This is a wake up call that the nonsense needs to stop. We are getting into dark and dangerous areas with all this talk of insurrection and Donald Trump staying in power despite being soundly defeated at the polls. It has been speculated that his supporters may decide to become violent once it’s finally revealed to them that Joe Biden was declared the winner on November 7 and everything that has followed since from Team Trump has been propaganda for the purpose of grifting.
All ten living former secretaries of state, to wit, Ashton Carter, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Mark Esper, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld have seen fit to co-author an opinion piece in the Washington Post:
Our elections have occurred. Recounts and audits have been conducted. Appropriate challenges have been addressed by the courts. Governors have certified the results. And the electoral college has voted. The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived.
As senior Defense Department leaders have noted, “there’s no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of a U.S. election.” Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory. Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.
Transitions, which all of us have experienced, are a crucial part of the successful transfer of power. They often occur at times of international uncertainty about U.S. national security policy and posture. They can be a moment when the nation is vulnerable to actions by adversaries seeking to take advantage of the situation.
Given these factors, particularly at a time when U.S. forces are engaged in active operations around the world, it is all the more imperative that the transition at the Defense Department be carried out fully, cooperatively and transparently. Acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller and his subordinates — political appointees, officers and civil servants — are each bound by oath, law and precedent to facilitate the entry into office of the incoming administration, and to do so wholeheartedly. They must also refrain from any political actions that undermine the results of the election or hinder the success of the new team.
We call upon them, in the strongest terms, to do as so many generations of Americans have done before them. This final action is in keeping with the highest traditions and professionalism of the U.S. armed forces, and the history of democratic transition in our great country.
The fact that these people even felt compelled to join together and put this in writing is sobering in and of itself.
I know there are some here who believe trump & his sycophants are too stupid, disorganized, etc. to pull off a serious threat to our democracy. When the law hammers the common folk & lets the rich walk, i find mysrlf agreeing with St.Francis who said an unjust law is no law at all. In a lawless land anything is possible. Frankly anyone else colluding with our enemies to overthrow our democracy would be escorted to federal prison, much lest violating the office of president, senator, representative, attorney general, etc to do so. Trump isnt done, truth be damned. I will breathe easier on jan 20.
Yeah, I’m one of those somebodies, thank you, because the evidence keeps proving that’s EXACTLY that very point. Having been beat down enough in my life with nobody on the way, I know when a man is whipped.
I’ve said this several times. I’ve never meant it more than this very moment. He…is…done. All he can do is make it worse for himself and that’s just what he’s doing.
Oh, I’m one who calls him the #1 american serial killer, so no matter what wrist slap he gets from respectable folk trying to be christian, i hope it gets much much worse for them all. Of course, even a blind pig finds an acorn if it roots around enough.
Ted Cruz is auditioning to be the new darling of the base, and he is learning from Trump’s mistakes.
When you’ve lost professional war criminals like Rumsfeld and Cheney, you done effed up.
It’s a warning to the political minions who are running DOD.
‘political appointees, officers and civil servants — are each bound by oath, law and precedent’
The worry is, we’ve seen what that means to current Republicans. Hopefully this will give them an extra nudge in the right direction.
And I’m sure they all speak fondly of Eisenhower. It doesn’t do diddly-squat.
The Pentagon will not be lead by a complete nutcase.