4-star generals side with Smith, tell SCOTUS Trump immunity claim is 'assault' on democracy
A distinguished group of retired four-star generals and admirals from the U.S. military have argued in a brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that Donald Trump’s claims of absolute “presidential immunity” from criminal prosecution tied to Jan. 6 is an “assault” on the “foundational commitments” underpinning democracy and if his argument is allowed to succeed before them later this month, it threatens “to subvert the careful balance between the executive and legislative branches struck in the Constitution.”
The 38-page amicus brief features 19 authors, all of them decorated retired admirals, generals or secretaries from branches of the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force respectively. On April 25, the high court is poised to hear Trump’s question of immunity against prosecution for his alleged criminal conspiracy to subvert the results of the 2020 election. and according to the brief, these are arguments that should be approached with extreme caution.
It's quite ominous that retired senior military officers need to say this. It suggests that if Trump is reelected, we could see widespread mutiny, because officers would refuse to accept orders for which they might be criminally liable. Even if SCOTUS makes Trump immune, it does not necessarily make anyone following his orders immune. Choosing between a committing a crime like murder, and another like insubordination, an officer might well choose insubordination.
They already did that last time. Trump tried to deploy the military to stop the BLM protests. The Joint Chiefs said no and sent out a memo reminding the entire force they swear oaths to the Constitution, not to Trump.
I think that for once, this is about ethics more than law.
So...we're doomed?
If there's one thing this court cares less about than law...it's ethics.
It's okay... American imperial military generals somehow have more heart than SCOTUS in this timeline.
Why do I hear Palpatine laughing?
Holy strange bedfellows Batman!