General Milley's Alleged Treason

[Don1]

General Milley did not commit treason. Reich-wingers forget that CONGRESS has the authority to declare war. If President Twitler McCrazyPants had unilaterally tried to bomb China, it would be up to soldiers following their oaths to deny him that. Milley is a hero.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. My question is:

Is it "treason" if your acts are to PREVENT treason?

[Don1]

7. That's a fine question but...

there isn't even a question that it is treason against treason in this case. Treason is giving aid and comfort to the enemy, i.e. someone the country is at war with. The President cannot formally create war because that is Congress's purview. Stopping a madman wannabe dictator from preemptively illegally creating a war is also within the purview of following the Constitution and General Milley's oath because it constrains the Presidential powers to what they are legally in that document.

[getagrip_already]

2. regardless of what else happened, it wasn't treason because...

We weren't in a state of war and miley was not aiding an enemy. It simply doesn't fit the definition of treason.

Now if trump had issued an order, and miley interfered, they might have an argument. But that is not what happened. It was merely a change of protocol regarding the chain of command.

Did he he break any laws? Dunno. Was it constitutional? Dunno. Was it treason. No.

[AngryOldDem]

3. For a really good insight into this...

….read Chapter 17 of Carol Leonnig’s and Philip Rucker’s “I Alone Can Fix It.” Trump was basically installing right-wing nutjobs at Defense after Mark Esper got fired. People were calling Milley concerned that a coup may have been in the offing. A lot was on Milley’s shoulders right after the election, and thank God the man stood by his allegiance to the Constitution.

The days after the election sound terrifying. Milley is definitely a hero.

[rickyhall]

4. If TFG started war to help Putin, that would treason under any definition.

[struggle4progress]

5. So long, Mom

[Midnight Writer]

6. Committing treason to stop treason?

If he hadn't stood up and trump did start an End Of Days conflagration, could he use the Nuremburg defense of "I was just following orders"?

If given an unlawful command, it is the duty of a soldier (in the USA, anyway), to refuse that command.

[Don1]

8. That is correct.

That is what I was taught in basic training. Say "sir, I respectfully decline to follow that order as I believe it is not consistent with the Uniform Code of Military Justice." In this case, it's the Constitution since Twitler did not have authority to declare war but it's the same principle.