Gen. Barry McCaffrey on MSNBC strongly suggested that Trump is preparing military coup d'etat...

[blitzen]

Or, at the very least, that we should be extra vigilant about that possibility now. Gen. McCaffrey was not very subtle about expressing his worries. He went on at length about how "we should be alarmed" by the firing of Esper, with the clear implication that Trump wants total control of the armed forces for nefarious reasons.

[roamer65]

1. I don't see the military following him.

It will fracture.

[blitzen]

4. As he pointed out, they only have to follow legal orders. But who is to decide...

what is legal, especially nowadays?

[anneboleyn]

8. Lining up in massive numbers to shoot fellow Americans would definitely cross that line

[anneboleyn]

5. Exactly. They aren't robots that he can order around -- the statement is irresponsible

[blitzen]

10. I was surprised how far he went, since he's usually level-headed. n/t

[regnaD kciN]

22. They may not be robots...

...but I’m guessing a lot of our military forces are deeply right-wing. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them could be enlisted for such a cause.

[AngryOldDem]

7. Nor do I.

Just one more delusion Trump is laboring under, unless he’s thinking of a “citizen militia” of angry Trumpers and Boogaloo Boyz.

And that thought scares the hell out of me.

[anneboleyn]

12. The "proud boy" "protests" have looked very pathetic so far -- they've lost steam.

[bdamomma]

39. That would be

great if they lost steam, unless they are regrouping.

[procon]

31. No, look how easily Army Gen. Mark Milley

fell under Trump's sway. As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he's the senior-most officer in the U.S. military with decades of knowledge and experience under his belt.

Yet when Trump ordered the gassing of the peaceful protesters at LaFayette Park, for his bible photo op, he was there. He didn't settle on wearing his dress uniform, which still was against to rules, oh no, he went full out camo gear in his combat uniform to march behind Trump, giving the perception that the US Military supported Trump's assault on American citizens who were exercising their Constitutional rights.

If the military's top honcho is willing to sell his honor and integrity to make Trump look good, then all the other troops will fall in line and follow his lead.

[exboyfil]

2. McCaffrey is not helping

Expectation of something really really awful, and then something just awful comes through instead.

This is ok for someone at the bar to say, but not a former General without proof.

[Bradshaw3]

13. I agree

drumpf is probably going to do lots more awful things but we can't freak out every time he fires someone or tweets. That is what he lives for. I really, really doubt if the military brass goes along with anything like a coup attempt. That is just not how they roll. If they do then we have civil war. Nobody wants that except for the nutjobs.

[onetexan]

16. He's setting a hypothetical scenario, not saying it will happen

[blitzen]

24. Right, he's saying we should be "alarmed" (i.e., attentive) and vigilant about the possibility...

His reasoning is that the firing makes no sense. His error in reasoning, I think, is that he is ignoring the fact that Trump is just a spiteful, vengeful prick.

[Ilsa]

17. He did say that Congress needs to

Keep an eye on his actions to make certain he isn't trying to usurp the will of the people.

[triron]

23. I don't think pukes will stop anything.

[anneboleyn]

3. Maybe I'm naive but I don't see this happening.

[riverwalker]

6. But the replacement, Christopher C. Miller

does not seem very political at all. Not the typical transactional Trump replacement. I am confused.

[Mike 03]

11. I appreciate your comment because I know absolutely nothing

about Miller and had been curious (to say the least).

[riverwalker]

21. The MAGAs are ecstatic

They say because Miller is special forces with specialty in “irregular warfare” it is to defend Trump against us. 😳

[magicarpet]

9. Jeez,... surprised trDump did not name Erik Prince,...

... Secretary of Defense. Erik is military junta willing and ready.....

[Turin_C3PO]

14. I respect the General but

I think the chances of a military coup happening are less than 1%.

[Brother Buzz]

15. Can you call it a Coup d'état if nobody even shows up?

[underpants]

27. Okay it starts at 6:00.

Okay

6:00 comes....crickets. It’s like the Tulsa rally n

[Brother Buzz]

37. But, but they will be occupied watching the other losers slug it out

Patriots (2-5) vs Jets (0-8). 'Monday Night Football', Baby!

Drink beer, talk stupid, and holler. Ain't America grand!

[Voltaire2]

18. Good. After Four Seasons Total Landscaping

I want these KKKlowns to do a coup. Should be super fabulous.

[underpants]

28. You've forgotten about Tulsa already haven't you?

[blogslut]

19. I tend to think firing everybody is more about fomenting chaos on his way out

He got mad at Esper because Esper wouldn't bring down the military hammer during the election. He mad. He rage. Wray and Haspel are next.

[AngryOldDem]

25. Wasn't it also too the BLM protest in DC

Where Trump wanted the military to put it down?

[blogslut]

40. You are correct

It was the BLM protests where Esper declined to deploy the armed forces. Instead, Bill Barr sent a bunch of goons from the Bureau of Prisons to crack heads and snatch citizens.

I apologize. It's hard to keep up with the atrocities.

[stopdiggin]

30. since I had little regard or respect for Esper ...

I don't think I'm going to get tangled up in knots over his departure. And I really doubt that the military is either. Wondering if this isn't preemptive messaging, "Don't be be expecting any huzzahs and rush to the battlements from this side, buddy." -- for both Trump -- and any wannabees entertaining delusions of grandeur with the militias.

[Newest Reality]

20. This reminds me of F Troop for some reason.

[Jarqui]

26. Exactly what concerned me about this firing ...nt

[ananda]

29. Didn't the military already say they would not interfere..

with the election?

[Azathoth]

32. Trump would do it if he had the power, but he doesn't and he knows it

There's precisely 0% chance the US military would help Trump stage a coup. Even if they wanted to stage a coup, they wouldn't hitch their wagon to his dying clownshow.

What we're seeing is the impotent rage of the losing warlord as he beheads his generals just as the opposing army sweeps into the capital.

[jmowreader]

33. Two problems

The military isn’t allowed to act against American civilians, and they know it

and

The military has already said they will take no part in the election

Trump might TRY to declare martial law (a coup is held to get rid of a bad leader) but I suspect if he called General Milley, who he can’t fire, and ordered him to declare martial law, General Milley would call the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader and tell them, “you have to do something about that idiot.”

[crickets]

35. 👆

[KatyMan]

42. Hasn't martial law been very specifically defined?

Not that that would stop him of course.
And what would that look like? How would they stage a coup?

[jmowreader]

43. While he's still president, he can't "stage a coup"

He might try something like telling the Marines to arrest Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and if he did he might find out that Marines, to a man, can recite lines from Full Metal Jacket from memory.

I can see it: Trump calls General Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and this conversation follows:

Trump: "General Berger, I order you to send a battalion of Marines to arrest Sleepy Joe and Kamala Harris. When you do, I order you to put them before a firing squad. And I order you to execute any Democrat they might choose to replace them. I won the election by a lot and no voter fraud will stop me from fulfilling my well-earned second term."

General Berger: "Listen, you asshole...were you born a fat slimy puke piece of shit or did you have to work at it? That must be the most illegal order I have ever heard. We're not fucking doing it. And I'm calling the rest of the Joint Chiefs to let them know you've gone fucking insane so we can get you stopped before you do anything crazy. This conversation is over. Don't call me for anything else ever again."

[Kid Berwyn]

34. If true, Trump would be placed under arrest.

The military takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, not a demented unstable moron named Trump.

[maryellen99]

36. Also hope there is a patriot willing to refuse a launch order nt

[coti]

38. Great! Once the coup fails, we'll get to rewrite the Constitution and take out all the

bullshit favoring slave states that's been propping up right-wing nonsense for decades. Whooohoooo!!!

[riverwalker]

41. Why Wyden voted against him

Link to tweet

?s=21

[onetexan]

44. General Mccaffrey was just on MSNBC's 11th Hour again sounding this alarm, but he also added there's

zero chance the Top Brass will going along with this coup attempt if it is in fact that. He also said the men replacing those fired are completely unqualified to hold those positions. Oy vey Jan. 20th cannot come quick enough