"Morning Joe" welcomed Associated Press reporter Michelle Smith, who helped create a new documentary in partnership with PBS's Frontline on disgraced former general Michael Flynn, who is waging a kind of holy war by combining anti-vaccine people with evangelicals and conspiracy theorists.
"You know, Michelle, we've had quite a few guests on over the past several weeks talking about how, well, one of the biggest problems of to Christian Nationalism is -- actually has little to do with Christianity," said co-host Joe Scarborough. "And we're seeing this across the West. We saw it in Italy and have seen it in other countries, too, where the very people who associate themselves as Christian Nationalists are people who go to church less, and their Christianity is more about a cultural identifier than a biblical identifier."
Smith explained that Flynn has been traveling the country and bringing together thousands of people to tell them they're victims of a liberal effort to destroy Christianity.
"We spent two days at the Reawaken America tour. It stopped in western New York," said Smith. "And this is a tour that Flynn started last year. There have been 15 cities that it's visited. It will be in Pennsylvania in a couple of days, and it's basically this two-day event that brings together Christian Nationalists, anti-vaxers, [and] conspiracy theorists of various stripes. Eric Trump was there. Roger Stone was there. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spoken at it in the past. and it is -- it has the feeling of -- one person I spoke to called it a pep rally on spiritual steroids. It mixes politics and religion and conspiracy theory all together."
IN OTHER NEWS: Trump's latest rant about his rape defamation case could 'blow a hole' in his defense: report
She went on to say that bringing people together like this highlights that they are accepted in a group of people at a time that the rest of the world is calling them out for false conspiracies.
"But then it also fosters this feeling of us versus them. One of the things that Flynn says at these events, and says frequently, is that we are in a spiritual war in America," Smith continued. "And the idea that this is war of good versus evil. And literal evil, that there are evil people in this country who are working from the inside against the country. So mixing this idea of spiritual war together with Christian Nationalism many people told us is a very dangerous mixture because it's setting Americans against each other."
Smith also said that Flynn is desperate to get back into government and claims that he wants to bring back "constitutional principles," as if America is no longer following the founding documents.
Scarborough also pointed out that Flynn has hitched his wagon to Russia and Vladimir Putin, claiming that he is fighting for Christianity.
WATCH: Ron DeSantis vows 'not to play politics' with lives ahead of new migrant flights to Dem states
"'You will know them by their fruits,' Jesus said," quoted Scarborough. "And this version of Christianity that he pushes out there, which, of course, is just absolute nonsense, is pro-Putin. He has pro-Putin quotes and says that he's a strong leader and that they're fighting for everything. And he calls Zelensky a dangerous fool, and he does that on QAnon. So, yes, his version of Christianity is supporting somebody that right now is using Iranian missiles to kill Ukrainian children. Some faith you've got there general."
Watch video below or at his link.
Michael Flynn's Christian nationalism that has nothing to do with Christianityyoutu.be
Michael Flynn's Holy War (trailer) | FRONTLINE + @Associated Presswww.youtube.com
