Rebuke for president

WASHINGTON: In an extraordinary rebuke of President Donald Trump, all 10 living former secretaries of defence have cautioned against any move to involve the military in pursuing claims of election fraud.

The former chiefs argue it would take the country into ‘‘dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory’’.

The men, both Democrats and Republicans, signed on to an opinion article published in

that implicitly questioned Trump’s willingness to follow his constitutional duty to peacefully relinquish power on January 20.

Trump was not named in the article.

‘‘The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the [US] Constitution and statute, has arrived,’’ they wrote.

‘‘Efforts to involve the US armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory.

‘‘Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.’’

Various officers, including General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said publicly the military has no role in determining the outcome of US elections and that their loyalty is to the Constitution, not to an individual leader or a political party. — AP