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Trump's criminal conviction won't bar him from accessing classified information as president (although anyone else would be disqualified from a security clearance).
The president's power over secrets stems from the office, not the usual process.
buff.ly/3YUSJFk
#politics #nationalsecurity
Trump’s criminal conviction won’t stop him from getting security clearance as president
Under normal circumstances, Trump’s criminal record and other aspects of his life, including financial history, would disqualify him from getting access to classified information.The Conversation
"I'm deeply concerned about their ranks," the ofcl said, adding that several colleagues had expressed concern about the future of their jobs.
Career #CivilServants are among the nearly 950k non-uniformed employees who work within the US #military & in many cases have years of specialized experience.
#Trump vowed during the campaign to give himself the power to gut the federal workforce across the government.
Career #CivilServants at the #Pentagon could be subjected to #loyalty tests, current & fmr ofcls say. #Trump allies have publicly embraced using executive orders & rule changes to replace thousands of civil servants with *#conservative* allies.
A senior US #defense ofcl, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters there was increasing concern within the Pentagon that Trump would purge career civilian employees from the department.
But some experts caution that #Trump has wide latitude to interpret the #law & US troops cannot disobey legal orders they consider to be morally wrong.
"There is a widespread public misperception that the military can choose not to obey #immoral orders. And that's actually not true," said Kori Schake of the *#conservative* American Enterprise Institute.
Schake warned that a 2nd Trump term could see high-level firings as he pushes ahead with controversial policies.
Such proposals alarm #military experts, who say deploying the #military on American streets could not only violate #laws but turn much of the American population against the still widely respected #US armed forces.
In a message to the forces after #Trump's election win, outgoing #Defense Secretary #LloydAustin acknowledged the results of the election & stressed the military would obey "all lawful orders" from its civilian leaders.
"If the people in your own government aren't obeying you, you have got to get rid of them & replace them with people who are responsive to what the president's trying to do," #JDVance said in an interview w/ Tucker Carlson before the election.
During the campaign, #Trump pledged to restore the name of a #Confederate general to a major #US #military base, reversing a change made after #GeorgeFloyd's killing.
The 4-star general, who is Black, issued a video message about #discrimination in the ranks in the days after the May 2020 murder of #GeorgeFloyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, & has been a voice in favor of #diversity in the #US #military.
…#Trump's vice president-elect, #JDVance, voted as a senator last year against confirming Brown to become the top U.S. military officer, & has been a critic of perceived resistance to Trump's orders within the #Pentagon.
"He will destroy the Department of #Defense, frankly. He will go in & he will dismiss generals who stand up for the #Constitution," said Jack Reed, the #Democrat who leads the #Senate #ArmedServices Cmte.
Culture war issues could be one trigger for firings. #Trump was asked by FoxNews in June whether he would fire generals described as "woke," a term for those focused on #RacialJustice & #SocialJustice but which is used by *#conservatives* to disparage #progressive policies.
#Trump's former #US generals & #defense secretaries are among his fiercest critics, some branding him a #fascist & declaring him #unfit for office. Angered, Trump has suggested that his former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, #MarkMilley, could be executed for treason.
Current & former U.S. officials say Trump will prioritize #loyalty in his second term & root out #military officers & career #civil servants he perceives to be disloyal.
During his campaign, #Trump vowed to purge the military of so-called "woke" generals. Now that he is president-elect, the question in the halls of the #Pentagon is whether he would go much further.
Trump is expected to have a far darker view of his #military leaders in his 2nd term, after facing Pentagon resistance over everything from his skepticism toward #NATO to his readiness to deploy troops to quell protests on #US streets.
During his first admin, some of #Trump's controversial suggestions to advisers, such as potentially firing #missiles into #Mexico to destroy drug labs, never became policy in part because of pushback from ofcls at the #Pentagon.
"This will be 2016 on steroids & the fear is that he will hollow out the ranks & expertise in a way that will do irreparable damage to the Pentagon," the official said.
Netanyahu fires Israeli #Defense Minister #YoavGallant
#Israel PM Benjamin #Netanyahu announced the dismissal of his defense minister late Tues, saying trust between the two men “has eroded” in recent months. Yoav Gallant had emerged as one of Netanyahu’s fiercest & most public critics over the war in #Gaza & the failure to reach a hostage deal with #Hamas.
#geopolitics #MiddleEast #war #NationalSecurity #GlobalSecurity
washingtonpost.com/world/2024/…
"Russia plotted to put incendiary devices on passenger or cargo planes bound for the US & CA."
Western security officials say they believe that two incendiary devices, shipped via DHL, were part of a covert Russian op. that ultimately aimed to start fires aboard cargo or passenger aircraft flying to the US & CA, as Moscow steps up a sabotage campaign against US/allies.
Devices ignited at DHL logistics hubs in July, one in Leipzig...
"But new data reveal that #Trump was the one whose #immigration policies damaged the country’s #security. In fact, he released more convicted criminals into the #UnitedStates than his successor....
when it comes to the small percentage of noncitizens who do commit crimes, Trump did not prioritize removing them during his term in office. In fact, he explicitly deprioritized them."
washingtonpost.com/opinions/20…
#Immigration #Politics #GOP #NationalSecurity #Crime #News #USNews #USA
