A retired US general has said that attacks by Donald Trump and his Maga-supporting Republicans on the US military are similar to “the 1930s in Nazi Germany”.
Gen Barry McCaffrey said that the movement, which has been branded as “extremist” by president Joe Biden, was a “lawless cult and a major threat to the armed forces” in the US and national security.
It comes following comments made online last week by former president Trump, in which he suggested that outgoing chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, should be executed for treason.
Discussing the remarks, which were made on Mr Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, Gen McCaffrey told MSNBC: “During the follow-on to Trump’s lost election he actually made moves which… to run a coup against the United States government.
“What we are seeing is a parallel to the 1930s in Nazi Germany.”
Gen McCaffrey added that he was not referring to the entire Republican party, but rather “15 to 25 House members, a couple of senators, and all those who are Trump Maga loyalists”.
“This is a cult, it’s a lawless cult and it’s a major threat to the armed forces of the United States and our security,” he said.
He said that the comments by Mr Trump were “shameful” but that Mr Milley would “not be intimidated” by them.
“He’s a Princeton hockey player, he’s a tough guy, he had years in combat, his mom and dad fought in World War II,” he said.
“But it’s a shameful act on the part of those speaking in a manner to support authoritarian government. This is outrageous.”
In his Truth Social post, Mr Trump said that Gen Milley should face the death penalty for a conversation he had with his Chinese counterpart, and claimed he had gone behind his back to communicate with China during the final months of the Trump administration.
Former president Trump suggested that Gen. Milley should be executed for treason— (Copyright 2019. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
“This guy turned out to be a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the President of the United States,” Mr Trump wrote.
“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH! A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act.”
Mr Milley has since broken his silence on the remarks and said that he was now taking “adequate safety precautions”.
Speaking to CBS, he denied that there was anything treasonous about the calls he made to China, adding he would be taking “appropriate measures to ensure my safety and the safety of my family”.
