Donald Trump.Photo: James Devaney/GC Images
A group of retired four-star generals and admirals from the U.S. armed forces have penned an op-ed that proclaims in its headline: “Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 were a dereliction of duty.”
“The president and commander in chief, Donald Trump, abdicated his duty to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution,” the group writes in the piece, which waspublished Thursday inThe New York Times.
The op-ed was written before Thursday’s Jan. 6 committee hearing which focused onhow Trump spent his timewhile a horde of his supporters stormed the Capitol, sending lawmakers fleeing and into hiding.
“The VP detail thought this was about to get ugly,“the security official said, in an interview that was modified to protect the individual’s identity. “The members of the VP detail at this time were starting to fear for their own lives.”
Evan Vucci/AP.
Much of theTimes' piece is focused on “a foundational precept of American democracy: civilian control of the military.”
“The president’s dereliction of duty on Jan. 6 tested the integrity of this historic principle as never before, endangering American lives and our democracy,” the retired military officials write.
The arrangement is “not self-executing,” the write, noting that “it relies on civilian leaders equally committed to protecting and defending the Constitution — including, most important, the commander in chief.”
“Yet the vice president has no role in the chain of command unless specifically acting under the president’s authority because of illness or incapacitation, and therefore cannot lawfully issue orders to the military,” they write.
Though the retired admirals and generals expressed the “hope that the country will never face such a crisis again,” the suggest that military leaders prepare for future scenarios when the chain of command might appear “unclear.”
“The lesson of that day is clear,” the write in conclusion. “Our democracy is not a given. To preserve it, Americans must demand nothing less from their leaders than an unassailable commitment to country over party — and to their oaths above all.”
source: people.com
