This week, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said that he believes the U.S. military could serve as a constraint on President Donald Trump’s administration, arguing that senior uniformed leaders remain primarily loyal to the Constitution rather than any individual political figure.
Speaking during an appearance on “MS NOW” Wednesday morning, Warner previewed questions he said he plans to ask U.S. Navy Adm. Frank M. Bradley when Bradley testifies Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Warner serves as the committee’s vice chair.
Warner said his questions will focus in part on concerns surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the administration’s recent military actions, including strikes in the Caribbean. Warner said he trusts Bradley, but raised doubts about Hegseth’s public statements.
“Remember, this is an administration that has treated the uniformed military with unprecedented disrespect when they were all brought to get a pep rally in front of Hegseth and Trump,” Warner said. “This is an administration that’s fired uniform generals from the head of the NSA, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.”
He added: “And I think in many ways, the uniformed military may help save us from this president and his lame people like Hegseth, because I think their commitment is to the Constitution and obviously not to Trump. And I expect Bradley to adhere to that.”
Warner’s comments follow similar remarks from other Democrats who have suggested service members could resist unlawful directives. Earlier this year, six Democratic lawmakers urged members of the military to resist “illegal” orders.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) made a related argument in an interview last month with Don Lemon, saying he has spoken with service members who view their oath as a safeguard.
“What gives me hope, and I talk to service members all the time. They tell me that I don’t appreciate enough and the public doesn’t appreciate enough that while Congress is not a check on the president anymore, and the judiciary at the Supreme Court is hardly a check, military members have told me, ‘We can be a check,’” Swalwell said.
He continued: “They’re essentially saying, ‘We’re not going to betray our oath to the Constitution because this guy tells us to.’ While it’s not codified that way — they’re not a branch of government on their own— their honor and integrity might just save us.”
Former President Barack Obama also addressed the issue Monday, saying he has seen signs of “resistance” within the military to what he described as politicization, while adding he does not believe that politicization has fully taken hold.
“I would not expect the politicization of the Justice Department or our military,” Obama said. “And I don’t think that’s happened. I think there’s been resistance, particularly in the military, to that, but the degree to which that has been encouraged, you know, that used to be something that I would lecture other countries not to do.”
Thinking about it, we would not be hearing any problem with the MILITARY going against President Donald J. Trump, if the dem-o-RATS would keep their treasonous mouth shut and their desires off the web!
Shame on Senator Warner for reckless, dangerous comments. Like the “seditious 6,” he is close to suggesting that a military coup, an overthrow the government by dissidents in the military– is a way to address the decisive victory by President Trump last November. Trump achieved his 2nd term, even after Democrats in blue states & Democrat prosecutors & lawfare judges, tried but failed to strip him off the ballot and jail him for life. Their failure to destroy representative government over the past 4 years, despite un-American devices like censorship of social media & suppression of actual news (the Hunter Biden laptop disinformation), has made them angry & deeply embittered, so now they’re trying to stoke rebellion- let’s call it “insurrection” & damage the good order & discipline need to have functional, effective armed forces. Their actions are fundamentally subversive. Senator Warner is a legislator. He can try to craft legislation to curtail and defund Trump’s boat strikes. He could invoke the War Powers Act (dubious constitutionally but still on the books). But what he should never have done is to try to incite servicemembers to defy orders. He might be provoking a few young, politically naive young servicemembers to risk court-martial and jail at Fort Leavenworth– is that the goal? To find victims who he will then claim got into trouble because of Trump counter-drug policies? Disgraceful!
Well said and true
More than half the voting public voted for President Trump. The seditious 6, Mark Warner , Eric Swallwell, Adam Schiff are traitors to the USA!There, I said it, and I believe it! Enough, is enough! They need to actually read and understand the Constitution, before they continually lie about it. We already have an admitted traitor, in Mark Milley! He confessed in front of congress how he earned the Chinese. What the heck happened to COUNTRY first? I truly believe the military hates Obama as much as the rest of the country!
Senior uniformed members, like all military members, follow the UCMJ and do not follow the constitution. Senator Warner should be arrested for such a comment.
I approve your message. Target the Turd Warner
Senator Warner, like Senator Kelley, is an incompetent traitor to his country. Democrats tried for years to thwart the democratoc process, while lying through their teeth that Trump was a threat to it.
They knew that Trump was a threat to their corruption and criminality, however, particularly their open borders that brought in hundreds of drug cartels into the U.S.,where they set up shop under our very noses. What they did is unprecedented in American history. And they flew ten of thousands of the more than 12 million illegals (and who know how many getaways) in night flights to cities and town all across the country specifically to change the political demographics of our country, so they could install a ome-party state. And they used our taxdollars to ply them with benefits to buy their political loyalty. And they have the nerve to call Trump a threat to democracy. Now, Trump is trying his best to reverse the enormous disaster the Biden administration created and they’re crying foul. Outrageous! It’s also revealign that protests in major cities have the aim of protecting the worst of the worst from deportation. I guess they figure if they can stop deportations of known criminals, they can stop deportation of the rest of the illegals, thereby at least achieving, or partially achievein, their undemocratic political goals. Let’s face it, the Democrat Party has devolved into a criminal cabal, willing to do anything to gain or hold onto power. And Trump is like kryptonite to them, particularly traitors like Warner and Kelly, but all the others (Fetterman excepted) to varying degrees.
Two senators ran their big mouths encouraging sedition. It is past time to hold them accountable. What are the powers like the DOJ doing about these dimwit nitwit morons? I believe Gabby’s hubby has already been interviewed but what is their punishent for this seditious behavior. They are far past just insults, now it is encouraging sedition! Get them off that pulpit now!
Obama was always good at lecturing. Talk about pollination on the military and justice department are exactly what the democrats did for 12 years. I find it laughable they are indicting the Trump administration that is trying to get back to what we used to be. Ask yourself, what do the democrats believe in, the answers aren’t pretty.
I guess the best question to ask is if you are uniform enlisted what constitutes treason if you refuse direct orders from the Commander in Chief?
There is no DEFENSE Secretary. There is a Secretary of WAR! Show some respect!
Warner is just like the rest of the liberals. They can’t exist in a real world . They are delusional.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said that senior uniformed leaders remain primarily loyal to the Constitution rather than any individual political figure. Sounds like the very reason so many were purged under the Obama regime…
It, again, is necessary to remind all people that an ‘illegal order’ is something that the courts ( particularly the Supreme Court ) has the obligation to discern.
Any person who decides on their own what is illegal and what is not must be aware of the strong possibility of a long detention in Leavenworth if an order, while being in the military, is rejected by that person.
in other words … don’t be stupid!