The GOP has become a party obsessed with anti-democratic ideas
Three retired military officials warned that another coup attempt in the 2024 elections could spark a civil war because ‘more than 1 in 10 of those charged in January 6 attacks had a service record’.
The warning was claimed by Former Army Major Gen Paul Eaton, former Brigadier General Steven Anderson, and former Army Major Gen Antonio Taguba.
Eaton, 71, was in charge of training Iraqi troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2003 and 2004. He is currently a senior adviser to VoteVets and after retirement became a vocal critic of former President George W. Bush.
Anderson, 65, had a 31-year career in the armed forces, and Taguba, 71, career spanned over 30 years in the military. He also made headlines for an internal United States Army report regarding the abuse of detainees held at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2004.
The generals wrote, “As we approach the first anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, we – all of us former senior military officials – are increasingly concerned about the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election and the potential for lethal chaos inside our military, which would put all Americans at severe risk. We are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time,”
Just over two weeks are left until the first anniversary of the riot, and still, there’s no progress in holding the riot leader Trump accountable. The generals also observed a polarized political atmosphere in the military. A huge number of the rioters are current or former members of the armed forces. The generals argued that with the “loyalties split”, the military can break into a pro and anti-Trump, possibly ensuing in a civil war.
They wrote, “‘In this context, with our military hobbled and divided, US security would be crippled. Any one of our enemies could take advantage by launching an all-out assault on our assets or our allies.”
They emphasized the point that military and lawmakers have been “gifted hindsight” to prevent another deadly riot occurring in 2024, however, they will on succeed if they take a decisive decision now.
The riot was the result of the electoral fraud claims made by Trump. However, he is not the only one who believes that. In May, a group of 124 retired generals and admirals, under the name “Flag Officers 4 American”, published an open letter questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 elections. That letter read, “Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the โwill of the people” our Constitutional Republic is lost. Election integrity demands ensuring there is one legal vote cast and counted per citizen. Legal votes are identified by the State Legislatureโs approved controls using government IDs, verified signatures, etc. Today, many are calling such common sense controls โracistโ in an attempt to avoid having fair and honest elections. Using racial terms to suppress proof of eligibility is itself a tyrannical intimidation tactic.’
Eaton said to Chris Hayes on MSNBC, “We have 39% of the GOP who do not accept that President Biden is the duly elected President. We have 17% of the GOP who feel that violence to correct that situation is appropriate.”
Reports reveal that after Trump refused to accept the outcome of the election, he tried utilizing loyalists to push through a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, Africa, Iraq, Syria, and Germany. Miller and other senior officials opposed the plan and somehow convinced Trump to modify the plan that would decrease the number of troops to 2500.
The three generals also mentioned Oklahoma’s National Guard’s new commander Army Brigadier General Thomas Machino, who refused a vaccine mandate for all the troops in the US defense department. Machino said he would listen to Republican Kevin Stitt, the state’s governor for orders, who he also claims is his commander-in-chief since Oklahoma is not federally mobilized.
In various states, Trump’s allies are on the lookout for Republicans who accepted Biden’s victory and are planning to replace them with candidates who believe that the elections should have been overturned.
Eaton also mentioned to Hayes, “Indeed, there is an active movement right now on the part of the GOP to infect the armed forces of the United States with doubt that the election process is just not what we expected it to be, to insert doubt that we are conducting fair and elegantly delivered elections. There will be opportunities for good Americans to conclude that the election may not have produced results that are consistent with what they want and will listen. And we have got to get after that particular threat.”