WASHINGTON: Donald Trump’s remarks about dictatorship and devaluation of the checks and balances that support the country’s two-century-old democracy are igniting fears among those who are familiar with the inner workings of the Pentagon that he would turn the impartial U.S. military into the muscular arm of his political agenda.
According to books they’ve written and evidence they’ve provided to Congress, a group of appointees who are not part of Trump’s political operation guided him away from proposals that would have pushed the boundaries of presidential power in his previous term. By the end, most had vanished. Many former officials fear that if Trump were to take office again, he would instead surround himself with supporters who would not say no.
By advancing a legal theory that states that a president would be free to do almost anything with impunity—including assassinating political rivals—so long as Congress cannot muster the votes to impeach him and remove him from office, Trump has raised further concerns about his intentions if he regains power.
As they prepare for Trump’s possible comeback, a loose coalition of politicians and public interest organizations is discreetly formulating strategies to try and thwart any attempts to increase presidential authority. One such strategy may be to put pressure on the military to support Trump’s political ambitions.
Those taking part in the endeavor told NBC News they are studying Trump’s past behavior and 2024 policy stances so that they will be ready if he wins in November. This entails being ready to file a lawsuit and writing letters to Trump appointees outlining the repercussions should they violate constitutional principles.
“We’re ready to bring lawsuits if necessary, and we’re already starting to put together a team to think through the most damaging types of things that he [Trump] might do,” stated Mary McCord, executive director of Georgetown Law’s Institution for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.
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