Target: Christopher C. Miller, Acting Secretary of Defense, United States
Goal: Cooperate with incoming presidential team to ensure public transparency in the use of military power.
As President-elect Joe Biden’s team continues preparations to assume office, the Department of Defense has gone silent, heightening fears that President Donald Trump may act on promises to deploy U.S. military forces domestically. In addition to a June 2020 threat to invoke the Insurrection Act, former National Security Advisor and ex-general Michael Flynn urged the president to suspend the Constitution and impose martial law.
With so much at stake, it is more important than ever that the military be subject to public oversight. Yet the Trump White House has, rather than cooperate with Biden staffers, broken off contact and refused to take meetings or share information.
In addition to threatening the security and success of pending military operations, this opacity creates a dangerous precedent as President Trump refuses to pledge to stand down peacefully. Sign the petition below to demand that Acting Defense Secretary Miller resume meetings and communication with the Biden team to ensure the public is aware of how their military is being used.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Secretary,
A core founding principle of the United States is that the military shall be both subject to civilian control and kept out of politics, to be used only for national defense. As numerous independent and national agencies have confirmed, President-elect Joe Biden won the 2020 election, and his staff must urgently attend to the business of ensuring power is transferred smoothly and peaceably.
Whether at your own behest or that of the president, your refusal to communicate with the incoming administration threatens that transition, particularly as the threat of martial law looms over the final days of the Trump presidency. To protect the democratic process and keep the people of the United States informed, I demand that you resume vitally important talks with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Lightburst
Withholding pertinent information is nothing less than high treason, and a failure to ensure the safety of its people.