Excerpts from "I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year" by Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker are emerging prior to the book's July 20 release date, and they are absolutely chilling. The newest revelations concern Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, who was at the center of many meetings and conversations in the chaotic days following the former guy's clear defeat on November 3. Some takes from the Washington Post:
"Milley described 'a stomach-churning' feeling as he listened to Trump’s untrue complaints of election fraud, drawing a comparison to the 1933 attack on Germany’s parliament building that Hitler used as a pretext to establish a Nazi dictatorship.
'This is a Reichstag moment,' Milley told aides, according to the book. 'The gospel of the Führer.' [snip]
After attending a Nov. 10 security briefing about the 'Million MAGA March,' a pro-Trump rally protesting the election, Milley said he feared an American equivalent of 'brownshirts in the streets,' alluding to the paramilitary forces that protected Nazi rallies and enabled Hitler’s ascent.
Late that same evening, according to the book, an old friend called Milley to express concerns that those close to Trump were attempting to 'overturn the government.'
'You are one of the few guys who are standing between us and some really bad stuff,' the friend told Milley, according to an account relayed to his aides. Milley was shaken, Leonnig and Rucker write, and he called former national security adviser H.R. McMaster to ask whether a coup was actually imminent.
'What the f--- am I dealing with?' Milley asked him." (our emphasis)
Of course, what he was dealing with was a lawless, mentally ill autocrat with no regard for anything but his own survival, willing to do anything to remain in power and out of legal jeopardy. (He was also reported by his first wife Ivana to have kept a copy of Hitler's collection of speeches "My New Order" in his bedroom).
Milley worked quietly with other military and national security leaders to ensure the peaceful transfer of power, especially after the deadly pro-Trump insurrection at the Capitol on January 6:
"Less than a week later, as military and law enforcement leaders planned for President Biden’s inauguration, Milley said he was determined to avoid a repeat of the siege on the Capitol.
'Everyone in this room, whether you’re a cop, whether you’re a soldier, we’re going to stop these guys to make sure we have a peaceful transfer of power,' he told them. 'We’re going to put a ring of steel around this city and the Nazis aren’t getting in.'” (our emphasis)
The "Nazis" will keep trying to get in, as their leader continues to spread the Big Lie and his false grievances. We're in for a struggle with his un-American forces of fascism and autocracy, and we need to deal with that fact.
(photo: David Ramos / Getty Images)
