The 10 men, Democrats and Republicans, signed an opinion paper in the Washington Post that implicitly trump’s willingness to respect his constitutional duty to peacefully forgo force on January 20. without specifying Trump in the article.
“Time has passed for effects; the time has come for formal counting of electoral school votes, as prescribed by the Constitution and statute,” they wrote.
Former Pentagon chiefs have warned that they oppose the army in any effort to replace the outcome.
“Efforts to involve the U. S. military in resolving electoral disputes would lead us to dangerous, illegal, and unconstitutional territory,” they wrote. “Civilian and army officers who lead or execute such measures would be responsible, adding punishable by criminal sanctions, for the serious consequences of their movements in our republic. “
Several senior officials, adding General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have publicly stated in recent weeks that the military has no role in determining the final results of the U. S. election and that its loyalty is to the Constitution and to an individual leader or political party.
The 10 former Pentagon officials also warned in their Post article about the risks of preventing an elegant and complete transition to The Dement of Defense before inauguration day from a movement to force President-elect Joe Biden. Biden has complained about efforts through Trump. appointed Pentagon officials to prevent the transition.
Not to mention an express example, former Defense secretaries wrote that force transfers “often occur in times of foreign uncertainty about U. S. policy and the national security stance,” adding, “Possibly a time when the country is vulnerable to adversary movements to take advantage of the situation.
Tensions with Iran are that moment. Sunday marked a year since the US killing of Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s highest general; Iran has promised to avenge the assassination, and U. S. officials have said in recent days that they are on highest alert for a possible Iranian attack on U. S. forces or interests in the Middle East.
In another sign of tension between the United States and Iran, Interim Defense Secretary Christopher Milller announced Sunday night that he had replaced his brain over the return of the Navy’s aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, to the Middle East and that he would instead keep shipping. Duty. Last week, Miller announced that he would send the Nimitzs home, a resolution opposed by senior officials.
In reversing, Miller cited “recent threats made through Iranian leaders who oppose President Trump and other U. S. government officials. “He gave more details and the Pentagon answered the questions.
The Post’s opinion article signed through Dick Cheney, William Perry, Donald Rumsfeld, William Cohen, Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Ash Carter, James Mattis and Mark Esper. Mattis Trump’s first Secretary of Defense; he resigned in 2018 and replaced him through Esper, who said goodbye a few days after the November 3 election.
The Post reported that the concept of writing the opinion article began with a verbal exchange between Cheney and Eric Edelman, a retired ambassador and former senior Pentagon official, about how Trump might seek to use the military in the coming days.
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