Top general says no role for military in presidential vote

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. armed forces will have no role in carrying out the election process or resolving a disputed vote, the top U.S. military officer told Congress in comments released Friday.

The comments from Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, underscore the extraordinary political environment in America, where the president has declared without evidence that the expected surge in mail-in ballots will make the vote “inaccurate and fraudulent,” and has suggested he might not accept the election results if he loses.

Trump’s repeated complaints questioning the election’s validity have triggered unprecedented worries about the potential for chaos surrounding the election results. Some have speculated that the military might be called upon to get involved, either by Trump trying to use it to help his reelection prospects or as, Democratic challenger Joe Biden has suggested, to remove Trump from the White House if he refuses to accept defeat. The military has adamantly sought to tamp down that speculation and is zealously protective of its historically nonpartisan nature.

“I believe deeply in the principle of an apolitical U.S. military,” Milley said in written responses to several questions posed by two Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee. “In the event of a dispute over some aspect of the elections, by law U.S. courts and the U.S. Congress are required to resolve any disputes, not the U.S. military. I foresee no role for the U.S armed forces in this process.”

https://apnews.com/a979ad8beceacd77c692e42448cf7b82

[woodsprite]

1. Which could mean he interprets the line

“ , _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;” as having a parenthetical after it that says (except if the threats are political).

[Happy Hoosier]

2. Good.

I do not want generals deciding what the legitimate outcome of an election is. That way leads to military rule.

[secondwind]

3. Amen.

[dware]

4. It's a sad chapter in our history that the top military General has to say this,

this is what has been wrought upon us by the Mango Menace and his criminal org.

That said, I am glad to hear him say that publicly.

[Miguelito Loveless]

5. When the order comes down to "protect"

Polling places, he will obey, or be replaced by someone who will.

[Chainfire]

6. It only goes to show how broken our government is

For the Joint Chief, to even have to make such a statement.