Officials at the Pentagon are currently holding high-level discussions about how the Department of Defense would respond if Donald Trump issues orders to deploy active-duty troops on the homeland as part of his mass deportation program and for “domestic law enforcement,” according to a disturbing report from CNN.
Officials are now gaming out various scenarios as they prepare for an overhaul of the Pentagon.
“We are all preparing and planning for the worst-case scenario, but the reality is that we don’t know how this is going to play out yet,” one defense official said.
Trump’s election has also raised questions inside the Pentagon about what would happen if the president issued an unlawful order, particularly if his political appointees inside the department don’t push back.
“Troops are compelled by law to disobey unlawful orders,” said another defense official. “But the question is what happens then – do we see resignations from senior military leaders? Or would they view that as abandoning their people?”
CNN’s Kristen Holmes told anchor Jake Tapper on Friday that Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) are among the contenders for top cabinet posts at agencies such as the State Department and Defense. They are reportedly meeting with Trump team transition leaders, and the president-elect is also making calls as he firms up plans for who he will appoint to many key agencies and departments.
Consider for just a moment the specter of uniformed troops patrolling the streets of U.S. cities, demanding to see ID cards and detaining anyone who doesn’t have proper credentials. It’s the very same thing that has been done by repressive regimes throughout history, including in Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy.
Is such a show of force meant to reassure us, or is it planned as part of a larger crackdown on all dissent against Trump? After all, this is a man who doesn’t take criticism well.
Here’s the video from CNN:
