Literally All Former Defense Secretaries To Trump: Don't Even F*cking Try It

Extraordinary.

The Washington Post   published something extraordinary Sunday afternoon, something that even in the middle of Trump's final shitshow, we shouldn't let pass without our notice. All 10 living former Defense secretaries — all of them — felt the need to sign an op-ed saying that under no circumstances should the United States military let itself get involved in "election disputes," by which they mean the current authoritarian clown president's attempts to overturn the clearly expressed will of the American people in the November election.

Who's on this list? Oh, just known libs like Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, plus General James Mattis and Mark Esper, the two guys who served as Donald Trump's actual Senate-confirmed Defense secretaries. Plus Ashton Carter, William Cohen, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta, and William Perry. Like we said, all of them Katie .

Some key words:

Each of us swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We did not swear it to an individual or a party.

American elections and the peaceful transfers of power that result are hallmarks of our democracy. With one singular and tragic exception that cost the lives of more Americans than all of our other wars combined, the United States has had an unbroken record of such transitions since 1789, including in times of partisan strife, war, epidemics and economic depression. This year should be no exception.

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.

Extraordinary that they even have to say this, but that's where we are. And really, it's the same place we were when Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, felt the need to say in October that "There's no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of a U.S. election. Zero, there is no role there." Except that now, we also have multiple Republican members of Congress also saying they're going to jam their dicks into the peaceful transfer of power, lodging objections that, when translated from wingnut insurgent to English, simply mean they don't recognize the votes of Black people and other non-Republicans as legitimate. That's it. That's what they think the "fraud" is, that minorities and white people they view as race traitors beat their sad asses November 3.

Oh yes, and lest we forget, disgraced traitor retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, freshly pardoned, has been whispering sweet nothings to Trump about martial law, as some part of the Krakenhead plan to steal American democracy in a coup.

Oh yes, and also too the Proud Boys and other Trump-loving incels are promising blood in the streets in DC (or something) tomorrow, while Congress certifies the Electoral College votes.

All of that is happening. So as extraordinary as it is that this op-ed needed to be published, we see why Dick Cheney felt the need to get these guys together. (Yep, he was one of the originators of the idea! Hit that link for more on how this piece came to be, and how literally all these guys were like yeeeeeeah   this unfortunately needs to be said .)

The Washington Post op-ed continues:

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.

And then they directed it right at the goon Donald Trump installed as his latest (acting) SecDef, after Trump fired Mark Esper and started putting Devin Nunes's junior MENSA buddies into senior Pentagon positions after the election, for reasons that are still not fully clear but none of which can be good:

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.

 They are just saying . This is not optional . And Trump's goons already have been behaving badly, as they suddenly just stopped briefing Joe Biden's team before Christmas and only recently restarted, while still dragging their feet about it. God knows what other proverbial IEDs they've got hidden in their vests. Put nothing past them.

So that is where we are. Rest of this week gonna be a shitshow, but we're gonna make it to January 20, and then Joe Biden will be president. End of story.

[ Washington Post ]

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