The Battle of Lafayette Square and the undermining of American democracy
Anyone concerned about the state of Americas democracy ought to have been troubled Monday at the sight of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, striding behind Donald Trump during his presidential show of force at Lafayette Square. Dressed in combat fatigues and walking with Attorney General William P. Barr, national security adviser Robert OBrien and others, the nations highest-ranking military officer did more than make himself part of the tableau of Trumps photo op and campaign commercial. Milley gave tangible meaning to the presidents threat to deploy the U.S. military to put down domestic terror in the United States. His presence also raised questions about the militarys role as the country heads toward November and what the president has already declared could be the greatest Rigged Election in history.
The presidents call for military deployments against protesters was not some random Trumpian effusion. He and his advisers and supporters are building a legal justification for deploying troops on American streets. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper advised the nations governors to dominate the battlespace, by which he meant American cities. Prominent Republican Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.), a close Trump ally and presidential aspirant, called for deploying the 10th Mountain, 82nd Airborne, 1st Cav, 3rd Infantry whatever it takes, against the insurrectionists, a deliberate reference to the Insurrection Act of 1807, which gives the president broad powers to deploy federal troops. Trump tweeted that Cottons suggestions were 100% Correct. This is the context in which Milley appeared with the president in his battle fatigues. It is the context in which a U.S. Army helicopter descended to rooftop level in Washingtons Chinatown hours later, frightening and scattering protesters in a show of force that snapped trees and nearly injured the fleeing civilians.
Dictators rule by controlling the power ministries: the domestic police and intelligence services, foreign intelligence services, and armed forces. U.S. democracy has been sustained by a strong tradition of ensuring that the power ministries serve the Constitution and the broader interests of the American people, not the political and personal interests of the individual in the White House.
This has been a tradition, however, not an ironclad guarantee. The Founders gave the executive immense powers to ensure that the young nation could survive in a dangerous world. They knew these powers carried immense dangers; that was one reason they added the impeachment clause to allow the removal of a president not only for violating the laws but also for legally abusing the great powers of the office. Mostly they counted on other factors to check the president: the mutual jealousy of the branches, especially Congress; the vigilance of the people (a republic if you can keep it); and the devotion of elected officials, including the president and Cabinet officers, to the spirit of democracy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-mark-milley-striding-behind-trump-through-lafayette-square-was-so-troubling/2020/06/02/81ef5388-a503-11ea-b473-04905b1af82b_story.html