In an extraordinary rebuke to President Donald Trump, the 10 living former defense secretaries warn against any move to involve the military in pursuing allegations of electoral fraud, arguing that it would lead the country into “dangerous, illegal and unconstitutional territory.”
The 10 men, both Democrats and Republicans, signed an op-ed published Sunday in The Washington Post that implicitly questioned Trump’s willingness to fulfill his constitutional duty to peacefully resign from power on January 20. After the November 3 elections and subsequent accounts in some states, in addition to the unsuccessful legal challenges, the result is clear, they wrote, although they did not specify Trump in the article.
“The time to question the results is past; The time has come for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and the statute, ”they wrote.
Former Pentagon chiefs warned against using the military in any effort to change the outcome.
“Efforts to involve the US military in the resolution of electoral disputes would lead us into dangerous, illegal and unconstitutional territory,” they wrote. “Civil and military officials who direct or carry out such measures will be responsible, even facing possible criminal sanctions, for the serious consequences of their actions in our republic.”
Several high-ranking military officials, including General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said publicly in recent weeks that the military has no role in determining the outcome of the American election and that its allegiance is to the Constitution. , not to an individual leader or a political party.
The 10 former Pentagon leaders also warned in their Post article about the dangers of preventing a full and smooth transition in the Defense Department before Opening Day as part of a transfer to power from President-elect Joe Biden. Biden has complained about efforts by Trump-appointed Pentagon officials to obstruct the transition.
Without mentioning a specific example, the former defense secretaries wrote that transfers of power “often occur at times of international uncertainty about the United States’ national security policy and posture,” adding: “They may be a time when that the nation is vulnerable to the actions of to take advantage of the situation “.
The tensions with Iran represent precisely that moment. Sunday marked a year since the assassination by the United States of Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian general; Iran has vowed to avenge the killing, and US officials said in recent days that they are on heightened alert for a possible Iranian attack on US forces or interests in the Middle East.
In a further sign of the tension between the United States and Iran, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Milller announced Sunday night that he had changed his mind about sending the Navy’s aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, home from the Middle East and will take the ship instead. on call. Last week, Miller announced that he would send the Nimitzes home, a decision that senior military officials had opposed.
In backing down, Miller cited “recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other US government officials.” He did not elaborate and the Pentagon did not respond to questions.
The Post’s op-ed was signed by Dick Cheney, William Perry, Donald Rumsfeld, William Cohen, Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Ash Carter, James Mattis, and Mark Esper. Mattis was Trump’s first defense secretary; He resigned in 2018 and was replaced by Esper, who was fired just days after the November 3 elections.
The Post reported that the idea to write the op-ed began with a conversation 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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