Today the President again cast doubt on whether he would accept the results of the election if he doesn’t win.
He has been saying this since July.
He has laid the groundwork to refuse the peaceful transition of power.
And if he loses, it will be up to those around him to either support his claims, or step back.
This is why I have been working to get senior military and DHS officials to clearly state on the record what they will do if the President refuses to transition from power.
The President can’t successfully refuse to accept the results of the election without a number of very senior officials aiding him.
It is those officials, along with many others involved in administering elections, that will determine what happens after November 3rd.
To the Attorney General, Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of Homeland Security:
History is coming for you, and you will have to make a choice.
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Two of the things I love most - service & dogs - come together in a powerful way at the Michigan War Dog Memorial. Today I had a tour from Phil Weitlauf, whose vision transformed an abandoned pet cemetery from the 1930s into this incredible resting place for canine heroes. 1/5
The site is now the final home to military, police, fire, and service dogs. It’s one of only two such facilities in the whole country, and the only one that provides ceremonies with full military honors. 2/5
I had the chance to meet a few members of the K9 salute team (and their humans) who provide those tributes. In addition to military dogs, there are police & fire dogs buried here, as well as a section for therapy dogs, and the memorial is held up around the world as a model. 3/5
This morning, a small group from my office, @SpiritAmerica, Yalda Hakim & a veteran of the @michiganstateu GRAIN program met the 114 Afghans we have been working to get to the U.S. since late August as they landed at Dulles airport. 1/6
This group was the first of the 6k Afghans scattered in several countries who are coming to settle here. It was overwhelming to see them snake through the lines to be processed. 2/6
It was also hard not to think that they were going through the same lines that so many of our ancestors, including some of mine, came through at Ellis Island — waiting patiently to get through the doors & out to a new life. 3/6
Tonight, I voted to send the Russia sanctions bill back to committee. This moment requires us to speak clearly & with one voice, and I don’t believe this bill went far enough to send the clear message that we stand with Ukraine & are willing to back it up with action. 1/12
The Ukrainians need more military & economic support. President Zelenskyy asked members of the House & Senate on Saturday for, among many things, help with evening the odds in the skies above Ukraine. 2/12
We should be scouring former Warsaw Pact states for more anti-aircraft weapons, including legacy Russian equipment & associated munitions *and* step up our deliveries of proven systems like Stingers, Javelins, MANPADS & NLAWs. 3/12
Over the last 18 hours, Putin has crossed the Rubicon and launched the most significant military conflict in Europe in 70 years. He’s a thug operating off a disturbed view of the world and a misguided sense of his role in history. 1/10
The additional sanctions announced today are another step in the right direction, but we must go further. 2/10
No economic punishment should be off the table, and we should continue to hit Putin where it hurts: access to the global financial system via SWIFT, its oil and gas sector, political commissars, cronies and Putin himself. 3/10
Firing artillery or missiles into Ukraine makes clear that Putin has his own distorted, delusional view of the world. He’s lying about the need for military operations to propagandize his own people — and he’s taking us into a very serious and dangerous chapter. 1/4
And make no mistake: China is watching every move right now and taking notes. 2/4
Congress has a role in the coming days: we need to finalize a package of sanctions, grease the skids for more military aid to Ukraine and make clear that, despite our differences, reasonable Democrats & Republicans are united in condemning Russia’s unwarranted aggression. 3/4
We’ve been watching this thing in slow motion for months now. The Administration declassified unprecedented amounts of intel to try to prevent Putin from taking this course of action. But this man has a deeply distorted view of the world. 1/9
Now, the Ukrainian people, and ultimately the world economy, will suffer the consequences of his vanity and ruthlessness. 2/9
The most immediate impact for the average American? The price of gas is about to spike, which is a tough blow on top of a year of terribly high prices. 3/9