Veteran and Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) urged the troops to put down their weapons and join the protesters if they are deployed to US cities by Trump.
Rep. Moulton said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:
We are a nation founded in dissent, birthed in freedom, committed to equality, and yet regularly reminded that we struggle to achieve all three. The President has made it clear that the fight for these Constitutional principles is a fight against himself. We must therefore, with every ounce of conviction, every commitment to peace, and every glimmer of hope, join in lawful protest to overcome his tyranny.
And if he chooses to abuse the military as a tyrant would do—to stifle dissent, suppress freedom, and cement inequality—then I call on all our proud young men and women in uniform, as a veteran and a patriot, to lay down your arms, uphold your oath, and join this new march for freedom. Be on the right side of history: the side of patriots, of our Constitution, of our flag, and of our freedom.
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Rep. Moulton’s statement was issued in response to Trump’s threat to deploy troops to US cities to break up peaceful protests in what would be a tyrannical and illegal action. The troops don’t have to follow an illegal order.
Putting down their arms and joining the protesters would place the troops on the right side of history. It would also be the one act that troops could take to protect American democracy from its biggest threat which is the man in the Oval Office.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
