Tag: Trump abuse of military power

Pentagon Adviser Resigns, Slams Defense Secretary Mark Esper Over Trump Photo-Op

“Where will you draw the line, and when will you draw it?” James N. Miller, a former defense official, wrote in his resignation letter to Esper.

A member of the Pentagon’s science advisory board resigned Tuesday over Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s failure to speak out against the forcible dispersal of protesters near a church where President Donald Trump staged a photo-op a day earlier.

James N. Miller, who served as the under secretary of defense for policy from 2012 to 2014, announced his departure from the Defense Science Board in a fiery letter of resignation addressed to Esper and published in The Washington Post.

Miller accused Esper of violating his oath of office by appearing to support the use of tear gas and rubber bullets to clear a crowd of peaceful anti-racism protesters near the White House so Trump could pose for a photo holding a Bible outside St. John’s Episcopal Church. Continue reading.

House votes to rein in Trump’s military authority

The Hill logoThe House on Thursday voted to repeal the 2002 authorization for the use of military force (AUMF), which the Trump administration has used to justify its controversial drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

The House approved the bill to repeal the Iraq War authorization in a largely party-line vote of 236 to 166.

“Members of Congress continue to have serious, urgent concerns about the president’s decision to engage in hostilities against Iran and about its lack of strategy moving forward,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said ahead of Thursday’s vote. Continue reading.