The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, General Mark Milli, sent a letter to Congress, in the text of which he said that the US military did not intend to interfere in the course of the presidential elections in the country in November 2020, nor to participate in resolving possible disputes over their results.

“In the event of disputes regarding any aspect of the elections, according to the law, they must be settled by the American courts and the US Congress, not by the military. I do not see any role for the US Armed Forces in this process, ”the Associated Press quoted Millie as an excerpt.

In his letter, the military leader stressed that, like other military personnel, he took an oath to defend the US Constitution and did not intend to violate it.

“Every member of the military, myself included, swears an oath to uphold and defend the United States Constitution and to carry out legal orders in accordance with the hierarchy of command. We will not go against the US Constitution, ”he said.

General Milli sent a letter to Congress in response to a question about the possibility of intervention by the US military in the upcoming elections, which was asked by Democratic Congressmen on the House Armed Services Committee.

In addition to the question of the role of the military in resolving election disputes, parliamentarians inquired about their possible participation in the voting and counting processes. Mark Milli stressed that the US military will not do this.

“I do not consider the US Armed Forces to be part of this process. It belongs to the sphere of responsibility of the Congress, the Supreme Court and the executive branch, ”the American military leader said in a letter.

It is reported that similar questions were sent to the head of the Pentagon, Mark Esper, but he has not yet provided answers to them. At the same time, in mid-August, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman called the talk about the possible involvement of the American military in the elections "frivolous".

Recrimination

General Millie's letter was circulated by the American media amid a series of statements that the results of the 2020 presidential election were highly likely to be challenged.

For example, in June, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said that Trump may disagree with the voting results, which is why he will probably have to be expelled from the White House by force, with the help of the military.

“I am absolutely convinced that (if the Democratic candidate wins. - RT ) the military will promptly withdraw him (Trump. -  RT ) from the White House ... My biggest concern is that the president will try to steal this election. We're talking about the man who called the mail-vote a scam, "Biden told The Daily Show.

  • US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden
  • Reuters

Trump's campaign staff responded by criticizing the Democratic candidate's words, calling them "another brainless Joe Biden conspiracy theory that is trying to undermine the credibility of the elections."

Donald Trump has indeed repeatedly criticized the mail-order voting process, the main argument for which is the situation with the spread of coronavirus in the United States. During his communications with the press and in his messages on Twitter, the president argued that such a vote would turn into massive falsifications in favor of the Democrats.

At the same time, Trump himself gave an evasive answer to the question of whether he would accept the election results. In an interview with Fox News on July 19, he said that he would "look" and until he answered unequivocally "yes" or "no" to this question.

One of the harshest statements on this issue has recently been made by former Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton. On August 26, in an interview with NBC, she said that Joe Biden should under no circumstances admit a possible defeat.

“Joe Biden must not give up under any circumstances. I think the process will drag on, but I believe that if we do not give in one iota, are as determined and tenacious as our rivals, then in the end he will win, "Clinton said.

She also suggested that Republicans would try to "mess up the mail-order vote" to gain a potential electoral advantage.

Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State Pedagogical University, believes that representatives of the leading political forces in the United States make such statements because they do not feel confident in their victory in the upcoming elections.

“Considering that there is no clear favorite, there are too strong contradictions and mutual rejection both among different parts of the political establishment and among different parts of American society, the most likely scenario would be one in which the losing side does not recognize the results of the vote and will try to mobilize its supporters for protests. promotions. Regardless of who wins, each of the parties, just in case, makes an appropriate statement to prepare the ground for these actions, ”the interlocutor of RT explained.

  • General Mark Millie
  • Reuters
  • © Michael Reynolds

Polarization policy

In turn, the expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Research, Vladimir Bruter, recalled that the internal political life of the United States is regulated by the laws of the country, and forceful interference in it is possible only from the side of law enforcement agencies if there are grounds for this.

“With this statement, General Mark Milli described certain situations that are spoken about in society, but which are unlikely to develop. Rather, we are now talking about the fact that there are many dissatisfied with Trump in the Pentagon, and thus they make it clear that if he loses, he will not be able to count on any options with the use of power structures. In the near future, we will witness more than one such statement, which will mean that the power structures will remain neutral, ”the expert noted.

At the same time, Vladimir Shapovalov added that the very reason for the statement of a high-ranking American military leader is more than strange for a democratic state.

“But such a statement became possible because the American society is split. The crises that have accompanied the political life of the United States since 2016 have led to a sharp polarization of society and rejection of the two parts of America, represented by Democrats and Republicans, to massive protests and the growth of mutual hatred in society, "the political scientist noted.