Top General Says Military Should Not Be Involved In The Election Process

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley on Friday told two members of the House Armed Services Committee in written remarks that the military will not be involved in the election process if the results are disputed.

"The Constitution and laws of the US and the states establish procedures for carrying out elections, and for resolving disputes over the outcome of elections ... I do not see the US military as part of this process," Milley told Reps. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mikie Sherill, D-N.J., in a letter.

"In the event of a dispute over some aspect of the elections, by law U.S. courts and the U.S. Congress are required to resolve any disputes, not the U.S. Military," Milley continued. "I believe deeply in the principle of an apolitical U.S. military.”

During an interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace in July, Trump said he “will have to see” if he accepts the Nov. 3 election results against Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Trump has frequently suggested without evidence that the high number of mail-in ballots amid the COVID-19 pandemic would “rig” the election.

Biden told "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" in June that he is “absolutely convinced” that the military would escort Trump out of the White House if he loses the election and refuses to concede.

"I promise you, I'm absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch," Biden said.

Milley’s remarks could ease concerns that the military would save Trump if he loses the election.

“If you look at history, it’s hard to think of an example where a president has given an order to the military to try to save himself politically and that effort has succeeded. It is not happening,” presidential historian Michael Beschloss told the Washington Post in July. “We have a democratic tradition, and we have a process, and even despite these times, those two things remain.”

Recent polls show Biden with a strong lead over Trump in the general election. An Economist/YouGov poll showed Biden leading the incumbent by 9 points, 50% to 41%.