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Donald Trump threatens to deploy the military to stop the “enemy from within”.
Now the Pentagon is preparing a plan to stop him.
– We all plan for the worst case scenario, says a source CNN.
During the election campaign, Donald Trump opened up about deploying the military to fight crime in the United States and assist with the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
But he has also threatened to deploy the soldiers against “the enemy from within” and “radical left-wing lunatics”.
“I think it should be handled by the National Guard or, if it’s really necessary, the military because we can’t let that happen,” he said, referring to potential election day protests.
In the Pentagon, they are now preparing different scenarios for what might happen.
– We are all preparing and planning for the worst-case scenario, but the truth is that we don’t know how this will turn out, says a source at the Ministry of Defense to CNN.
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full screenDonald Trump. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
But stopping Trump may be difficult. Although the Posse Comitatus Act is supposed to curb the use of soldiers on American soil, the president has wide latitude to invoke the riot laws on his own and mobilize them.
Trump has also hinted that he wants to “clean out all corrupt actors in the security and intelligence apparatus” by introducing “Schedule F”. An executive order to remove protections for officials perceived to be disloyal to the president.
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full screen The National Guard outside the Capitol in Washington. Archive image. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Defense Minister’s warning
The Pentagon has been urged to place civilian employees subject to the new rules in a special category – but worries it is an attempt by Trump to surround himself with loyalists. Therefore, they have deliberately circumvented the rules by choosing as few as possible.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warns that the military could be used for the wrong things and on Wednesday sent a message to the defense to only obey orders backed by law.
– As always, the US military will stand ready to carry out the commander-in-chief’s policy decisions and obey all lawful orders. You are America’s military – the best fighting force on earth – and will continue to defend our country, our constitution and the rights of all our citizens,” he said, according to CNN.
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fullscreen Pentagon seen from Arlington Cemetery. Photo: Stefan Jerrevång/TT