US military will not referee a disputed result, say generals
‘This heinous act [was intended to] send an intimidating message to the president’s opponents, and particularly, Jewish voters’
AMERICA’S top general reportedly warned that the military would play no role in resolving a disputed election as he sought to dispel the idea the country’s generals could take a decision in removing Donald Trump from the White House.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and two other senior generals, gave rare off-the-record briefings to America’s cable networks as the country braced itself for violent unrest.
Mr Trump has previously refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and suggested that the only way he would lose his re-election bid is if the race was “rigged”, in comments which his critics say have incited violence.
Joe Biden, Mr Trump’s Democratic challenger, has suggested that the president would be escorted “from the White House in a dispatch” if he was defeated at the ballot box but refused to leave office.
But during the private briefing, the country’s top generals stressed that they would play no role in the transfer of political power.
General Milley and National Guard chief Daniel Hokanson urged TV anchors not to be “alarmed” if they saw images of uniformed personnel on election day, stressing that the National Guard would only be deployed at the request of state governors.
It came as the US National Guard was put on standby in several states and the US Marshals Service said it stood “ready to respond to violent acts of civil disobedience” as it warned of the possibility of election unrest.
Violent scenes unfolded in Oregon, Michigan and Florida as voters headed to the polls yesterday, with anti-police protesters in Portland attempting to set fire to a Starbucks branch in the city, while duelling political demonstrations in Tampa ended in ugly clashes.
In Portland, at least two people were arrested amid what the local sheriff ’s office described as a “potential arson” attack at a Starbucks on the campus of Portland State University. The coffee shop’s windows were smashed and antipolice graffiti were sprayed on the building before law enforcement agents were able to control the situation.
Footage from Tampa appeared to show police punching a man who had been arrested after mocking Trump supporters at a political rally.
Police said Scott Rexroat had showed up at the rally wearing a Trump mask and carrying a sign with swastikas before taking photos with Trump supporters whom he branded “Nazis”.
Officers said Mr Rexroat, 59, was arrested after instigating fights and striking an officer. Mr Rexroat told local news outlets that he mistook the officer for a Trump supporter but denied carrying swastikas.
Meanwhile in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a century-old Jewish cemetery was vandalised, with “Trump” and “MAGA” [Make America Great Again] daubed in red paint on tombstones hours before Mr Trump visited the city for his final rally of the campaign.
David J B Krishef, the rabbi for the Ahavas Israel Cemetery, said it was unclear if the vandalism was an attack on the Jewish community, given the messages were not specifically anti-semitic.
But the Michigan Jewish Democrats said the “heinous act” was intended to “send an intimidating message to the president’s opponents, and particularly, Jewish voters”.