Trump’s late-night military purge

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Jason,  Late on Friday night, Donald Trump executed a purge of military leaders that should alarm Americans everywhere, no matter your party affiliation. He fired the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, our nation's highest-ranking military officer. He fired six other military leaders, including the head of the U.S. Navy. He fired several of our military's top lawyers.  Let's be very clear about why: Trump wants military leaders who will be more loyal to him than they will be to the Constitution.  This wasn't over disagreement on strategy. There were no questions over the quality of their performance. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman C.Q. Brown is a highly-decorated, well-respected, four-star Air Force general. Trump is replacing him with someone whose qualifications fall well short. Jason, I spent years in the Marine Corps as an officer. I taught our military's future leaders at the U.S. Naval Academy about the delicate balance of power in civil-military relations. What Trump just did sends chills down my spine.  He wants people he can bully, people who will kowtow to his ego and will go along with his agenda. When you're firing the lawyers, that usually means you're planning to do unlawful, unethical things. Imagine if Trump wants to invade Panama or Greenland or Canada(!). Imagine if he wants to abandon our NATO allies and hand Europe over to Putin. Imagine if the White House wants our troops to crack down on political dissent at home. People forget that, during his first term, Trump wanted to shoot protestors in the legs. It didn't happen because a secretary of defense and a chairman of the Joint Chiefs told him no.  Those people won't exist in this new regime. The president insists on being surrounded by yes-men (and yes, they will all be men). Anyone who has a shred of common sense knows that our armed forces should not be led by politically motivated individuals. I'm speaking out because, right now, too much of the media is treating this like a routine "shake-up." This is a purge — and a test of how far Trump can go to install loyalists at the top of our military. You want to move up in the military under this administration? You better demonstrate your loyalty to Dear Leader.  I can't stress how bad I worry this could get.  Here's the thing: As much as this administration wants you to believe they have king-like powers, they absolutely do not. Over the weekend, you started to see the cracks in the dam — angry dissent at town hall meetings, poll numbers dropping fast.  We can fight back and stop these guys from destroying everything, but it's going to be harder this time than it was last time. We're building up our grassroots organization for the months ahead — if you want to chip in to help, it would mean so much. Thank you for doing what you can to spread the word about how serious this moment is for our country. It matters. I'll be in touch with more soon.  Amy DONATE   PAID FOR BY DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY ACTION (DMAPAC.COM) NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. Democratic Majority Action 814 Main St Paris, KY 40361 United States These emails are the single best way to stay up to date on how you can help Democratic Majority Action win elections for Democrats. We know you receive a lot of emails—that's why we strive to treat every supporter's inbox with respect, to always tell you the truth, and to never inundate you with unwanted messages. If you believe you received this message in error or no longer wish to receive these email updates, please can unsubscribe.