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Little more than 120 retired generals and admirals published an open letter questioning the legitimacy of the presidential elections of 2020, as well as the ability of President Joe Biden to be Commander in Chief.
As the news spread of the letter this week, a round of recriminations broke out among current and retired military members. A serving Naval officer, who did not want to be publicly identified, called it “disturbing and reckless.”
The letter, first reported by Politico , bears the title of a group that calls itself “Flag Officer 4 America” and says that the United States “is in grave danger ”, with its inhabitants “ in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic as no other time since our founding in 1776 ″.
Between the 126 Signatories of the letter are Retired Rear Admiral John Poindexter, National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan, and Retired Lieutenant General William G. Boykin, who spent five years as deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence under President George W. Bush and is now executive vice president of the Family Research Council. Also retired Brigadier General Don Bolduc, who has run for Senate for New Hampshire.
“No fair elections and honest that faithfully reflect the ‘will of the people’, our Constitutional Republic is lost. The integrity of the elections requires ensuring that there is a legal vote cast and counted per citizen ”, reads in the letter, which then goes on to criticize the voter identification laws as a “tyrannical tactic of intimidation.”
“In addition, the ‘rule of law’ must be applied in our electoral processes to guarantee integrity,” the letter continues. “The FBI and the Supreme Court must act quickly when electoral irregularities arise and not ignore them as was done in 2020 ″.
The letter echoes the repeated statements made by former President Donald Trump that the Democrats stole his election last year, leading to the violent takeover of Congress on January 6 to prevent the proclamation of Biden, and the subsequent closure of his social networks for don’t stop the attack.
Later in the letter, the signatories say that Biden’s “mental and physical condition … cannot be ignored,” referring to to which his 78 years is the oldest president in the history of the country.
“You must be able to quickly make accurate decisions of national security nal that involve life and extremities anywhere, day or night, ”the letter says. “Recent investigations by Democratic leaders into the procedures of the nuclear code send a dangerous signal of national security to nuclear-armed adversaries , which raises the question of who is in charge. We must always have an unquestionable chain of command. ”
The letter was met with criticism by other military personnel. For example, retired Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Politico that the letter “hurts the military and, for extension, to the country. ” He also highlighted that was not signed by any high-ranking official and described it as replete with “right-wing Republican talking points.”
Jim Golby, an expert on civil-military relations, called the letter a “shameful effort to use his rank and the reputation of the military for a grotesque and flagrant partisan attack .” While Marybeth Ulrich, a retired colonel who teaches cadets at the Air Force Academy, called her “undemocratic.”
From the White House or the Pentagon there have been comments.
A day after 124 retired generals and admirals released a letter spreading the lie that President Joe Biden stole the election, current and former military officers are speaking out https://t.co/YBFfKwtFzF
– POLITICAL ( @politico) May 12, 2021