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ADVISORS TO US President Donald Trump allegedly raised the idea of invoking martial law, sparking outrage and disbelief in Washington.
Trump has largely been kept out of sight as several high-profile stories unfold in the United States, including a massive cyberattack, high-risk talks about a huge Covid-19 aid package, and the launch of a campaign. history of vaccines.
But, according to accounts by The New York Times, CNN and The Wall Street Journal, the president oversaw a turbulent meeting at the White House on Friday to discuss new ways to resist or overturn Biden’s election, with the idea of deploying the military. to help his fight up, before being knocked down.
Multiple reports said Trump also considered taking over the voting machines; and appointing Sidney Powell, a lawyer on his campaign team who has exposed a number of outlandish conspiracy theories, as a special counsel to further investigate Trump’s unsubstantiated allegations of massive voter fraud.
‘Please rerun our choice’
Present at the hectic Oval Office meeting was retired General Michael Flynn, who was briefly a national security adviser before resigning under pressure, admitting to lying to the FBI and then in November being pardoned by Trump.
Flynn recently told a Newsmax television interviewer that Trump could “take military capabilities and place them in those (battlefield) states and basically rerun our election.”
Trump denied the reports about Friday’s meeting in a short tweet shortly after midnight Saturday, saying: “Martial law = fake news. Just more malicious reporting! “
Several high-ranking military officials have made it clear that they will not participate in any effort to overturn the results of an election that has been certified by all states and confirmed by the Electoral College.
But accounts of the extraordinary meeting, which allegedly turned into “shouting matches” at times, stunned across Washington, prompting strong condemnation from some quarters, while others shook their heads in dismay.
‘Does not go anywhere’
“It’s not going to happen,” Republican senator and frequent Trump critic Mitt Romney bluntly said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” adding: “It’s not going anywhere.”
Romney, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2012, added: “It’s really sad in many respects and shameful, because the president could, right now, be writing the last chapter of this administration with a victory lap…”. on the historic launch of vaccines.
“He could be defending this story, but instead he left Washington with conspiracy theories and things so crazy and outlandish that people are shaking their heads wondering what happened to this man.”
John Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser but has been a frequent critic since leaving the administration in September, called the reported content of the meeting “appalling.”
“There is no other way to describe it,” he told CNN last night. “It’s incredible, almost certainly unprecedented.”
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But he also said that the talk was not atypical from his former boss, and a case of “incompetence” rather than “malevolence.”
“He is not fit for work.”
Jen Psaki, appointed press secretary for the Biden administration who takes office on January 20, refused to be carried away by the matter, telling “Fox News Sunday” that she would let others explain “what the hell is going on in the Oval Office. the White House.”
She added: “The leadership of the Republican Party has recognized the result of the elections.”
But Pete Buttigieg, Biden’s designated transportation secretary, was more forthcoming.
“Well, obviously, it is irresponsible and dangerous,” he told CNN.
“At the end of the day, this is a land of laws and the American people have spoken.”
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