Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn testified in the Jan. 6 select committee hearings this week – sort of. Really, he avoided answering several direct questions by pleading the fifth, and Seth Meyers made a point to call him out for it on Thursday.
During his “A Closer Look” segment, Meyers focused on driving home just how thoroughly the Jan. 6 hearings have shown “the degree to which the people involved in the scheme all had criminal intent.” That includes Flynn, who repeatedly embraced his right to remain silent “during a series of what you would think would be pretty straightforward questions for any non-fascists.”
Those questions included whether Flynn believed that the violence on Jan. 6 was “justified morally” or “justified legally,” as well as if he believes in “the peaceful transition of power in the United States of America.” To all of those, Flynn pleaded the fifth.
“You’re pleading the fifth over a hypothetical that has nothing to do with the law?” Meyers marveled. “The Fifth Amendment doesn’t work like that. It’s not ‘Family Feud.’ It doesn’t say you have the right to pass after you buzz in. It protects you from self-incrimination.”
Meyers then noted that, in most cases, he wouldn’t immediately assume that someone is guilty just because they invoke their fifth amendment rights. But for him, this isn’t most cases.
“These are just benign hypotheticals,” Meyers said. “This is like if your spouse said, ‘How do you feel about monogamy?’ and your answer was, ‘I’m invoking my fifth amendment right not to answer any questions about your sister.’ It’s not gonna end the conversation!”
Of course, Flynn wasn’t the sole target of Meyers’ jokes. He also poked fun at conservatives like Matt Gaetz, John Eastman and others who reportedly hounded Trump for presidential pardons after their roles in the insurrection.
You can watch the full “A Closer Look” segment in the video above.