Jim Clyburn Lambasts ‘Sunshine Patriot’ Michael Flynn as ‘Being Patriotic to This Country Only When the Weather Is Pleasant’

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) slammed former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for suggesting on Saturday that the U.S. should have only one religion.

Flynn’s comments came amid the ReAwaken America Tour, during which he said, “if we are going to have one nation under God — which we must — we have to have one religion, one nation under God and one religion under God.”

“We can’t really say he needs to read the Constitution, because I think he would probably just violate the Constitution if it were up to him,” CNN’s Jim Acosta said after playing the clip of Flynn for the congressman.

In response, Clyburn referenced Thomas Paine‘s pamphlet, “The American Crisis,” in which “the summer soldier and sunshine patriot” were mocked for their cowardice.

“I put that gentleman, Mr. Flynn, among the sunshine patriots,” Clyburn said. “They are patriotic to this country only when the weather is pleasant and pleasing to them.”

After noting the United States’ founding principle of religious freedom, Clyburn said, “I think that the American people need to pay close attention to Mr. Flynn and all others who have been associated with the past president, because they are trying to design an autocracy.”

“They don’t want this democracy to continue because they don’t have any ideas,” Clyburn continued. “They don’t have any constitutional principles, they don’t even have individual principles. And so this country is teetering on edge. We had better pay close attention to these guys.”

Watch above, via CNN.