Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at his confirmation hearing refused to rule out opening fire on protesters if Trump ordered it.
As Donald Trump ramps up his use of the military to quell domestic dissent, he has on his side a Pentagon chief apparently ready to carry out any order Trump gives him, possibly including a potentially illegal one to shoot American citizens.
Pete Hegseth, specifically asked during his January confirmation hearing whether he would have obeyed a 2020 Trump demand to shoot protesters — as Trump had wanted then-Secretary Mark Esper to do in his first term — would not answer and instead dodged the question.
On Monday, even as California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Trump and Hegseth to rescind the deployment because he had not requested it, as he said the law requires, Trump escalated the situation by adding 700 Marines, a full battalion, to the mix.
It is unclear what, precisely, they can accomplish. Federal law prohibits them from arresting people unless Trump were to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act. While he has referred to the protesters as “insurrectionists” multiple times, he has not used his authority to declare the riot an “insurrection” against the United States, which would suggest that the participants are trying to overthrow the national government.
This is exactly why I was saying Hegseth wouldn’t be fired for the Signalgate controversy - because HitlerPig knows he’ll give the order to fire on American protesters.
Tin soldiers and Trump is comin’
We’re finally on our own…
More like the Pentagon wants to shoot Americans, and Trump is their “yes man”
You won’t convince me Trump is actually in charge. Not unless DOGE investigates the Pentagon, and the reason Musk cut ties is so that he wouldn’t be assassinated for that investigation.
The Pentagon has failed every annual audit since they started auditing it 7 years ago.
The day before 9/11, Donald Rumsfeld gave a speech about how the Pentagon lost over 2 trillion dollars that it couldn’t account for. 9/11 was the distraction the Pentagon needed to prevent an audit, and they got 20 years if increased military spending thanks to the “war on terror”
The Pentagon will kill anyone who tries to hold it accountable. They will steal any amount of money, including trillions and trillions of dollars. They answer to no one.
Right there. That’s the real enemy to our Republic.
Also would mean they would incidentally lose all right to ever call China’s Tiannamen Square massacre out again.
They don’t care. They embrace hypocrisy knowing you’ll spot it and get mad.
Get the fuck out while you still can, if you’re able.
The Libertarians, NRA, etc. would be up in arms (in the original, literal meaning) over something like that, right?
Lol
They are already there in uniform
“Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses”
And yet again, our news media has failed us.
And based on his video today at a base the military will be happy to do so as they cheer for him.
And any military who follow that order are a fucking disgrace…
I really hope they’re still teaching opportunity, capability, and intent as the deadly force “triangle” (i.e., all 3 must be present in order to use deadly force) in addition to the justifications for the use of force, none of which are “somebody told me to.”
They will argue that a toddler has all three.
“Look here. I know I was in the M1 Abrams tank, but that blue haired lesbian with a climate change flag made me fear for my life.”
“Besides, what if she were to claim that America wasn’t the land of the free, how would THAT look?”
The Nazis had a choice now Americans do. Let’s see how this pans out cotton.
I expect it to go much the same way.
You’ll find that’s a pretty large portion of the Marines.
Hi all, I hope people hear this and the post is not hidden. This is an insecure system, and talking on here about things you want to or will do will be used by the regime.
Please take this as it is meant. I fully appreciate the anger and the pain you are all feeling, and you are totally right to fight, but you must fight smart.
DO NOT LET YOUR ANGER GET THE BEST OF YOU. If this goes the way it’s looking like it might, direct fights with whatfever is left of the States’ forces is suicide, and the good guys need all the boots on the ground you can muster.
There are many veterans of the war on terror who are literal experts on the tactics needed to win this; seek them out.
Assume all coms are monitored because they are. Look after each other, people.
A friend who knows the score.
taps signs Don’t feed the piggies by fedposting, my little lemmings. They are fat enough.
As a guy who spent the majority of his life in a dictatorship, you’re correct: be very careful of what you say online.
There’s a point that they eventually get to where they just send law enforcement after you for things like tweets - they do it to make examples of folk, so they end up casting a very wide net. It’s definitely not worth getting caught in it.
Having said that, I still like the US! Just need to apply the usual fascist state warnings from now on: watch what you say, mind who you spend time with, and watch where you go. Avoid large crowds etc. etc.
I’m chuckling as I imagine there’s got to be a thinly veiled lemmy.gov instance out there in some way shape or form lol
Hi all, I hope people hear this and the post is not hidden. This is an insecure system, and talking on here about things you want to or will do will be used by the regime.
Please take this as it is meant. I fully appreciate the anger and the pain you are all feeling, and you are totally right to fight, but you must fight smart.
DO NOT LET YOUR ANGER GET THE BEST OF YOU. If this goes the way it’s looking like it might, direct fights with whatfever is left of the States’ forces is suicide, and the good guys need all the boots on the ground you can muster.
There are many veterans of the war on terror who are literal experts on the tactics needed to win this; seek them out.
Assume all coms are monitored because they are. Look after each other, people.
A friend who knows the score.
Yeah that is part of the reason non-Americans are not visiting the US. We assume that what we have said has been recorded and flagged at some point.
They think immigrants and protesters are less than human. Trump’s fragile ego must be stroked.
I’m a British veteran and from the first day if basic training your are told over and over and over not to follow an illegal order, honestly sending in the marines would prob be better for the public than the pigs troops are from shit holes and just needed the money most of the yanks I worked with would never fire on protesters.
But you know I might be wrong.
I’d like to hope you’re not wrong. When I was in, honor, integrity, and empathy were tenants put above duty to any one person. I’ve seen a lot of this anti-soldier sentiment coming in the wake of the CNG being deployed to LA. As far as I have seen, there have been no instances of the California National Guard acting out of line according to the UCMJ. I don’t expect all of the men and women, currently serving, to honor their oath as this country has been fed a steady stream of hateful and vitriolic propaganda from all forms of available media, mainstream and social. However, I have to believe those who commit atrocities will be the minority, not the majority.
Let’s hope there are vets in the crowd to remind them that their oath is to a principal and not a “man.”
Bombing schools and weddings in the Middle East and Africa is also illegal but that never stopped the US military.
It’s easy to sit in a computer chair and cast a wide net of indignation across an entire band of people from all manners of background and culture. If you’ve never served, then you’re just a puppet for whatever the media has fed you. If you’re in the US, the same people you’re shitting all over may be the only thing that stands between you and LEOs that would love nothing more than to get another gun to aim your way.
Everyone. Is. Capable. Of. Evil. You are not immune to propaganda.
Facts mate I know people fairly senior who I belive will do the right thing when the time comes I worked with them in iraq and stay In touch there just like you but with a weird job there’s idiots every where but there’s enough good to fight them
I will hurt every servicemember I spot if that’s the case. I used to live in Colorado Springs. If I were still there, then it’d be a turkey shoot, getting so many of those fuckers. They’re everywhere in the city. Now I have to travel to Monterey to get them. Or San Diego.
Honestly mate I don’t think the armed forces would exist for very long if he gave that order, most troops would change teams on the spot.
Having lived in Colorado Springs, I beg to differ. Maybe a significant minority will defect but most military members have a lot of anger towards the world and want to kill anyone in their way.
Nah that’s all show some are like that but tons arnt and there’s a big difference with fighting overseas and shooting civvys in la
Of course he has a willing yes man. That was the entire point in installing woefully unqualified sociopathic sycophants to every department at every level possible.
