This week, the New York Times published a guest essay in their opinion section by Steven Simon and Jonathan Stevenson, two former members of the Obama administration. It must be seen to be believed.
In their effort to bash Trump’s decision to send federal forces into Washington, DC to help fight crime, the writers let the mask slip in astonishing fashion.
From the New York Times:
We Used to Think the Military Would Stand Up to Trump. We Were Wrong.By ordering 800 National Guard troops to Washington, on the pretext of an illusory crime wave, President Trump has further dragged the U.S. military into domestic law enforcement, in a move credibly perceived as an ominous “test case.” This continues what the administration started in California in June as part of the its deportation efforts.Unfortunately, though we (and others) had hoped that the military would only respond to calls to action in American cities and states kicking and screaming, we no longer expect resistance from that institution. Once, perhaps, traditionalist officers might have leaned on protocol and refused to heed a lawless order, taking inspiration from the generals — Mark Milley and James Mattis — who resisted the uprooting of established military standards in the first Trump term.But today, general officers no longer seem to see themselves as guardians of the constitutional order.It now seems clear to us that the military will not rescue Americans from Mr. Trump’s misuse of the nation’s military capabilities. Recent changes to the terms of the military’s employment by the Pentagon and its members’ incentives to career advancement will ultimately overcome any constitutional and moral qualms about their conduct.
Simply amazing.
The Times eventually changed the title of the piece.
FOX News actually got a response from the New York Times over the criticism:
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a NYT spokesperson defended the piece, saying it was “from two seasoned national security experts” and “thoroughly fact-checked prior to publication.””New York Times Opinion regularly publishes guest essays from a wide variety of writers with deep experience in their fields, and from across the political spectrum including the Trump administration,” the spokesperson said.Simon also defended the essay, telling Fox News Digital that no one who read it could come to the conclusion that he was in favor of a military coup.”As for actions, military leaders should give the president their best professional advice and decide for themselves whether they should resign if their advice is disregarded,” Simon said.
Last word to this guy.
Featured image is a screencap via the Internet Archive.
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