fifth."
The January 6 committee revealed on Tuesday that former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn pleaded the Fifth Amendment when asked whether he believed the violence on January 6, 2021, was justified.
The revelation came amid former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony before the committee during a discussion about a pre-January 6 meeting taking place at the Willard Hotel near the White House. Flynn was present at the meeting.
During that line of questioning, committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming aired a clip of Flynn appearing to struggle with the question.
"General Flynn, do you believe the violence on January 6 was justified?" Cheney said in the clip.
Flynn's lawyer immediately asked to consult with Flynn privately, which lasted for 1 minute and 36 seconds.
"Could you repeat the question please?" the lawyer then asked.
Flynn and his lawyer then asked Cheney to clarify whether she meant the question legally or morally.
"I'm asking both," she tersely replied.
14 more seconds passed before Flynn responded.
"I said, I said the Fifth," he said.
Flynn, the country's former national security advisor and a retired three-star Army general, also declined to say whether he believed in the peaceful transfer of power.
In the Trump administration's final weeks, Flynn publicly advocated for Trump to impose martial law and to use the US military to seize voting machines across the US; the US military has no constitutional role in state or federal elections.