COURAGE AND COWARDICE IN A TIME OF CRISIS
In these chaotic, unprecedented political times, several Americans stepped forward to remind us of the meaning of courage. They have withstood partisan condemnation and threats of bodily harm to take stands for the rule of law.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was “terminated” by a tweet from President Trump on Nov. 9. A graduate of West Point, Esper had served in the Army for 10 years, including a tour during the Gulf War with the 101st Airborne Division. Subsequently, he had worked as a Senate staffer, a vice president for a defense contractor, and had earned advanced degrees at Harvard and George Washington University. Esper was confirmed as Secretary of the Army in summer 2017. Following nomination as Trump’s fourth Secretary of Defense, Esper was confirmed by a 90-to-8 Senate vote in July 2019.
Esper earned the president’s wrath when he refused to send active duty military forces into cities afflicted by riots in summer 2020. Esper considered such a move illegal. He was backed by Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Christopher Krebs served as director of cybersecurity and infrastructure in the Department of Homeland Security. Before his presidential appointment in 2017, Krebs had worked as director of cybersecurity policy for Microsoft. Several days after the votes for president were tallied, Krebs declared, “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history.” The president “terminated” him by tweet on Nov. 17.
On Dec. 1, attorney Joseph di Genova, whom Trump had earlier named as a member of his post-elecion legal team, called on a TV show for Krebs to “be drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot.” The attorney later said he was speaking in jest. Neither the president nor those in his circle condemed the remarks.
In neither termination did the president have the decency to meet, phone or write the individual as to his reasons for dismissing them from posts approved by the Senate.
Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, was elected Georgia’s aecretary of atate in 2018. On Nov. 20 he certified Joe Biden as winner of the presidential election in his state. Later that day, Gov. Brian Kemp certified Georgia’s slate of electors. Immediately, Raffensperger was widely attacked by state Republican leaders. Both GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler called for his resignation. Trump supporters called for a special session of the Georgia legislature to overturn the results of the election. Raffensperger stated that such a move “would be then nullifying the will of the people.” Kemp has also opposed a special session.
Gabriel Sterling works as voting implementation manager in Raffensperger’s office. On Dec. 2 he conducted a news conference in the Georgia State Capitol, calling for an end to threats against all persons who had worked to assure fair elections in the state. “This must stop,” was his lead into specific accounts of threats against poll workers and others. “Someone’s going to get hurt. Someone’s going to get shot. Someone’s going to get killed.” His was one of the few voices to speak in defense of paid and volunteer workers in the state’s electoral process.
Aaron van Langevelde, a Republican lawyer, serves as one of four members — two Republicans, two Democrats — who comprise Michigan’s Board of Canvassers, which certifies the results of elections. He was widely condemned after joining the two Democratic members of the panel in voting to certify the Biden victory in his state. The other Republican member abstained. “We have a clear, legal duty to certify results of the election. We cannot and should not go beyond that.” He quoted John Adams, “We are a government of laws not of men.”
Courage requires action. These five individuals stood firm in their support of the law against unfounded, partisan attacks. Two were fired for their actions.
Cowardice can take many forms. One is to stand silent when threats are piled onto people taking principled stands against lawlessness. The list of cowards is too long to cite in the current, tumultuous climate.