Tuesday, 05 January 2021 _Ten former chiefs of the US Department of Defense have warned outgoing President Donald Trump over his attempts to overturn the results of the presidential election through the use of US military.
“The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived,” they wrote in an extraordinary rebuke of the lame-duck in an opinion published by The Washington Post.
US Congress is set to vote Wednesday to certify the electoral college victory of Biden in the November 3 presidential election amid concerns that the commander-in-chief might use the military to pursue his agenda.
“Efforts to involve the US armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory,” they wrote. “Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.”
President Trump has not conceded defeat in the November 3 race, claiming to be the true winner of the election.
The former defense secretaries wrote that transfers of power “often occur at times of international uncertainty about U.S. national security policy and posture,” adding, “They can be a moment when the nation is vulnerable to actions by adversaries seeking to take advantage of the situation.”
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