'It's in the offing': Analyst issues dire warning about Trump's plans for the military
An independent journalist issued a dire warning on Sunday about President Donald Trump's future plans for the military.
Marc Wortman, an independent journalist, joined MSNBC's "The Weekend Primetime" to discuss Trump's efforts to deploy National Guard troops to cities other than Washington, D.C. Wortman argued that deploying troops to other cities was a plan Trump concocted long ago, but he ran into too many roadblocks during his first administration.
Now that Trump has largely removed people who oppose him from his second administration, Wortman argued, the likelihood of a clash between state governments, civilians, and the military is increasing.
"I think it's there, it's in the offing," Wortman said about Trump setting up a potential clash of federalism. "I don't think there's any question there. You have the state, which is a sovereign entity within the United States, but you also have a very powerful presidency, and a federal government, on the orders of a president invoking the Insurrection Act...he could then send in troops."
The Insurrection Act of 1807 gives the president broad powers to deploy the military within the United States to quell rebellion or domestic violence. The law has only been invoked six times during the nation's history, Wortman said.
This potential clash between the states and the federal government that Trump appears to be provoking could also put military members in "serious dilemmas," Wortman added.
"By joining the military, they agree to obey orders," Wortman said. "And if the orders are unconstitutional, you need to make a decision. So, how do you decide the orders are so unconstitutional, so illegal, that you disobey them? Because you run a very serious risk. You could lose your job, which is probably the least of it. Then, you could get court-martialled all the way up to being considered treasonous."