10 former Pentagon leaders issue warning to Trump [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• At least ten former Pentagon officials have cautioned President Trump about his possible move to involve the military in his election fraud allegations.
• The officers wrote in an article that any attempt to hamper the smooth transition to power could put the country in danger.
• President-elect Biden has earlier criticized Trump-appointed Pentagon officials who attempted to obstruct the transition.

In an unusual reproach of President Donald Trump, all of the ten ex-defense secretaries are warning against any actions to implicate the military in pushing claims of election scam, saying that that it would take the nation into a place that is unsafe, unconstitutional, and unlawful.

The ten officials, composed of both Republicans and Democrats, signed up on to an editorial article printed in The Washington Post last Sunday that subtly asked Trump’s disposition in following his Constitutional obligation to step down on January 20.

The article was initiated by William Perry, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Mark Esper, Donald Rumsfeld, Chuck Hagel, Robert Gates, James Mattis,  Leon Panetta, and Ash Carter.

The past Pentagon leaders cautioned against the utilization of the armed forces in any attempt to change the results, saying that military and civilian officers who ordered or fulfilled such actions would be answerable, including slapping with criminal charges.

Several senior military officials such as Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, Gen. Mark Milley, have publicly stated in the last few weeks that the military will not partake in influencing the result of U.S. elections. He also clarified that the force’s allegiance is to the Constitution, not to any politician or party.

The ten ex-Pentagon heads also warned in their opinion at the Post about the risks of obstructing a complete and smooth transition at the Defense Department before the presidential Inauguration Day of Joe Biden. Biden has previously complained of attempts by Trump-assigned Pentagon officers to hamper the transition.

Without citing definite examples, the former defense secretaries also said in the article that power transition frequently happens at moments of global instability on national security policy and stand in the U.S., where antagonists take advantage of the situation.

Conflicts with Iran displays just such a vulnerability. It was a year on Sunday when the U.S eliminated Qassem Soleimani, the leading Iranian general. As a response, Iran has vowed to retaliate – and U.S. officials announced on the previous days that they are on red alert for a possible Iranian assault on U.S. militaries or facilities in the Middle East.

In another indication of the U.S.-Iranian conflict, the stand-in secretary of defense, Christopher Miller, announced on Sunday evening that he had decided to cancel the order of sending the USS Nimitz,  Navy aircraft carrier, home, and instead keep the vessel stationed in the Middle East.

It was only last week when Miller said that he directed the Nimitz to be sent home, a pronouncement that faced opposition from senior military officers.

Miller explained that he changed his mind following the latest threats by Iranian leaders versus President Trump and other U.S. officers. He did not give further details on the decision,  and the Pentagon did not entertain inquiries on the matter.

Source: AOL