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The ten surviving former defense ministers of the United States, between the two appointed by Donald Trump, warn against military interference in the transition after the elections.
Pentagon and Washington. Photograph: Charles Dharapak / AP / NTB
Ashton Carter, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Mark Esper, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld call in a column in The Washington Post that the Pentagon must commit to a peaceful transfer of power.
“Attempts to involve the US military in the resolution of electoral disputes could lead us into dangerous, illegal and unconstitutional territory,” the ten former Pentagon chiefs wrote in the newspaper on Sunday.
Former defense ministers point out that the electoral process and a peaceful transfer of power are the hallmarks of American democracy. All transfers of power since the civil war have been peaceful, they note.
– This year should not be an exception, they write.
The former ministers, who come from the two major US parties, and with Esper and Mattis as Trump-appointed defense ministers, point out that legal attempts to challenge the election results have been rejected by the courts, and state authorities have confirmed the results.
They call on Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and the rest of the Pentagon to cooperate fully and facilitate the transition of the Joe Biden administration.
– They should also refrain from any political action that undermines the elections or hinders the success of the new administration, they write.
