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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Helen Sullivan

US election briefing: military officials reportedly discuss how to handle illegal orders from Trump

A migrant in a caravan holds his daughter in his arms as they rest before continuing their journey to the U.S. border, in Escuintla, Mexico, 8 November 2024.
A migrant in a caravan holds his daughter in his arms as they rest before continuing their journey to the US border, in Escuintla, Mexico. Photograph: Daniel Becerril/Reuters

Officials at the Pentagon are having informal discussions about what to do if Donald Trump were to give an illegal order, such as deploying the military domestically, according to a report from CNN. They are also preparing for the possibility that he may change rules to be able to fire scores of career civil servants.

On the campaign trail, Trump has mulled sending the military after his political enemies, and also to turn back migrants at the southern border. US law generally prohibits active-duty troops from being deployed for law enforcement purposes. There are also fears he could gut the civil service in the Pentagon, and replace fired staff with employees selected for their loyalty to him.

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