After the House Judiciary Committee voted to send the impeachment articles against Nixon to the full House but before Nixon resigned, Secretary of Defense James Schleisinger called in the Joint Chiefs. He told them he wanted to know about any order that came down outside the normal chain of command.
He wasn’t worried about Nixon trying a military coup. He was worried that Nixon might create an international incident, one which necessitated American involvement. Nixon would then go on television and say something like “My fellow Americans, tonight the security, the very existence of our country is at stake. This is no time to be discussing petty partisan issues. I am ordering a ninety-day period of martial law,” etc., etc.
Schleisinger and the Joint Chiefs were prepared to countermand any illegal orders. Remember that military personnel are obligated to refuse illegal orders. They would put the Constitution above President Nixon. That is how it is supposed to work.
Here is what worries me. Trump orders a full scale military action against Syria and Iran on the same day he fires Mueller. He then goes on TV and talks about no time for witch hunts, for partisan politics, for petty vendettas. American security is at stake. American lives are at stake, etc. etc.
I hope I’m wrong about this, but we no longer have Schleisinger as Secretary of Defense, nor do we have the same Chiefs of Staff, nor do we have a Congress with either backbone or integrity. At the same time we have a large claque of Presidential cheerleaders in the media ready to support any action Trump takes. These are really scary times.
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